Claudio Santana / Pool via EPA

An aerial picture shows part of the route of the Arica-La Paz railway during its centennial commemoration, in Chile on May 13, 2013.

One of the world's most remarkable railway lines celebrated its centenary on Monday. The 273-mile track traverses desert and mountain landscapes as it rises from sea-level in the Chilean port of Arica to a height of 13,800 feet en route to the Bolivian city of La Paz.

Claudio Santana / AFP - Getty Images

Inaugurated on May 13, 1913, the line has a colorful history and remains a source of controversy, according to a report by BBC News:

The railway was built by Chile to compensate Bolivia for its loss of land during the 1879-1883 War of the Pacific.

Chile won the war and annexed a swathe of Bolivian land roughly the size of Greece, leaving Bolivia landlocked.

The idea behind the railway was to give Bolivia access to the sea for its exports. It cost Chile £2.75m to build - around £195m ($300m) in today's money.

The Bolivians still demand sovereignty over at least a part of their former Pacific coastline, and last month took their case to the International Court in The Hague.

Claudio Santana / Pool via EPA

A conductor waits for passengers in Arica on May 13, 2013. Passenger services stopped running on the line in 1996, according to the BBC, but a special train ran to mark the railway's centenary.

Claudio Santana / Pool via EPA

Passengers ride on the Arica-La Paz railway during its centennial commemoration on May 13, 2013.

Claudio Santana / Pool via EPA

Passengers wait to board a train in Arica on May 13, 2013.

Claudio Santana / Pool via EPA

Natacha Pisarenko / AP

Former resident and tour guide Norma Berg walks along a street in Epecuen, an Argentine village that once was submerged in water.

Natacha Pisarenko / AP

The remains of a car in Epecuen.

Natacha Pisarenko / AP

Buildings lie in ruins. Epecuen was once home to 1,500 residents before it started flooding on November 10, 1985. After heavy rains the lake Epecuen burst its banks . It only took 20 days for the town to submerge beneath almost 10 meters of water, forcing everybody to leave.

Natacha Pisarenko / AP

A young tourist stands on stairs protruding from the rubble of homes.

Then a particularly heavy rainstorm followed a series of wet winters, and the lake overflowed its banks on Nov. 10, 1985. Water burst through a retaining wall and spilled into the lakeside streets. People fled with what they could, and within days their homes were submerged under nearly 33 feet of corrosive saltwater.

Now the water has mostly receded, exposing what looks like a scene from a movie about the end of the world. The town hasn't been rebuilt, but it has become a tourist destination again, for people willing to drive at least six hours from Buenos Aires to get here, along 340 miles of narrow country roads. Read the full story.

Natacha Pisarenko / AP

Trees line a road in Epecuen.

Natacha Pisarenko / AP

Trees are reflected in water in Epecuen. Many residents fled to nearby Carhue, another lakeside town, and set up new hotels and spas, promising relaxing getaways featuring saltwater and mud facials.

Natacha Pisarenko / AP

One man refused to leave the village. Pablo Novak, now 82, still lives on the edge of the town, welcoming people who wander into the wrecked streets.

Natacha Pisarenko / AP

During Argentina's golden age, the same trains that carried grain to the outside world brought visitors from the capital to relax in Epecuen's saltwater baths and spas.

Editor's note: Images taken on May 6 and 7, 2013, and made available to NBC News today.

Christian Veron / Reuters

Supporters of opposition leader Henrique Capriles face off against riot police as they demonstrate for a recount of the votes in Sunday's election, in Caracas, Venezuela, on April 15, 2013.

Leo Ramirez / AFP - Getty Images

Riot police with tear gas face off against opposition supporters in Caracas on April 15, 2013. Venezuela's acting president, Nicolas Maduro, was proclaimed the winner of the country's election on Monday, triggering protests as the opposition demanded a recount.

Both sides in Venezuela's political standoff will hold rival demonstrations on Tuesday after authorities rejected opposition demands for a presidential election recount and protesters clashed with police in Caracas.

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles says his team's figures show he won the election on Sunday and he wants a full audit of official results that narrowly gave victory to ruling party candidate Nicolas Maduro, the country's acting president.

The National Electoral Council has refused to hold a recount of the votes, and police fired tear gas and rubber bullets on Monday to disperse opposition supporters who protested in a wealthy district of Caracas. Read the full story.

Related:

Major challenges face Venezuela's next leader - whoever he is

'I am the son of Chavez': Former bus driver rides high in Venezuela election

Slideshow: Venezuela mourns Hugo Chavez

Luis Acosta / AFP - Getty Images

Venezuela's acting president and presidential candidate Nicolas Maduro gestures during his closing campaign rally in Caracas on April 11, 2013 ahead of Sunday's presidential election.

Raul Arboleda / AFP - Getty Images

Opposition candidate Henrique Capriles attends a campaign rally in Barquisimeto, Lara state, on April 11, 2013.

The late Hugo Chavez's self-declared socialist revolution will be put to the test at a presidential election on Sunday that pits his chosen successor against a younger rival promising change in the nation he polarized.

Most opinion polls give his protege, acting President Nicolas Maduro, a strong lead over opposition challenger Henrique Capriles thanks to Chavez's endorsement and the surge of grief and sympathy over his death from cancer last month.

Ramon Espinosa / AP

Supporters hold a toddler wearing a Maduro-style mustache at the closing campaign rally for Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on April 11, 2013.

Raul Arboleda / AFP - Getty Images

Supporters of Henrique Capriles attend his closing rally in Barquisimeto on April 11, 2013.

Tomas Bravo / Reuters

Nicolas Maduro, left, watches former Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona kick a ball during Maduro's closing rally on April 11, 2013.

The candidates closed out official campaigning on Thursday with dueling rallies, both drawing hundreds of thousands of boisterous supporters. Taking a page out of Chavez's playbook, a fiery Maduro marched through the streets of the capital draped in a Venezuelan flag and called on voters to follow "commander Chavez as the spiritual guide of the fatherland."

"I am the son of Chavez," the burly 50-year-old former bus driver shouted to supporters in downtown Caracas. "I am ready to be your president."

Capriles, an energetic 40-year-old state governor, wrapped up his campaign in the nearby city of Barquisimeto. "Those who govern today have never done anything for your security. Sunday we're going to choose between life and death," he roared to the crowd. "If you want a future, you have to vote for change, for a different government." Read the full story.

Related:

Maduro sworn in as Venezuela's acting president

Slideshow: Venezuela mourns Hugo Chavez

Leo Ramirez / AFP - Getty Images

Capriles pours water on his head during his final rally on April 11, 2013.

Enric Marti / AP

A soldier looks through binoculars at people gathered along Bolivar Avenue for the closing campaign rally for ruling party presidential candidate Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on April 11, 2013.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

A boy poses for a picture with people wearing costumes of famous sci-fi movie characters during the Canaan fair, which is part of the Holy Week events in Ayacucho, Peru, on March 28, 2013. Catholics around the world commemorate Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday before celebrating his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

An indigenous woman walks at the Canaan fair.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Living statues perform in front of a church as part of the Holy Week celebrations in Ayacucho.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

A dog rides a carousel during the Canaan fair.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

A boy rests during the Canaan fair.

Read more about Semana Santa in Ayacucho at about.com and see more of Rodrigo Abd's work on PhotoBlog:

Divided by class, Peruvians united in love of beach

Lauro Alves / Agencia RBS via AFP - Getty Images

An aerial view of the Taim Ecological Station on fire, in Rio Grande do Sul state, southern Brazil, on March 27, 2013.

A wildfire that started on Tuesday has consumed around 1,400 acres of a protected ecological station in southern Brazil. The fire at the Taim Ecological Station is at risk of spreading further, Agence France-Presse reports, since there is limited access to water. 

Lauro Alves / Agencia RBS via AFP - Getty Images

Rodrigo Abd / AP

A man is silhouetted in a wading pool as he cleans it out in the ocean waters off Agua Dulce beach in Lima, Peru.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Beach goers wade on the shoreline of Agua Dulce beach, in Lima, Peru during summertime in the southern hemisphere.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Karina Alvarado and David Enriquez pose for a picture with their daughter at Agua Dulce beach. For five Peruvian soles or about two U.S. dollars beach goers can pose for a photo in front of backdrops of their choice that include forest landscapes, exotic beach scenes or atop horses.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Lifeguards attend to Belen Godinez on"Agua Dulce" beach after she was saved from drowning in the ocean in Lima, Peru.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

A woman snacks on mango fruit as her grandson plays nearby on Agua Dulce beach in Lima, Peru.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

Adela Cabrera, 19, poses for a picture on a horse at Agua Dulce beach in Lima, Peru. For five Peruvian soles or about two U.S. dollars beach goers can pose for a photo to record their day at the beach.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

A man opens a can of peaches on Agua Dulce beach in Lima, Peru.

While Lima's elite spend their summer weekends in gated beach enclaves south of the Peruvian capital, the working class jams by the thousands on a single municipal beach of grayish-brown sands and gentle waves.

Until the mid-20th century, Lima's lower classes couldn't afford beach-going, said Juan Pacheco, a historian of the city. Road-building to the coast solved that, and the rich began to largely abandon Lima's beaches to the poorer set.

Now, the only barrier to entry to Agua Dulce beach is two dollars, the price of bus fare to get there and home.

On some weekends during the Southern Hemisphere summer, which runs from December until March, as many as 40,000 people a day visit the half-mile-long strip of beach. They arrive in groups of 20-30, hauling enormous pots of fragrant chicken and rice.
– Associated Press

Editor’s Note: The images for this blog post were shot from January to March, but made available to NBC News today.

Rodrigo Abd / AP

A man walks along the shoreline next to a message in the sand that reads in Spanish "I love you Alfonzo,

This story was originally published on Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:29 PM EDT

Daniel Becerril / Reuters

Catholics pray near windows covered partially with cement blocks inside St. Teresa of Avila church in Monterrey, Mexico, on Feb. 17, 2013.

Daniel Becerril / Reuters

A green light indicates there is no danger as a priest distributes Holy Communion to the congregation inside the church.

A church in the Mexican city of Monterrey has set up extreme security measures to protect worshippers, bricking up its windows and introducing a traffic light system to warn churchgoers if a crime is taking place nearby.

During mass, a green light is activated above a side door of the St. Teresa of Avila church to indicate that there is no sign of danger outside.

When the amber light is lit, it indicates caution, while the red light represents danger from criminal activity, such as a shooting, taking place near the church.

A concrete wall has also been constructed in front of the main facade of the church. 

Daniel Becerril / Reuters

A concrete wall has been built in front of St. Teresa of Avila church.

Last week, Mexico's new administration offered the first details of a long-touted shift in the country's war on drugs, saying the government will spend $9.2 billion this year on social programs meant to keep young people from joining criminal organizations in the 251 most violent towns and neighborhoods across the country. 

"It's clear that we must put special emphasis on prevention, because we can't only keep employing more sophisticated weapons, better equipment, more police, a higher presence of the armed forces in the country as the only form of combating organized crime," President Enrique Pena Nieto said.

-- Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related:

6 arrested in Acapulco tourists' rape

Mexicans weary of drug gangs form vigilante patrols

Slideshow: Mexico's drug war, drug culture

Ricardo Maldonado Rozo / EPA

A man works on the last details of a decoration for carnival in Barranquilla, Colombia, 08 February 2013. The city's bicentenary and its status as American Capital of Culture for 2013 are the two main subjects for the carnival that starts this weekend.

Ricardo Maldonado Rozo / EPA

A group of men work in the last details of a decoration for the Barranquilla's Carnival in Barranquilla, Colombia.

Marina Lacasse / The Canadian Press via AP

People watch as a killer whale surfaces through a small hole in the ice near Inukjuak in Northern Quebec on Jan. 8, 2013.

Maggie Okituk / Reuters

Two killer whales surface through a breathing hole in the ice of Hudson Bay on Jan. 9, 2013. The whales are part of a pod that is trapped in the sea ice.

Marina Lacasse / AP

Killer whales surface through a small hole in the ice on Jan. 8, 2013. Mayor Peter Inukpuk urged the Canadian government Wednesday to send an icebreaker as soon as possible to crack open the ice and help the pod of about a dozen trapped orcas find open water. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans said it is sending officials to assess the situation.

By Miranda Leitsinger, NBC News — Eleven killer whales are “locked in” by ice in a Canadian bay, with only a small area of open water for them to surface, the mayor of a nearby village said as he appealed for help to save the marine mammals.

A hunter found the killer whales, also known as orcas, on Wednesday morning in Hudson Bay, in northeastern Canada. Two of the orcas appear to be adults; the remaining nine are smaller in size, said Petah Inukpuk, mayor of Inukjuak, an Inuit village home to 1,800, in Quebec. Other reports said there were 12 orcas in the pod. Read the full story.

UPDATED: The whales are now apparently free, according to the mayor of a nearby village.

William Gularte / Reuters

Kekchi Aborigines from Coban protest a day before the Oxlajuj Baktun celebration at the Tikal Mayan ruins in Peten, Guatemala on Dec. 20, 2012.

Indigenous activists protested outside Guatemala's ancient ruins of Tikal on Thursday as members of the country's poverty-stricken Mayan communities sought to draw international attention to their plight ahead of festivities to mark the end of the Mayan calendar, Reuters reports.

According to the Friends of the Maya Foundation, the present-day Mayan population is around six million, with significant communities in El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras. 

Luis Soto / AFP - Getty Images

Indigenous people take part in celebrations marking the end of the Mayan age at Iximche archaeological site in Tecpan municipality, Guatemala, on Dec. 20, 2012. Ceremonies are being held to celebrate the end of the Mayan cycle known as Bak'tun 13 and the start of the new Maya Era on December 21.

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