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In December, Colombia declared a new national park in a corner of the llanos that borders the Manacacías River.

Mixing Spanish and English in its descriptions of the New Mexico llano, or flatlands, where Mr. Anaya was raised, the book sold hundreds of thousands of copies and was adapted into a 2013 film.

It depicts a battle of wills between the mercurial, eponymous heroine and a rancher, with lush, prolix descriptions of the great plains – the llanos – cowboys and spirits.

When she came the beauty of the llano unfolded before my eyes, and the gurgling waters of the river sang to the hum of the turning earth.

After a brief glimpse, the crocodile disappeared into the water, in a corner of the llanos still big and wild enough to keep a few secrets.