diff --git a/make_deps.sh b/make_deps.sh
index 718b2e80a15e96e41da1902283c2db0ae9fd1d1a..a169c201fc67d30051f07a5526565781057f464f 100755
--- a/make_deps.sh
+++ b/make_deps.sh
@@ -9,12 +9,12 @@
 # This is a C++ "meta-template library" for arrays that allows
 # manipulation of multidimensional arrays in C++ code with a
 # MATLAB-like syntax
-BUILD_BLITZ=no
+BUILD_BLITZ=yes
 
 # fftw -- www.fftw.org
 # This is a self-contained library for high-performance Fast
 # Fourier Transforms
-BUILD_FFTW=no
+BUILD_FFTW=yes
 
 # UMFPACK -- www.cise.ufl.edu/research/sparse/umfpack
 # AMD     -- www.cise.ufl.edu/research/sparse/amd/
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ BUILD_UMFPACK=yes
 # older versions of libboost do not have the program_options
 # library.
 
-BUILD_BOOST=no
+BUILD_BOOST=yes
 
 # Read in the appropriate system script.  If none is specified on the
 # command line, guess based on the hostname
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ else
 	fi
 	(tar -xzvf blitz_2010.tgz > /dev/null) || (echo "Untar of Blitz FAILED"; exit 1);
 	pushd blitz
-	(./configure --prefix="$CWD" --disable-fortran > /dev/null) && \
+	(./configure --prefix="$CWD" --disable-fortran "${BLITZ_OPTIONS}" > /dev/null) && \
 		(make lib > /dev/null) && \
 		pushd blitz && (make install > /dev/null) && popd  && \
 		pushd lib && (make install > /dev/null) && popd  && \
@@ -221,8 +221,8 @@ else
 
    ( (./bootstrap.sh $BOOST_TOOLSET_OPTION \
                      --with-libraries=program_options \
-                     --prefix="$CWD" &&
-      ./b2 link=static && ./b2 link=static install) > /dev/null) 
+                     --prefix="$CWD"  &&
+      ./b2 link=static ${BOOST_OPTIONS} && ./b2 link=static ${BOOST_OPTIONS} install) > /dev/null) 
    if [ 0 -ne $? ]; then
       echo "Could not build libboost!" ; exit 1
    fi
diff --git a/systems/plata.sh b/systems/plata.sh
index 0404ae6f519225edece7bda10b128a7d29e15651..3bc644c871800843df1ebede88fdbdfdff73fa58 100644
--- a/systems/plata.sh
+++ b/systems/plata.sh
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ MPICXX=mpic++
 # System-specific compiler flags
 SYSTEM_CFLAGS="-m64"
 SYSTEM_CXXFLAGS="-Wno-deprecated"
-SYSTEM_LDFLAGS=-m64
+SYSTEM_LDFLAGS="-m64"
 
 # Compiler flags for debugging
 DEBUG_CFLAGS="-g -DBZ_DEBUG"
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ MPI_LIB=
 MPI_LIBDIR=
 MPI_INCDIR=
 
+# Options for building boost
+BOOST_OPTIONS="cxxflags=-m64"
+
 # Library names/locations for LAPACK
 LAPACK_LIB="-framework Accelerate"
 LAPACK_LIBDIR=
@@ -42,10 +45,13 @@ LAPACK_INCDIR=
 # or compiled-with-this-package version
 BLITZ_LIBDIR=
 BLITZ_INCDIR=
+BLITZ_OPTIONS="CXX=g++ -m64"
 
 # Library locations for fftw
 FFTW_LIBDIR=
 FFTW_INCDIR=
+# Force FFTW to compile in 64-bit mode
+FFTW_OPTIONS='CFLAGS=-m64'
 
 # Library locations for UMFPACK
 UMF_INCDIR=