Every day of our trip, we are faced with what makes up 'the borderlands' - a region that is a physical place, a social construct, an important aspect of identity, and a contentious political boundary. Today we drove down to the border for the first time. Although we did not cross the border, seeing the actual, physical boundary of place and space cast a new light on our already emerging ideas of the borderlands.
This morning, we drove from Tuscan, AZ to Naco, AZ, where we visited Camp Naco and met with two people who are working to preserve the archaeological site. The abandoned buildings that comprise Camp Naco are built on the U.S. side of the border, in Arizona. Looking across the vast expanse of open, arid desert and nearby mountain ranges, I saw the U.S./Mexico border from a mile away. The Mexican side looked virtually the same as the U.S. side. I learned, however, that while less than one thousand people live in Naco, AZ, about 10,000 live in Naco, Sonora, Mexico.
As the day went on, we had another chance to see the border. Becky and Bill, the two inspiring people who showed us around Camp Naco, took us on a tour of neighboring Bisbee, AZ as well as drove us by the border checkpoint that separates Naco in the U.S. from Naco in Sonora, Mexico. Standing 50 feet from the metal fence with heavy security felt more concrete, definitive than our outlook at Camp Naco. There is something very real about a metal border fence separating two twin cities that makes the vast desert landscape and open natural land that also makes up the U.S./Mexico border seem abstract in comparison.
Today, we saw different physical representations of the reality of the U.S./Mexico border. However, the borderlands does not just start and stop at the political border, where the checkpoints and the metal fence are cemented in place. The borderlands is more than a place, though, and we did not have to drive all the way to southeastern Arizona to find implications of the border region.
A few days ago, the Borderlands gang was in Phoenix, AZ. Dr. Goldberg let us explore El Rancho Mercado - a Mexican grocery store. There, it felt like we had already crossed the border. After trying a torta cubana (think mexican sandwich that includes 3 kinds of meat!), horchata, and perusing the bakery section, I started thinking more about the fluidity of the border. Where does it start? Where does it end? Our excursion to El Rancho Mercado reminded me in many ways of the markets, shops, and culture of the predominately Latin American neighborhood next to mine in Dallas, Texas. You can find similar (though smaller) markets, restaurants, and shops there. Many of my favorite childhood foods come from the mixing of American culture and Mexican culture - tres leche cake, Lucas brand salt, tamarind paste, lollipops with chili and mango. All of this seemed normal to me until I left Dallas to attend college in central Arkansas. Many of us on this trip, though, did not grow up next to a predominately Latin American neighborhood. The visit to El Rancho Mercado may have been the first of such experiences. For me, though, it was strangely familiar. It reminded me of my childhood, and my home.
In short: you don't have to go all the way to the border to experience the mixing and blending of U.S. and Mexican cultures. However, coming to the U.S./Mexico border allowed me to realize just how fluid the borderlands truly are - they transcend political and physical boundaries, and are far-reaching in scope.
A view of the Mexican side of the border. Naco, AZ (looking at the mountains in Naco, Sonora)
This morning, we drove from Tuscan, AZ to Naco, AZ, where we visited Camp Naco and met with two people who are working to preserve the archaeological site. The abandoned buildings that comprise Camp Naco are built on the U.S. side of the border, in Arizona. Looking across the vast expanse of open, arid desert and nearby mountain ranges, I saw the U.S./Mexico border from a mile away. The Mexican side looked virtually the same as the U.S. side. I learned, however, that while less than one thousand people live in Naco, AZ, about 10,000 live in Naco, Sonora, Mexico.
As the day went on, we had another chance to see the border. Becky and Bill, the two inspiring people who showed us around Camp Naco, took us on a tour of neighboring Bisbee, AZ as well as drove us by the border checkpoint that separates Naco in the U.S. from Naco in Sonora, Mexico. Standing 50 feet from the metal fence with heavy security felt more concrete, definitive than our outlook at Camp Naco. There is something very real about a metal border fence separating two twin cities that makes the vast desert landscape and open natural land that also makes up the U.S./Mexico border seem abstract in comparison.
Today, we saw different physical representations of the reality of the U.S./Mexico border. However, the borderlands does not just start and stop at the political border, where the checkpoints and the metal fence are cemented in place. The borderlands is more than a place, though, and we did not have to drive all the way to southeastern Arizona to find implications of the border region.
A few days ago, the Borderlands gang was in Phoenix, AZ. Dr. Goldberg let us explore El Rancho Mercado - a Mexican grocery store. There, it felt like we had already crossed the border. After trying a torta cubana (think mexican sandwich that includes 3 kinds of meat!), horchata, and perusing the bakery section, I started thinking more about the fluidity of the border. Where does it start? Where does it end? Our excursion to El Rancho Mercado reminded me in many ways of the markets, shops, and culture of the predominately Latin American neighborhood next to mine in Dallas, Texas. You can find similar (though smaller) markets, restaurants, and shops there. Many of my favorite childhood foods come from the mixing of American culture and Mexican culture - tres leche cake, Lucas brand salt, tamarind paste, lollipops with chili and mango. All of this seemed normal to me until I left Dallas to attend college in central Arkansas. Many of us on this trip, though, did not grow up next to a predominately Latin American neighborhood. The visit to El Rancho Mercado may have been the first of such experiences. For me, though, it was strangely familiar. It reminded me of my childhood, and my home.
In short: you don't have to go all the way to the border to experience the mixing and blending of U.S. and Mexican cultures. However, coming to the U.S./Mexico border allowed me to realize just how fluid the borderlands truly are - they transcend political and physical boundaries, and are far-reaching in scope.
A view of the Mexican side of the border. Naco, AZ (looking at the mountains in Naco, Sonora)
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