Sin Fronteras - The Border Wall in 1987

In the 1980's, Tijuana was close enough to touch.  I could not believe two countries not at war could be separated by a Berlin-like wall.  It was tense on the beach.  Helicopters circled above.  Border Patrol, sitting in 4WD trucks, were watching.

The border fence only extended from the edge of Imperial Beach to just east of the entry point where I-5 crossed into Tijuana, Mexico from San Ysidro, California.  Migrants would congregate in the gaps in the border fence or they'd stand on the concrete embankment on the Mexican side of the TJ River, waiting for the sun to go down to make a dash, en masse, into California, knowing that their numbers meant many, if not most, would get through.

"Sin Fronteras" (Without Borders).  The US/Mexico border fence ends at the beach, looking down into Mexico at Playa de Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico in 1987.  Border Field State Beach, San Diego, California, USA.  

"Sin Fronteras" (Without Borders).  The US/Mexico border fence ends at the beach, looking down into Mexico at Playa de Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico in 1987.  Border Field State Beach, San Diego, California, USA.  
Migrants line up at a gap in the US/Mexico border fence on the Tijuana-Ensenada Road (Via Internacional) in Tijuana in 1987, where hundreds of migrants would wait en masse for a chance to rush over the border into the US to overwhelm the US Border P

Migrants line up at a gap in the US/Mexico border fence on the Tijuana-Ensenada Road (Via Internacional) in Tijuana in 1987, where hundreds of migrants would wait en masse for a chance to rush over the border into the US to overwhelm the US Border Patrol, usually after dark, seeking opportunity.  Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.
Looking across the Tijuana River in the late afternoon from the California side where migrants mill around waiting to cross from Mexico into the US after dark in 1987.  San Ysidro, California, USA.

Looking across the Tijuana River in the late afternoon from the California side where migrants mill around waiting to cross from Mexico into the US after dark in 1987.  San Ysidro, California, USA.
US border patrol agent looks out over Wruck Canyon toward Colonia Libertad, Tijuana, Mexico in 1987 before there was a border wall.  San Ysidro, California, USA.  Now there is a double wall with a roughly 50 meter wide no-man's land betwee

US border patrol agent looks out over Wruck Canyon toward Colonia Libertad, Tijuana, Mexico in 1987 before there was a border wall.  San Ysidro, California, USA.  Now there is a double wall with a roughly 50 meter wide no-man's land between them.  In 1987, migrants would line the border in Colonia Libertad.
Dozens of mostly-Mexican people line up on a Tijuana River dike and behind the US-Mexico border fence in 1987, waiting for the sun to set one evening.  They are hoping to make a collective dash into the United States to overwhelm the US Border

Dozens of mostly-Mexican people line up on a Tijuana River dike and behind the US-Mexico border fence in 1987, waiting for the sun to set one evening.  They are hoping to make a collective dash into the United States to overwhelm the US Border Patrol and disappear into the US to gain employment.  San Ysidro, California, USA.
Dozens of mostly-Mexican people, including children, line up on a Tijuana River dike and behind a chain-link fence that demarkated the US-Mexico border in 1987, waiting for the sun to set one evening.  San Ysidro, California, USA.

Dozens of mostly-Mexican people, including children, line up on a Tijuana River dike and behind a chain-link fence that demarkated the US-Mexico border in 1987, waiting for the sun to set one evening.  San Ysidro, California, USA.
Migrants line up at a gap in the US/Mexico border fence on the Tijuana-Ensenada Road (Via Internacional) in Tijuana in 1987, where hundreds of migrants would wait en masse for a chance to rush over the border into the US to overwhelm the US Border P

Migrants line up at a gap in the US/Mexico border fence on the Tijuana-Ensenada Road (Via Internacional) in Tijuana in 1987, where hundreds of migrants would wait en masse for a chance to rush over the border into the US to overwhelm the US Border Patrol, usually after dark, seeking opportunity.  Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.
Looking into Playa de Tijuana, Mexico from US side of the border in 1987.  Now there is a double wall and it is only possible to access this spot, which is not a no-man's land between the fences, for 4 hours on Saturdays and Sundays.  Bord

Looking into Playa de Tijuana, Mexico from US side of the border in 1987.  Now there is a double wall and it is only possible to access this spot, which is not a no-man's land between the fences, for 4 hours on Saturdays and Sundays.  Border Field State Beach, San Diego, California, USA
Young boys, selling newspapers in Mexicali, Baja California in 1986 look through a slot cut into the US/Mexico border fence into the United States.  Calexico, California, USA.  American citizens are allowed to pass as often as they'd like

Young boys, selling newspapers in Mexicali, Baja California in 1986 look through a slot cut into the US/Mexico border fence into the United States.  Calexico, California, USA.  American citizens are allowed to pass as often as they'd like into the "Frontera" zone of Baja California, Mexico without ID but Mexicans cannot cross into the United States without a passport and visa.

Borderland California 1987 - 2007

In the 1980's in San Diego, California's North County suburbia was eating up once vast swathes of farmland.  The economy could not run without cheap, migrant labor provided mostly by Mexicans, but also by Central Americans.  Newcomers would build makeshift squatter shanties, on the fringes of suburbia in the chaparral brush, out discarded lumber and plastic sheeting.  Everyone knew they were out there but border patrol rarely seemed to bother with them. 

These tough men, small in stature, would arrive early in the morning to stand on street corners and seek day labor, rushing toward any pick up or car that slowed down.  Over the years you would see less of them.  What with the extortionate cost of "coyote/pollero" traffickers and the increased physical risk crossing the reinforced border, migrants can no longer repay their debt to traffickers with day labor.

Mexican migrant day laborers return to their makeshift huts in the chaparral brushland on the edge of a northern San Diego County suburban town, in 2006, California, USA. Migrants must keep a low profile.  Even though Southern California has a

Mexican migrant day laborers return to their makeshift huts in the chaparral brushland on the edge of a northern San Diego County suburban town, in 2006, California, USA. Migrants must keep a low profile.  Even though Southern California has a moderate climate, winter nights can be quite cold in a makeshift shelter.
Migrant farm worker's feet sitting before his makeshift house, in 2006, in a remote canyon beside agricultural fields in rural northern San Diego County, California, USA.

Migrant farm worker's feet sitting before his makeshift house, in 2006, in a remote canyon beside agricultural fields in rural northern San Diego County, California, USA.
Migrants from Southern Mexico or Central America signal a desire for manual work while they wait in front of a petrol station in Rancho Bernardo, California, USA in 2006.  Once successful in crossing into the United States, many migrants occupy

Migrants from Southern Mexico or Central America signal a desire for manual work while they wait in front of a petrol station in Rancho Bernardo, California, USA in 2006.  Once successful in crossing into the United States, many migrants occupy street corners where motorists will stop and offered them day work in the garden or their homes.  These migrants are in San Diego County, California. 
Undocumented Mexican migrants' shanties in the chaparral in 1987 in fields where the new suburban neighborhoods were encroaching upon agricultural land.  Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, California, USA.  These shacks, tucked out of line of

Undocumented Mexican migrants' shanties in the chaparral in 1987 in fields where the new suburban neighborhoods were encroaching upon agricultural land.  Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, California, USA.  These shacks, tucked out of line of sight in the open, offered scant shelter from winter rains and cold winter nights, where nights in the low 40's to high 30's (below 5C) were not uncommon.
Mexican migrants lived in the fallow fields  and chaparral near Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, California in 1987.  Northern San Diego County was in a multi-decade long transformation from agriculture that employed most-Mexican migrant agr

Mexican migrants lived in the fallow fields  and chaparral near Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, California in 1987.  Northern San Diego County was in a multi-decade long transformation from agriculture that employed most-Mexican migrant agricultural workers, lived on the edges of expanding suburban neighborhoods in shanties like this one.  Fearing US Border Patrol and unable to afford proper housing, they would live out of sight in the fields and rode rickety bicycles to the closest supermarket to buy mostly canned food due to lack of refrigeration.  Now most of these fields are occupied by upscale suburban housing complexes.
Mexican migrants, mostly from the states of Michoacan and Guerrero, line up on a Sunday morning after a Catholic service in 1987 for a free meal provided by the local Catholic Church in the fallow fields and chaparral on the edge of the rapidly-expa

Mexican migrants, mostly from the states of Michoacan and Guerrero, line up on a Sunday morning after a Catholic service in 1987 for a free meal provided by the local Catholic Church in the fallow fields and chaparral on the edge of the rapidly-expanding suburban communities of San Diego.  Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, California, USA.
Migrants line up waiting to start a Catholic service, conducted by a local priest, in the fallow fields near Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, California in 1987.

Migrants line up waiting to start a Catholic service, conducted by a local priest, in the fallow fields near Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, California in 1987.
Mexican migrant woman cleans suburban American home in 2006, California, USA. Many American families use migrant labor, documented and undocumented, to help with cleaning the interiors of their homes.

Mexican migrant woman cleans suburban American home in 2006, California, USA.
Many American families use migrant labor, documented and undocumented, to help with cleaning the interiors of their homes.
Undocumented Mexican men carry bags of food bought for them by the local Catholic Church in 1987.  They have just attended an open air Catholic service in the fallow fields at the edge of expanding housing developments, where they have set up a

Undocumented Mexican men carry bags of food bought for them by the local Catholic Church in 1987.  They have just attended an open air Catholic service in the fallow fields at the edge of expanding housing developments, where they have set up a shanty town hoping to find work doing menial jobs for suburban families.  Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, California, USA.
Migrant farm worker shows off tattoo of quetzel, a sacred bird in Central America and the national bird of Guatemala, in Indio, California in the early 1990's.

Migrant farm worker shows off tattoo of quetzel, a sacred bird in Central America and the national bird of Guatemala, in Indio, California in the early 1990's.
Migrant Mexican workers help with celery harvest, Oxnard, California, USA in the early 1990's. 

Migrant Mexican workers help with celery harvest, Oxnard, California, USA in the early 1990's. 
Migrants, mostly from the Mexican state of Guerrero, lived in the fallow fields, chaparral and canyons near Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, California in 2006.  Northern San Diego County was in a multi-decade long transformation from agriculture

Migrants, mostly from the Mexican state of Guerrero, lived in the fallow fields, chaparral and canyons near Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, California in 2006.  Northern San Diego County was in a multi-decade long transformation from agriculture that employed most-Mexican migrant agricultural workers, lived on the edges of expanding suburban neighborhoods, share a meal in a makeshift shelter. 
Migrant farm workers from the Mexican state of Guerrero relax in front of one of their makeshift homes, in 2006, erected in a remote canyon beside fields in northern San Diego County, California, USA.  

Migrant farm workers from the Mexican state of Guerrero relax in front of one of their makeshift homes, in 2006, erected in a remote canyon beside fields in northern San Diego County, California, USA.  
Young undocumented men from Mexico share wary glances in the presence of an American stranger in the fallow fields on the edge of the suburban community of Rancho Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, California in 1987. 

Young undocumented men from Mexico share wary glances in the presence of an American stranger in the fallow fields on the edge of the suburban community of Rancho Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, California in 1987. 
Tractor trailor passes through the wide expanse of the Imperial Sanddunes (Dunas Algodones in Spanish) very close to the US-Mexican border, Imperial County, California, USA in 2007.  In 2007, human and drug traffickers, from south of the border

Tractor trailor passes through the wide expanse of the Imperial Sanddunes (Dunas Algodones in Spanish) very close to the US-Mexican border, Imperial County, California, USA in 2007.  In 2007, human and drug traffickers, from south of the border, would mix in with off roaders, which are common in these dunes to slip into the United States.

Tijuana 1987 - 2007: Dust, Vice & Dreams

The thing about Mexican border towns is that they seem to push right up against the US border fences, as if to warm themselves from the restless fires of commerce burning north of the border, while their prickly neighbor to the north seems to push away leaving open spaces along the border.

Tijuana is rough but truly owns its character.  It expanded first and the infrastructure would catch up later.  In my early days wandering its streets, the city was raw, constantly sprouting new barrios on the periphery.  One barrio, Colonia Libertad had dirt roads climbing straight up a steep hill just east of the main border crossing.  The other side of the hill faced the United States.  There was no border fence.  It was a staging area for crossings after dark.  Now, there is a double wall, separated by a no-man's land.

Mexican man, who has lost his legs, pauses on Avenida Revolucion (Revolution Avenue), just a few hundred meters from the US border, where thousands of Americans and other non-Mexicans come for a day trip to sample Mexican culture, Tijuana, Mexico. 2

Mexican man, who has lost his legs, pauses on Avenida Revolucion (Revolution Avenue), just a few hundred meters from the US border, where thousands of Americans and other non-Mexicans come for a day trip to sample Mexican culture, Tijuana, Mexico. 2006
Dusty, impoverished and makeshift Tijuana stretched south from just below the US border, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.  2007  Tijuana does not possess as much water as San Diego, California and more reflected the natural climate of the

Dusty, impoverished and makeshift Tijuana stretched south from just below the US border, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.  2007  Tijuana does not possess as much water as San Diego, California and more reflected the natural climate of the region.
Heavy chains fix front wheels of car to house in 2008.  Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.  Crime and car theft are indicative of the higher level of poverty south of the border. 

Heavy chains fix front wheels of car to house in 2008.  Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.  Crime and car theft are indicative of the higher level of poverty south of the border. 
Young boy smokes a cigarette in Tijuana descending from a pedestrian bridge in 1987.  Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.  Tijuana can be rough now but the standard of living is markedly higher in much of the city now due in large part to ma

Young boy smokes a cigarette in Tijuana descending from a pedestrian bridge in 1987.  Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.  Tijuana can be rough now but the standard of living is markedly higher in much of the city now due in large part to maquiladoras (factories for international companies on the Mexico side of the border that take advantage of the lower wages found in Mexico and the North American Free Trade Act [NAFTA]) which provides jobs to over 100,000 people in Tijuana and large numbers of people from Tijuana who cross the border every day to work for higher wages in the United States.  In 1987, there was more widespread poverty in Tijuana than there is today.
A marble statue of a Catholic saint as seen from a Tijuana city bus, Mexico.  Catholicism occupies a central position in Mexican society.  2006

A marble statue of a Catholic saint as seen from a Tijuana city bus, Mexico.  Catholicism occupies a central position in Mexican society.  2006
Young boys from Colonia Libertad, Tijuana, just a few hundred meters from the US border fence, Tijuana, Mexico.  2006  There remains deep poverty within Tijuana, although the infrastructure has improved significantly over the past three de

Young boys from Colonia Libertad, Tijuana, just a few hundred meters from the US border fence, Tijuana, Mexico.  2006  There remains deep poverty within Tijuana, although the infrastructure has improved significantly over the past three decades in many parts of the city.
Man carries a guitar down Zona Norte street, Tijuana, Mexico.  2008

Man carries a guitar down Zona Norte street, Tijuana, Mexico.  2008
Man making a long distance call in a telephone office in the middle of the Coahuila District of Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2006

Man making a long distance call in a telephone office in the middle of the Coahuila District of Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2006
Indigena mother (indigenous probably from Southern Mexico) cradled her infant beside her accordian which sat idle beside her in 2006.  She sang Mexican folk songs seated on the pavement of Zona Central to earn money for her family in Tijuana ju

Indigena mother (indigenous probably from Southern Mexico) cradled her infant beside her accordian which sat idle beside her in 2006.  She sang Mexican folk songs seated on the pavement of Zona Central to earn money for her family in Tijuana just a few hundred meters from the US - Mexico border.  Mexico.
Iconic paintings of late pop figures Bob Marley and Frida Kahlo mingle with the Mona Lisa, and surreal religious paintings at a vendor's space on a Tijuana sidewalk right next to the US - Mexico border.   Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. &nbsp

Iconic paintings of late pop figures Bob Marley and Frida Kahlo mingle with the Mona Lisa, and surreal religious paintings at a vendor's space on a Tijuana sidewalk right next to the US - Mexico border.   Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.  2006
A family, in 1991, sits for a photo with the iconic donkey painted with zebra stripes which has been and continues to be emblematic of Avenida Revolucion, the main tourist street in the center of Tijuana, Mexico.

A family, in 1991, sits for a photo with the iconic donkey painted with zebra stripes which has been and continues to be emblematic of Avenida Revolucion, the main tourist street in the center of Tijuana, Mexico.
Entering Tijuana, Mexico by car in 1987.  There was no ID necessary to enter Mexico and no traffic jam to enter the country.  For people of all nationalities, it is and was necessary to present a passport to enter the United States.  

Entering Tijuana, Mexico by car in 1987.  There was no ID necessary to enter Mexico and no traffic jam to enter the country.  For people of all nationalities, it is and was necessary to present a passport to enter the United States.  Until relatively recently an American citizen could re-enter the US with a picture ID like a drivers license.  Now, even Americans need to present a passport.
Shopkeeper steps passed a drunken man passed out in front of her doorway in Zona Centro, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico in 1987.  In the 80's, Tijuana was a typical city in the developing world with overburdened infrastructure that could not

Shopkeeper steps passed a drunken man passed out in front of her doorway in Zona Centro, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico in 1987.  In the 80's, Tijuana was a typical city in the developing world with overburdened infrastructure that could not keep up with its burgeoning population.  Migrants would come here to cross into the United States in greater numbers than now because the border was more porous.  
Man makes gesture in front of taco stand in Coahuila red light district, Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007

Man makes gesture in front of taco stand in Coahuila red light district, Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007
Musician carrying his accordion passes door of brothel / hotel entrance in the Coahuila red-light district of Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007

Musician carrying his accordion passes door of brothel / hotel entrance in the Coahuila red-light district of Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007

"EL Muro de Verguenza" / "The Wall of Shame" 2006 - 2008

The US-Mexican border wall came to be known as "The Wall of Shame" in Mexico as it was strengthened and extended.  More and more undocumented migrants were dying in their attempt to cross this frontier.  A stronger wall in Tijuana, and all along the California border, pushed migrants into the mountains, where winter temperatures could plunge below freezing and into the deserts where summer temperatures could exceed 45C (113F).  

No one knew better than Mexicans how indispensable their labor was north of the border and yet the wall to keep them out grew longer and stronger.

Hundreds of crosses, each bearing the name of a Mexicans or Central Americans who died trying to cross this border into the United States, have been mounted on the Tijuana, Mexico side of the border fence referred to, south of the border, as "El Mur

Hundreds of crosses, each bearing the name of a Mexicans or Central Americans who died trying to cross this border into the United States, have been mounted on the Tijuana, Mexico side of the border fence referred to, south of the border, as "El Muro de Verguenza", the "Wall of Shame".  2008
Young Mexican schoolgirl runs along the beach toward the Pacific Ocean beside the border fence in 2006, Tijuana, Mexico.  The fence is erect by the US Government hoping to stem the tide of Mexicans crossing the border illegally into the United

Young Mexican schoolgirl runs along the beach toward the Pacific Ocean beside the border fence in 2006, Tijuana, Mexico.  The fence is erect by the US Government hoping to stem the tide of Mexicans crossing the border illegally into the United States. 
Two fences separate Tijuana's Colonia Libertad from the United States in 2008.  South of the border, the US border fences are known as the "Wall of Shame" (El Muro de Verguenza).  Tijuana, Baja California, USA

Two fences separate Tijuana's Colonia Libertad from the United States in 2008.  South of the border, the US border fences are known as the "Wall of Shame" (El Muro de Verguenza).  Tijuana, Baja California, USA
Closing a gap:  American workers erect a border fence to further separate Mexicali, Mexico for Calexico on the US side, Baja California, Mexico.  The US border fence is known as the "Wall of Shame" (El Muro de Verguenza) south of the borde

Closing a gap:  American workers erect a border fence to further separate Mexicali, Mexico for Calexico on the US side, Baja California, Mexico.  The US border fence is known as the "Wall of Shame" (El Muro de Verguenza) south of the border.  2008
Young Mexican men, who have been arrested by the US Border Patrol are bused and then corraled into this enclosure where they are processed by Mexican gov't officials and released back into Tijuana,  Mexico in 2006.  The entrance to the lef

Young Mexican men, who have been arrested by the US Border Patrol are bused and then corraled into this enclosure where they are processed by Mexican gov't officials and released back into Tijuana,  Mexico in 2006.  The entrance to the left was the entrance into Mexico where Americans or citizens of any nationality were allowed to pass without identification into Mexico as long as they stay within a prescribed zone along the border.
Sign within the first kilometer from the border on the US side, warns motoristists on Interstate 5 to be mindful of people running across the highway, San Ysidro, California, USA in 2006.  Unlike in Mexico, pedestrians are not permitted to walk

Sign within the first kilometer from the border on the US side, warns motoristists on Interstate 5 to be mindful of people running across the highway, San Ysidro, California, USA in 2006.  Unlike in Mexico, pedestrians are not permitted to walk along the shoulders of US highways. 
On Mexico's northern border, a new US border fence creates a barrier extending way out into the Sonora Desert, East of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico. 2008 The US border fence is known as the "Wall of Shame" (El Muro de Verguenza) south of th

On Mexico's northern border, a new US border fence creates a barrier extending way out into the Sonora Desert, East of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico. 2008 The US border fence is known as the "Wall of Shame" (El Muro de Verguenza) south of the border.   
Artefact of Mexican Migration: A handmade cross made by migrant Mexican discarded in 2006 beside Interstate 8 in the California Desert where migrants rendezvous with "coyotes" (traffickers who migrants pay to arrange passage across the US border) wh

Artefact of Mexican Migration: A handmade cross made by migrant Mexican discarded in 2006 beside Interstate 8 in the California Desert where migrants rendezvous with "coyotes" (traffickers who migrants pay to arrange passage across the US border) who provide transport for them in trucks to American cities to the north.  They can find work there.
Massive flood lights illuminate the Tijuana River from the US side of the border to eliminate the cover of darkness for the mostly Mexicans and Central Americans who attempt to cross into the United States, San Ysidro, California, USA.  2006

Massive flood lights illuminate the Tijuana River from the US side of the border to eliminate the cover of darkness for the mostly Mexicans and Central Americans who attempt to cross into the United States, San Ysidro, California, USA.  2006
Young Mexican man points along the line demarkating Mexican territory from US territory in the Tijuana River bed in 2006.  Mexicans refer to the border simply as "La Linea" or The Line" in English  It is one of the few flat parts of the bo

Young Mexican man points along the line demarkating Mexican territory from US territory in the Tijuana River bed in 2006.  Mexicans refer to the border simply as "La Linea" or The Line" in English  It is one of the few flat parts of the border, aside from the most remote tracts of desert, in California that is not fenced off.  He and others hope to cross at night.  The wall behind him prevents him from entering the US though he is a few meters from it.
US Border Patrol agent rides an all terrain vehicle beside the border where he uses it to patrol on rough terrain along the border in San Ysidro, California, USA.  2006

US Border Patrol agent rides an all terrain vehicle beside the border where he uses it to patrol on rough terrain along the border in San Ysidro, California, USA.  2006
Before Interstate 8 was built several decades ago, Jacumba was the last stop at the beginning of the 700 mile Sonora Desert from California to Texas.  2006  Motorists would stock up on food, drinking water and water for their engines' radi

Before Interstate 8 was built several decades ago, Jacumba was the last stop at the beginning of the 700 mile Sonora Desert from California to Texas.  2006  Motorists would stock up on food, drinking water and water for their engines' radiators in case they overheated on the long desert hightway ahead.   After the interstate highway bypassed the town, Jacumba, like so many desert towns like it, went into a deep sleep.  That is, until Mexican migrants began to favor it as a clandestine passage point into America.  
Water is life, especially for undocumented Mexican migrants who enter this desert mountain canyon.  The Border Angels, an NGO that set out water year round and blankets in winter, at relief stations like this one, marked by a blue flag beside I

Water is life, especially for undocumented Mexican migrants who enter this desert mountain canyon.  The Border Angels, an NGO that set out water year round and blankets in winter, at relief stations like this one, marked by a blue flag beside Interstate 8, Imperial County, California, USA.  2008
Ricardo Ram of "Angels of the Desert" (Angeles del Desierto) searches under an Interstate 8 bridge where undocumented Mexican migrants hide and wait for "coyotes" (those who migrants pay to arrange passage across the US border) to pick them up in th

Ricardo Ram of "Angels of the Desert" (Angeles del Desierto) searches under an Interstate 8 bridge where undocumented Mexican migrants hide and wait for "coyotes" (those who migrants pay to arrange passage across the US border) to pick them up in the night and on to cities like San Diego, Los Angeles and onward, between Jacumba and the low desert, California, USA.  2006  Angels of the Desert bring water to migrants and blankets in winter.  Temperatures can fall below freezing on winter nights and above 45 degrees C (110+ degrees F) in the low desert.  
Border marker from the Mexican side at Playa de Tijuana with graffitti, Mexico.  2006 In 2006, there was also free access to the monument on the American side of the border but a second fence has been built and access is only possible for a few

Border marker from the Mexican side at Playa de Tijuana with graffitti, Mexico.  2006
In 2006, there was also free access to the monument on the American side of the border but a second fence has been built and access is only possible for a few hours on Saturdays and Sundays.

PARADITAS / THE "STANDING GIRLS" OF TIJUANA. 2007

Las Paraditas, the Standing Girls, whiled away all hours of the day under the gaze of Tijuana police in the Coahuila red-light District pushed right up against the US border in 2007.  Many of the sex workers were single mothers or were women who'd failed to make it across the border and needed to support a family.

Seedy hotels and noisy bars lined the streets.  Restaurants, small food shops and pharmacies, selling condoms, were sandwiched between them.  Everybody were watching everybody.  Occasionally police would lead off a downcast campesino, red-faced from alcohol, in handcuffs, likely a migrant about to attempt a border crossing.  In the center was an east-west street where the youngest, the most attractive women leaned against the wall looking bored as men examined them like merchandise.  Sometimes they would reach out and tug on a potential customer's wrist.  Surrounding that was a ring of streets where women who were not quite as attractive as those on the top-flight street.  In an outer ring were wary-looking women, in tattered clothes, often missing teeth, showing signs of substance abuse.  Their days on the streets were numbered.

 

Paradita, "Standing Girl" waits for male customers on street in Coahuila District of Zona Norte, Tijuana.  Paraditas, or "Standing Girls", are sex workers who may legally ply their trade in Zona Norte, less than 500 m from the Mexican / US bord

Paradita, "Standing Girl" waits for male customers on street in Coahuila District of Zona Norte, Tijuana.  Paraditas, or "Standing Girls", are sex workers who may legally ply their trade in Zona Norte, less than 500 m from the Mexican / US border.  Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.  2007
Paradita, Dulce Maria (Sweety Mary) 28 years old from the Mexican state of Guerrero, reclines on bed in hotel used by sex workers on Coahuila Street, Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007  Paraditas, or "Standing Girls" are sex workers who ma

Paradita, Dulce Maria (Sweety Mary) 28 years old from the Mexican state of Guerrero, reclines on bed in hotel used by sex workers on Coahuila Street, Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007  Paraditas, or "Standing Girls" are sex workers who may legally ply their trade in Zona Norte, less than 500 m from the Mexican / US border.
Tubes of personal lubricant cream used by individual sex workers called Paraditas, Standing Girls, in a case at the front desk of a seedy hotel in the Coahuila District of Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007

Tubes of personal lubricant cream used by individual sex workers called Paraditas, Standing Girls, in a case at the front desk of a seedy hotel in the Coahuila District of Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007
Blind guitar playing street performer is led by a boy past sex workers on Tijuana street just a few hundred meters from the US border in Mexico.   2006

Blind guitar playing street performer is led by a boy past sex workers on Tijuana street just a few hundred meters from the US border in Mexico.   2006
A common sight: Police arrest a man on the street in the middle of the Coahuila red light district, Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  There is an extremely heavy police presence in the red light district by a police force that lord over the Paradit

A common sight: Police arrest a man on the street in the middle of the Coahuila red light district, Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  There is an extremely heavy police presence in the red light district by a police force that lord over the Paraditas. 2007
Erica, a 17 year old Paradita ("Standing Girl") from Tijuana, stands, holding a bag of chips and typing a text message on her mobile phone, in Tijuana's Coahuila District, Zona Norte, Mexico.  2007

Erica, a 17 year old Paradita ("Standing Girl") from Tijuana, stands, holding a bag of chips and typing a text message on her mobile phone, in Tijuana's Coahuila District, Zona Norte, Mexico.  2007
Young sex workers, called Paraditas, line up for selection of passing male customers during midday, in the La Coahuila red light district, which is just a couple of hundred meters from the border fence, Tijuana, Mexico. Some of the women who fail t

Young sex workers, called Paraditas, line up for selection of passing male customers during midday, in the La Coahuila red light district, which is just a couple of hundred meters from the border fence, Tijuana, Mexico. Some of the women who fail to make the crossing to the US for work end up here as prostitutes. Prostitution was legal, at the time, in Tijuana and limited to three "zones of tolerance".
Erica, a 17 year old Paradita from Tijuana, stretches out her legs on bed in cheap hotel she uses to conduct sex business in the Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.   2007

Erica, a 17 year old Paradita from Tijuana, stretches out her legs on bed in cheap hotel she uses to conduct sex business in the Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.   2007

Paradita sex worker shares a gaze with security guard for one of many bars in the Coahuila District, Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007  Paraditas, or "Standing Girls" are sex workers who may legally ply their trade in Zona Norte, less tha

Paradita sex worker shares a gaze with security guard for one of many bars in the Coahuila District, Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007  Paraditas, or "Standing Girls" are sex workers who may legally ply their trade in Zona Norte, less than 500 m from the Mexican / US border.
On the outlying streets of the Coahuila District of Zona Norte, older Paraditas take up positions far from the most popular, younger sex workers who occupy prime locations in the center of the district, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007

On the outlying streets of the Coahuila District of Zona Norte, older Paraditas take up positions far from the most popular, younger sex workers who occupy prime locations in the center of the district, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007
Foreign man, walking down street lined with brothels, pulls away from Paradita, "Standing Girl", as she tries to pull him in as a customer, Coahuila District, Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007

Foreign man, walking down street lined with brothels, pulls away from Paradita, "Standing Girl", as she tries to pull him in as a customer, Coahuila District, Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007

Confident swagger: Tijuana policemen sit outside of station in the middle of the Coahuila red light district, where men are frequently arrested, Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007

Confident swagger: Tijuana policemen sit outside of station in the middle of the Coahuila red light district, where men are frequently arrested, Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007
Paradita, "Standing Girl", presents herself on pavement outside Chinese restaurant in the Coahuila District, Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007

Paradita, "Standing Girl", presents herself on pavement outside Chinese restaurant in the Coahuila District, Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007
Sign put up by family of a woman who went missing in the Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007

Sign put up by family of a woman who went missing in the Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007
Paraditas, "Standing Girls", wait for male customers outside brothels lining street in the Coahuila District, Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007   Paraditas are sex workers who may legally ply their trade in Zona Norte, less than 500 m fro

Paraditas, "Standing Girls", wait for male customers outside brothels lining street in the Coahuila District, Zona Norte, Tijuana, Mexico.  2007   Paraditas are sex workers who may legally ply their trade in Zona Norte, less than 500 m from the Mexican / US border.

Maras, Federales, Migra & La Bestia / Central Americans navigate the Mexican gauntlet. 2008

The difficulty crossing the US/Mexico border has been well-documented but for Central Americans, and a handful of other foreign nationals, the passage through Mexico simply to reach the US border was one of the longest and perhaps the most treacherous migrations on the planet in 2008.

Crossing Mexico's southern border was and is as simple as hopping onto a raft or wading through a river.  Then the troubles started.  "Maras" (gangs) stalked jungle routes used by Central American migrants.  Many migrants were murdered, or beaten and robbed, within their first few days in Mexico.  The US has border posts and usually a border patrol checkpoint or two on highways leading north.  In Mexico, immigration checks continue for hundreds of kilometers where migrants can be pulled off of northbound buses beyond the southern border states.  "Federales", Federal Police, were known to want their cut from vulnerable migrants.  

The train known as "La Bestia"-The Beast-used to leave from the southern border town of Tapachula in Chiapas but, after a hurricane washed out train bridges, Arriaga, 270 km (180 miles) north, became the staging area for the painfully slow, meandering freight train that would carry migrants from the steamy jungles of Chiapas to the chilly high plateau and Mexico City.  If the cold did not get migrants, it was so slow maras could board rob and hop off at will.  Sometimes migrants would fall asleep, fall from the train onto the tracks and into the path of the La Bestia's slicing steel wheels, lopping off limbs or resulting in death.

 

Migrants from Central America nervously mill around the "La Bestia" (The Beast) waiting for it to depart and jockeying for the choicest spots on the carriages, Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico.   "Maras" criminal gang members, may be waiting in the jun

Migrants from Central America nervously mill around the "La Bestia" (The Beast) waiting for it to depart and jockeying for the choicest spots on the carriages, Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico.   "Maras" criminal gang members, may be waiting in the jungle up the rails to climb up upon this slow moving freight train, to rob, beat and even murder Central American migrants riding this train.  2008
Young Central American migrant men climb up in the pre-dawn chill onto a northbound freight train which will carry them closer to the US border, Lecheria train depot, Mexico City, Mexico.  2008

Young Central American migrant men climb up in the pre-dawn chill onto a northbound freight train which will carry them closer to the US border, Lecheria train depot, Mexico City, Mexico.  2008
"Freddy" from El Salvador lost his arm last year when fell from the "La Bestia" (The Beast) train in northern Chiapas State, Mexico.  He has lived since that time at Albergue Belen, shelter for migrants, run by Italian Priest, Padre Rigoni in t

"Freddy" from El Salvador lost his arm last year when fell from the "La Bestia" (The Beast) train in northern Chiapas State, Mexico.  He has lived since that time at Albergue Belen, shelter for migrants, run by Italian Priest, Padre Rigoni in the southern border city of Tapachula, until he can obtain  proper documentation to live and work legally in Mexico.   Freddy says there are times when he can still feel his missing arm, though most of the pain has passed.  2008
A cluster of migrants from Central America mill around in the pre-dawn chill of 2,200m (6,000 ft) high Valley of Mexico waiting for the freight train north to depart, Lecheria, Mexico City, Mexico.  2008

A cluster of migrants from Central America mill around in the pre-dawn chill of 2,200m (6,000 ft) high Valley of Mexico waiting for the freight train north to depart, Lecheria, Mexico City, Mexico.  2008
Janeth Aminta Munoz of Honduras was robbed and beaten at a market between the southern border city of Tapachula, Chiapas and the border when she reached into her bag by several men who nearly killed her.  She was taken in by the Shelter of Jesu

Janeth Aminta Munoz of Honduras was robbed and beaten at a market between the southern border city of Tapachula, Chiapas and the border when she reached into her bag by several men who nearly killed her.  She was taken in by the Shelter of Jesus the Good Shepherd, which nurtures migrants injured on the journey north through Mexico, Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico.  2008
Central American migrants warm themselves beside a fire of scrap wood and trash in the pre-dawn in the 2,200 m (6,000 ft) high Valley of Mexico before hopping a train further north.  "La Bestia" (The Beast) train journey safely behind them, mig

Central American migrants warm themselves beside a fire of scrap wood and trash in the pre-dawn in the 2,200 m (6,000 ft) high Valley of Mexico before hopping a train further north.  "La Bestia" (The Beast) train journey safely behind them, migrants will take a train further north and then take various routes to the US border, Lecheria train depot, Mexico City, Mexico.  2008
Women from Honduras mill nervously around "La Bestia" (The Beast) train where later they may fall prey to "maras" criminal gang members, waiting in the jungle to climb up upon this slow moving freight train, and who have been known rape, rob, beat a

Women from Honduras mill nervously around "La Bestia" (The Beast) train where later they may fall prey to "maras" criminal gang members, waiting in the jungle to climb up upon this slow moving freight train, and who have been known rape, rob, beat and murder Central American women riding this train.  The photographer was accosted by a ferrocaril (railway) employee who would later inquire to her male travel companions how much he could pay them to have sex with the fair haired woman in the center of the frame.  2008
Guatemalan porters smuggle goods across the Rio Suchiate which forms the porous border between Guatemala and Mexico, Talisman, Mexico.  2008

Guatemalan porters smuggle goods across the Rio Suchiate which forms the porous border between Guatemala and Mexico, Talisman, Mexico.  2008

Closer to the coast, the Rio Suchiate which marks the Mexican - Guatemalan porous border widens and slows allowing smuggling and river crossing from Guatemala (on the far bank) to Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico on makeshift rafts.  2008

Closer to the coast, the Rio Suchiate which marks the Mexican - Guatemalan porous border widens and slows allowing smuggling and river crossing from Guatemala (on the far bank) to Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico on makeshift rafts.  2008
Mother breasts feeds child while tending her sidewalk stall in Guatemala City.  According to the World Bank (2007), the average Guatemalan earns US$2,400 per year, which puts pressure on parents to feed and care for their children.  2008

Mother breasts feeds child while tending her sidewalk stall in Guatemala City.  According to the World Bank (2007), the average Guatemalan earns US$2,400 per year, which puts pressure on parents to feed and care for their children.  2008
Protester for workers' rights is encamped in front of the Palacio Nacional, the former residence of the president but still at the spiritual heart of the country, Guatemala City.  2008

Protester for workers' rights is encamped in front of the Palacio Nacional, the former residence of the president but still at the spiritual heart of the country, Guatemala City.  2008
A Honduran migrant man smokes a fat joint after missing the freight train further north from Lecheria, Mexico City, Mexico.  Many of the young migrants try to escape gang culture or drug abuse in their country with varying degrees of success. &

A Honduran migrant man smokes a fat joint after missing the freight train further north from Lecheria, Mexico City, Mexico.  Many of the young migrants try to escape gang culture or drug abuse in their country with varying degrees of success.  2008
Jubilant Central American migrant men ride atop northbound freight train they just mounted in Lecheria train depot, Mexico City, Mexico.  2008

Jubilant Central American migrant men ride atop northbound freight train they just mounted in Lecheria train depot, Mexico City, Mexico.  2008
There is a heavy Mexican military presence in southern border city of Tapichula, which has a regular flow of undocumented migrants and drug trafficking from Guatemala and further south, Mexico.  2008

There is a heavy Mexican military presence in southern border city of Tapichula, which has a regular flow of undocumented migrants and drug trafficking from Guatemala and further south, Mexico.  2008
Echoing what happens in the United States: Mexican construction crew approaches Central American migrants at Albergue Belen in the southern border city of Tapachula offering them 60 pesos (US$ 6) for a day's hard labor.  Such cash can help the

Echoing what happens in the United States: Mexican construction crew approaches Central American migrants at Albergue Belen in the southern border city of Tapachula offering them 60 pesos (US$ 6) for a day's hard labor.  Such cash can help the men cover the 270 km (180 miles) from Tapachula, where "La Bestia" (The Beast) northbound freight  train used to start, to Arriaga where it departed in 2008.
North of the last freight train, migrants will have to survive by their wits hitching rides on trucks plying the back roads of rural Mexico.  2008

North of the last freight train, migrants will have to survive by their wits hitching rides on trucks plying the back roads of rural Mexico.  2008
Guatemala City slum from where so many of the migrants come, trying to earn enough money to escape the gangs, drugs and poverty, Guatemala.  2008

Guatemala City slum from where so many of the migrants come, trying to earn enough money to escape the gangs, drugs and poverty, Guatemala.  2008

Handicapped man begs for change on the mean streets of Guatemala City, Guatemala.  2008

Handicapped man begs for change on the mean streets of Guatemala City, Guatemala.  2008
Guatemalan man sits on curb of busy Guatemala City street sniffing glue or solvent. Inhaling solvents has become a chronic problem in poverty stricken Central America.  Many young migrants head north to the United States in an attempt to rid th

Guatemalan man sits on curb of busy Guatemala City street sniffing glue or solvent. Inhaling solvents has become a chronic problem in poverty stricken Central America.  Many young migrants head north to the United States in an attempt to rid themselves of the habit and get off the streets.  2008
Young Central American migrant men have found a spot on top of the "La Bestia" (The Beast) freight train for the 2 1/2 day trip exposed to rain, sun and surprisingly cold temperatures when the train climbs up to the 2,200m high (6,000 ft) Valley or

Young Central American migrant men have found a spot on top of the "La Bestia" (The Beast) freight train for the 2 1/2 day trip exposed to rain, sun and surprisingly cold temperatures when the train climbs up to the 2,200m high (6,000 ft) Valley or Mexico, Arriaga, Mexico.

Immokalee, Florida: A Case of Latino Migrant Labor Struggle / Slavery 2010

I arrived in Miami International Airport from Japan in 2010 and immediately left by car, through the Everglades for Immokalee where Spanish is the primary language used.  It felt more like I'd arrived in Yucatan, not in South Florida.

Workers from Mexico and Central America would come to Immokalee for picking season: tomatoes, oranges.  Workers were offered two meals a day, and docked US$5 a day for each of them.  In some cases, if they refused to work, they were beaten.  Vans from smaller farms and old school buses from the larger ones would arrive before dawn to collect day migrant laborers.  Sometimes laborers were put up in hotels but other times they would have to sleep in the market to save the employer money.  Many migrants, however, would rent squalid mobile homes at extortionate rental rates at the edge of town.  

Workers were paid by how much they picked.  They needed to pick 2 1/2 tons of tomatoes to earn a typical minimum wage in a 10-hour work day.  Workers were constantly watched so they would not escape and feel intimidated.   There were documented cases of workers who were shot by their crew bosses and of female workers victimized by rape.  

Praccedes Geranimo, A Mexican migrant worker from Guerrero, Mexico worked as a modern day slave picking tomatoes and locked into a trailer at night.  Knowing him to be an alcoholic, his crew boss would spike his water with alcohol to intoxicate and control him.  

According to an Art Works Projects report, as of 2010, "federal civil rights officials (had) successfully prosecuted 7 slavery operations involving over 1,000 workers in Florida since 1997".

A Mexican migrant worker who worked as a modern day slave picking tomatoes and locked into a trailer at night in the South Florida town of Immokalee, USA.  2010

A Mexican migrant worker who worked as a modern day slave picking tomatoes and locked into a trailer at night in the South Florida town of Immokalee, USA.  2010
Tomatoes grown in South Florida on land reclaimed from the Everglades near Immokalee.  Florida, USA  2010

Tomatoes grown in South Florida on land reclaimed from the Everglades near Immokalee.  Florida, USA  2010
Praccedes Geranimo, A Mexican migrant worker from the state of Guerrero, worked as a modern day slave picking tomatoes and locked into a trailer at night in the South Florida town of Immokalee, USA. His crew boss, knowing he was an alcoholic, would

Praccedes Geranimo, A Mexican migrant worker from the state of Guerrero, worked as a modern day slave picking tomatoes and locked into a trailer at night in the South Florida town of Immokalee, USA. His crew boss, knowing he was an alcoholic, would spike his drinking water with alcohol to intoxicate and control him.  2010
Busload of migrant workers arrives at the gate of one of Immokalee's larger tomato farm in the pre-dawn, as driver awaits a crew boss to open let them enter the farm property.  Immokalee, Florida.  2010

Busload of migrant workers arrives at the gate of one of Immokalee's larger tomato farm in the pre-dawn, as driver awaits a crew boss to open let them enter the farm property.  Immokalee, Florida.  2010
The squalid shared kitchen of a trailer in which where up to 7 migrant workers paid US$ 350 per week to live.  Immokalee, Florida, USA. 2010

The squalid shared kitchen of a trailer in which where up to 7 migrant workers paid US$ 350 per week to live.  Immokalee, Florida, USA. 2010
Teenage girl from Central America carefully regards a stranger waiting in a parking lot in the pre-dawn hours for buses to come from tomato farms offering day labor.  Immokalee, Florida, USA.  2010    Young women like her are exc

Teenage girl from Central America carefully regards a stranger waiting in a parking lot in the pre-dawn hours for buses to come from tomato farms offering day labor.  Immokalee, Florida, USA.  2010    Young women like her are exceedingly vulnerable to physical and emotional abuse.
(L) 30 second encounter with workers in field: Tomato pickers, mostly Mexican and Central American migrant workers, wait to get drinking water from the back of a truck moments before the crew boss (facing camera in rear with mustache and wearing a d

(L) 30 second encounter with workers in field: Tomato pickers, mostly Mexican and Central American migrant workers, wait to get drinking water from the back of a truck moments before the crew boss (facing camera in rear with mustache and wearing a dark cap) quickly ordered the photographer to leave, threatening "trouble if the big boss" parked on the opposite end of the field came.  Near Immokalee, Florida, USA.  All formal requests for access  to farms were rejected by tomato growers.  2010
(R) End of a 30 second encounter with workers in field: The crew boss (facing camera far right with mustache and wearing a dark cap) quickly ordered the photographer to leave, threatening "trouble if the big boss" parked in pick up truck on the far left on the opposite end of the field came.  Near Immokalee, Florida, USA.  
Tomato fields are entirely off limits to visitors posted warning off uninvited guests.   Most fields are surrounded by canals and drainage ditches fill with impassable water which are often inhabited by wild alligators.  2010
Playing security hard ball: Signs and a security guard house warn off uninvited guests and prying eyes, threatening felony charges for trespassing at the front gate of one of Immokalee's larger tomato growers, Florida, USA.  2010  A felony

Playing security hard ball: Signs and a security guard house warn off uninvited guests and prying eyes, threatening felony charges for trespassing at the front gate of one of Immokalee's larger tomato growers, Florida, USA.  2010  A felony is a severe crime which, according to the Florida Department of Corrections, can involve jail time, depending on the severity of the felony.  A U.S. Department of Justice Prison and Jail Inmates Report at Midyear says, that "11 states, like Florida, either permanently disenfranchise felons or require them to go through a laborious, complicated, and daunting process to get their voting rights back".
Migrant workers, mostly Mexican, Central American and Haitians, anxiously crowd van of a crew boss offering precious day labor in a year where the winter tomato crop has been decimated by a prolonged freeze.  Immokalee, Florida.  2010

Migrant workers, mostly Mexican, Central American and Haitians, anxiously crowd van of a crew boss offering precious day labor in a year where the winter tomato crop has been decimated by a prolonged freeze.  Immokalee, Florida.  2010
An alligator, larger than an adult human, silently waits for prey on a canal dug to encircle tomato fields and drain the fringes of Everglades to make farming possible but also effectively making fields inaccessible except through easily monitored a

An alligator, larger than an adult human, silently waits for prey on a canal dug to encircle tomato fields and drain the fringes of Everglades to make farming possible but also effectively making fields inaccessible except through easily monitored access points.  Near Immokalee, Florida 2010.  In extreme cases, abusive crew bosses have threatened to toss uncooperative workers to the plentiful alligators which inhabit the numerous waterways for which the region is known.
Shared bedroom in a trailer in which where up to 7 migrant workers US$ 350 per week to live.  Immokalee, Florida, USA.  2010

Shared bedroom in a trailer in which where up to 7 migrant workers US$ 350 per week to live.  Immokalee, Florida, USA.  2010
Migrant workers, mostly Mexican, Central American and Haitians, aboard a bus which takes workers from a parking lot in Immokalee, Florida to the fields where the winter tomato crop is picked in December and January every year.  Immokalee, Flori

Migrant workers, mostly Mexican, Central American and Haitians, aboard a bus which takes workers from a parking lot in Immokalee, Florida to the fields where the winter tomato crop is picked in December and January every year.  Immokalee, Florida.  2010
Check cashing services on offer at market which caters to migrant workers from Mexico and Central America, Immokalee, Florida, USA.  2010

Check cashing services on offer at market which caters to migrant workers from Mexico and Central America, Immokalee, Florida, USA.  2010
Standing room only on a Sunday at Immokalee's Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Florida, USA. Our Lady of Guadalupe or Virgin of Guadalupe is considered the symbol of Mexico.

Standing room only on a Sunday at Immokalee's Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Florida, USA. Our Lady of Guadalupe or Virgin of Guadalupe is considered the symbol of Mexico.

Why do so many Guatemalan children go north? 2014

A lot of time has been spent talking about what PULLED unaccompanied Central American children to migrate north through Mexico to the United States.  Carefully documenting what PUSHED families to send their children north has been gravely lacking, especially when it comes to Guatemala.  Landless peasants, mostly indigenous people, waged a 36-year long civil war primarily to gain meaningful land reform and to alleviate rural poverty.  In the end, almost nothing changed.

According to USAID, "2.5% of farms occupy 65% of the land, while 88% of farms occupy only 16% of agricultural land".  Over 90% of indigenous people live below the poverty line.  70% of indigenous children suffer from chronic malnutrition.

Meanwhile, in 2013, Guatemala City's murder rate closely resemble the civilian casualty rate in wartime Iraq in 2007.

Indigenous Kaqchiquel girls play on the steps of a centuries-old, earthquake-battered church in Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala.  2014

Indigenous Kaqchiquel girls play on the steps of a centuries-old, earthquake-battered church in Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala.  2014
La Limonada (Lemonade) slum.  Guatemala City, which has one of the highest murder rates in the world, Guatemala.  2014   According to USAID, "2.6 million people – or 40% of the urban population – lived in slums. In Guatemala City, “s

La Limonada (Lemonade) slum.  Guatemala City, which has one of the highest murder rates in the world, Guatemala.  2014  

According to USAID, "2.6 million people – or 40% of the urban population – lived in slums. In Guatemala City, “slum islands”, like La LImonada, are located amidst more affluent, fully serviced areas." 
"Niño Picapedrero" (child who digs out stones), sits for hours manually shatters rocks into gravel, without protective eyewear, adequate footware or training, to earn money for his family, Retalhuleu Province, Guatemala.  2014

"Niño Picapedrero" (child who digs out stones), sits for hours manually shatters rocks into gravel, without protective eyewear, adequate footware or training, to earn money for his family, Retalhuleu Province, Guatemala.  2014
A severely malnourished indigenous child, whose lost much of his hair to malnutrition, is nursed back to health at the health clinic at Nuestra Ahijados Assoc. in Antigua.  2014 The first 1,000 days of development, from the moment of concepti

A severely malnourished indigenous child, whose lost much of his hair to malnutrition, is nursed back to health at the health clinic at Nuestra Ahijados Assoc. in Antigua.  2014

The first 1,000 days of development, from the moment of conception, are a make or break time, researchers say, for physical and intellectual development.  The nutritional deficit during this phase of development cannot be made up for later in life even if the child eats well later in life.  
Vulnerable targets for forced gang recruitment: Young men sell sweets, cigarettes, etc. on a street corner in the center of Guatemala City.  Urban crime is one of the primary factors for children migrating to the United States and Guatemala Cit

Vulnerable targets for forced gang recruitment: Young men sell sweets, cigarettes, etc. on a street corner in the center of Guatemala City.  Urban crime is one of the primary factors for children migrating to the United States and Guatemala City has one of the highest murder rates of any city in the world. 2014
Help comes too late for one teenaged victim of a high-speed motorcycle accident while "bomberos voluntarios" paramedics attend to the other rider who is fighting for her life.  Bomberos suspected that drugs or alcohol contributed to the acciden

Help comes too late for one teenaged victim of a high-speed motorcycle accident while "bomberos voluntarios" paramedics attend to the other rider who is fighting for her life.  Bomberos suspected that drugs or alcohol contributed to the accident in Guatemala City's crime-riddled Zone 7.  2014
A glass of water has been set on the pavement beside the body of a 23 year old motorcyclist who, police alleged, was killed after he and a pistol-wielding accomplice robbed a car on a Guatemala City highway in broad daylight.  During their atte

A glass of water has been set on the pavement beside the body of a 23 year old motorcyclist who, police alleged, was killed after he and a pistol-wielding accomplice robbed a car on a Guatemala City highway in broad daylight.  During their attempted escape, witnesses said, another driver, watching this very common robbery unfold, sideswiped the motorcycle sending the driver and his accomplice to the pavement, killing the driver.  The injured accomplice escaped on foot into this crime-ridden Zone 7 neighborhood.  Guatemala City, Guatemala.  2014
Four generations of the Mendez Izaguirre family prepare lunch of corn tortillas and a stew made from a small rodent, possibly a "tuza" (pocket gopher) caught in a trap in their corn field.  The family consists of 18 members, living in several h

Four generations of the Mendez Izaguirre family prepare lunch of corn tortillas and a stew made from a small rodent, possibly a "tuza" (pocket gopher) caught in a trap in their corn field.  The family consists of 18 members, living in several houses of wood, reeds and corrugated tin, on their tiny property.  The tiny, single gopher will be the sole supply of protein for this indigenous Kaqchiquel family's midday meal.  Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala.  2014
This small rodent, possibly a "tuza" (pocket gopher) caught in a trap in their corn field will be the sole supply of protein for this indigenous Kaqchiquel family of 18 members' midday meal.  Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala.  2014

This small rodent, possibly a "tuza" (pocket gopher) caught in a trap in their corn field will be the sole supply of protein for this indigenous Kaqchiquel family of 18 members' midday meal.  Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala.  2014
Childhood, particularly for girls, in rural Guatemala means hard work to keep the family going.  This indigenous Kaqchiquel girl holds an infant sibling while her mother does laundry by hand at a village structure for open air clothes washing.

Childhood, particularly for girls, in rural Guatemala means hard work to keep the family going.  This indigenous Kaqchiquel girl holds an infant sibling while her mother does laundry by hand at a village structure for open air clothes washing.  Other girls help their mothers by carrying large buckets with water to be used in the washing process.  Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala.  2014
When the sun goes down, the streets in Guatemala City empty almost immediately because it has one of the highest murder rates in the world.  2014 Guatemala City is one of the most dangerous cities in the world with a 2013 murder rate of 68.4 ho

When the sun goes down, the streets in Guatemala City empty almost immediately because it has one of the highest murder rates in the world.  2014
Guatemala City is one of the most dangerous cities in the world with a 2013 murder rate of 68.4 homicides per 100,000 people, considerably higher than the American cities of Chicago (18.5/100,000), Los Angeles (7.8/100,000 and New York (5.1/100,000).
Night clerk mesmerized by his calculator in a shop open to the street, but protected by iron bars, in central Guatemala City, Guatemala.  2014  After dark, in Guatemala City people recede behind bars and locked doors, because it has o

Night clerk mesmerized by his calculator in a shop open to the street, but protected by iron bars, in central Guatemala City, Guatemala.  2014  After dark, in Guatemala City people recede behind bars and locked doors, because it has one of the highest crime rates in the world.
Concrete barriers were erected by police in 2011 to prevent vehicles from entering or leaving Barrio El Gallito for security reasons.  In fact, El Gallito is considered a "red zone", a no-go zone where fire and ambulance crews will still not en

Concrete barriers were erected by police in 2011 to prevent vehicles from entering or leaving Barrio El Gallito for security reasons.  In fact, El Gallito is considered a "red zone", a no-go zone where fire and ambulance crews will still not enter many areas here because of gang activity and the prevalence of illegal fire arms.  The police put up the barriers to prevent drivers mistakenly entering the area because many incursions have resulted in the drivers' being murdered.  This is ground zero for coercive child gang recruitment.  Barrio El Gallito, Zone 3, Guatemala City, Guatemala.  2014
Emaciated Guatemalan homeless woman with a substance abuse problem patrols her block where she earns money be helping drivers park their cars.  Drug addiction is a big problem in Guatemala city, where illegal drugs and sniffing glue or solvent

Emaciated Guatemalan homeless woman with a substance abuse problem patrols her block where she earns money be helping drivers park their cars.  Drug addiction is a big problem in Guatemala city, where illegal drugs and sniffing glue or solvent widely consumed on the streets.  Many adolescent (minor) migrants head north to the United States in an attempt to rid themselves of drug addiction, to get away from street gangs who often brutally beat them or simply to get off the streets.  2014
An entire city block is covered with placards of the "desaparecidos", the missing from the 36-year civil war in Guatemala City.  Guatemala.  2014  After almost two decades since the war ended, it is still very much on the minds of Gua

An entire city block is covered with placards of the "desaparecidos", the missing from the 36-year civil war in Guatemala City.  Guatemala.  2014  After almost two decades since the war ended, it is still very much on the minds of Guatemaltecos.
The Idyll: Storm clouds forming over the volcanoes of Lago de Atitlan, Guatemala.  On my first trip to Guatemala in 1986, I was told that the far, south side of the lake was dangerous and to be avoided if possible, which I found puzzling becaus

The Idyll: Storm clouds forming over the volcanoes of Lago de Atitlan, Guatemala.  On my first trip to Guatemala in 1986, I was told that the far, south side of the lake was dangerous and to be avoided if possible, which I found puzzling because I had imagined the rebels hiding in the vast jungles that used to clothe El Petén to the north.  The clouds seem to rise from below the horizon adding to the drama because “La Falda”, or the skirt of the volcanic mountain range, where coffee is grown, immediately drops down to the plantations of the coastal plain.  A band of continuous forest clothes the mountains just above the coffee plantations which created a corridor from the Mexican border to the capital for the anti-government guerillas.  In fact, Santiago Atitlan village at the foot of the tallest volcano (center) was the scene of a massacre of 13 villagers by the military four years after that first visit.
"Niño Picapedrero" (child who digs out stones) working with his father sifting the Panajachel River bed for gravel and sand for the construction industry.  The worker crews dig from sun up to sundown, earning just 40 Quetzals/ cubic meter (US$5

"Niño Picapedrero" (child who digs out stones) working with his father sifting the Panajachel River bed for gravel and sand for the construction industry.  The worker crews dig from sun up to sundown, earning just 40 Quetzals/ cubic meter (US$5/cubic meter), or 70 Quetzals (US$ 8.80)/per worker/day.  The Panajachel River bed has been greatly widened by the digging, tranforming it into a quarry which increases the sediment that is carried to the clear waters of the crater lake, Lago de Atitlan, affecting water quality.  Panajachel, Guatemala.  2014
Junk food (mostly from the US) have pushed out healthier food choices in corner bodega markets throughout Guatemala, further contributing to the malnutrition crisis.   Guatemala once was self-sufficient in corn production, the country's staple

Junk food (mostly from the US) have pushed out healthier food choices in corner bodega markets throughout Guatemala, further contributing to the malnutrition crisis.  

Guatemala once was self-sufficient in corn production, the country's staple food, but cheaper gov't-subsidized corn from the United States began flowing into the country in the 1990's.  

Guatemalan per capita corn production dropped 30% from 1995 to 2005.  Then imported corn prices began to rise sharply in 2007 with demand for corn, for bio-fuel production in the US, to meet new bio-fuel standards, further financially squeezing impoverished Guatemalan consumers.  2014
A prime, vulnerable target for forced gang recruitment: A young Guatemalan boy tells his story on a Guatemala City - Antigua bus, a refurbished American school bus, before proceeding down the aisle to collect change.  These so-called, "chicken

A prime, vulnerable target for forced gang recruitment: A young Guatemalan boy tells his story on a Guatemala City - Antigua bus, a refurbished American school bus, before proceeding down the aisle to collect change.  These so-called, "chicken buses", are rather infamous for crime and gang-related shakedowns or even murders of their drivers who refused to pay extortion fees.  In 2014, bombs were even thrown aboard such buses to punish drivers.
A teenaged indigenous Kaqchiquel girl sells sweets to foreign tourists in Antigua.  Often such vendors live in the mountain villages surrounding Antigua, where they have farms that do not produce enough produce to meet their families' needs. &n

A teenaged indigenous Kaqchiquel girl sells sweets to foreign tourists in Antigua.  Often such vendors live in the mountain villages surrounding Antigua, where they have farms that do not produce enough produce to meet their families' needs.  Antigua, Guatemala.  2014
A Guatemalan girl prepares to cross the Rio Suchiate with family from Guatemala to the Mexican side of the river without a passport or any other documents, which is typical along the porous Guatemala-Mexico border.  2014     The

A Guatemalan girl prepares to cross the Rio Suchiate with family from Guatemala to the Mexican side of the river without a passport or any other documents, which is typical along the porous Guatemala-Mexico border.  2014     The Rio Suchiate valley, in the shadow of Tacana Volcano, on the Mexican side, is a major gateway into Mexico and on to the United States border.

Fortress America / This is What the US - Mexico Border Wall Actually Looks Like. 2016

Donald Trump, the president-elect of the United States has pledged to expand the border wall and make Mexico pay for it.  "The Great Wall of China, built 2,000 years ago, is 13,000 miles, folks," Donald Trump said at a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Florida on March 1, 2016 … "They didn’t have cranes. They didn’t have excavation equipment. The wall is 13,000 miles long. We need 1,000 miles and we have all of the materials.”  The Great Wall of China was one of history's most costly failures.  

In the case of the US-Mexican border wall, conclusions are not so clear.  Shoring up the California border has sent undocumented migrants further east to the serpentine Rio Grande River, lined with thick reeds, where it is physically easier to cross undetected but significantly inflated fees demanded by coyotes and other players in the human trafficking networks controlled by Mexican drug cartels are making people think twice about whether the journey is worth it.  Border enforcement has also gotten a lot more expensive for the US government, with more border patrol agents, extended walls, more vehicles, more aircraft, high-tech monitoring equipment and a surge in those seeking asylum working their way through the legal system.

The additional cost, risk, flat wages and many undocumented workers deciding it is safer to stay in the US instead of taking the risk to visit family back home, have been as effective collectively as the reinforced border wall at reducing the numbers of undocumented migrants crossing into the US.

In 1986, 1.6 million people were deported from the United States.  By 2014, that number had dropped to less than half to 680,000 people.  In the San Diego Border Patrol sector, where the border walls and fencing are most extensive, the number of apprehensions dropped, according to the Office of Immigration Statistics, by over 75% in the ten years from 2005 to the end of 2014 from 126,915 to 29,911.  Over that same period of time, however, in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas sector the number of apprehensions nearly doubled from 134,161 to 256,393.

 

 

The US border wall separates Jacumba, Calfornia, USA from Jacume, Baja California, Mexico in the high desert.  Even after the first border barricade was built in 1995 to disrupt human and drug traffickers, residents from Jacume on the Mexico si

The US border wall separates Jacumba, Calfornia, USA from Jacume, Baja California, Mexico in the high desert.  Even after the first border barricade was built in 1995 to disrupt human and drug traffickers, residents from Jacume on the Mexico side could cross freely into Jacumba to buy groceries or work; and children would be brought across to go to school or go to a health clinic in Jacumba.  Since the 11 September 2011 terrorism attacks in New York, the US Border Patrol has closed off this border transforming a ten-minute walk into a two hour drive through the official border crossing in Tecate (only for those with proper US visas), segregating these communities from each other.  2016
A double border wall, actually further inside the US prevents undocumented migrants from using the Tijuana River, on the other side of the second fence, as a corridor into the United States.  In the 1980's, entire families would rush across the

A double border wall, actually further inside the US prevents undocumented migrants from using the Tijuana River, on the other side of the second fence, as a corridor into the United States.  In the 1980's, entire families would rush across the border in what some referred to as "banzai runs", the reasoning that more would get through the gauntlet into the US if the Border Patrol were overwhelmed.   More than once I had been inside a car at this location in the 80's and watched a wave of frightened Mexican families, young and old, run past trying to evade US Border Patrol agents, even, at times, risking life and limb by crossing a busy freeway nearby (See the "Sin Fronteras/1987" section).  This wall put an end to the "banzai runs".  San Ysidro, California, USA.  2016
When I first visited the US / Mexican border where it meets the Pacific in the 1980's, there was a single corrugated steel wall and chain-link fence that ended at the top of the beach.  It reminded me of the Berlin Wall.  (See the "Sin Fro

When I first visited the US / Mexican border where it meets the Pacific in the 1980's, there was a single corrugated steel wall and chain-link fence that ended at the top of the beach.  It reminded me of the Berlin Wall.  (See the "Sin Fronteras - The Border Wall in 1987" section.)   Now the wall extends out to sea into the breaking waves.   Border Field State Beach, San Diego, California, USA.

In 1971, US First Lady Patricia Nixon dedicated the Friendship Park atop the cliff to the left.  There was a rickety wire fence, but no wall, where a small obelisk marked the border at a place where Mexican citizens and American citizens could still come together.  In 2006, it was still possible to approach the obelisk from both sides of the border, as the wall was built ride over the top of it.  (See the "El Muro de Verguenza" / "The Wall of Shame" 2006 - 2008 section.)  In 2009, the United States built a second wall, visible on the left, and it is no longer possible to approach the obelisk from the US side as it now sits in a no man's land.  2016
Bandit Country: Looking south into Mexico from above the unfenced US / Mexico border in the Morron Valley, San Diego County, California, USA.  This lonely stretch of border is known for banditry.    2016

Bandit Country: Looking south into Mexico from above the unfenced US / Mexico border in the Morron Valley, San Diego County, California, USA.  This lonely stretch of border is known for banditry.    2016
A parked US Border Patrol SUV looks out across the US border wall at Tecate, Mexico, famous for Tecate and Carta Blanca beers, from California.  As is typical along the US / Mexico border, the city on the Mexico side pushes up against the borde

A parked US Border Patrol SUV looks out across the US border wall at Tecate, Mexico, famous for Tecate and Carta Blanca beers, from California.  As is typical along the US / Mexico border, the city on the Mexico side pushes up against the border, while the US side is largely open country.  Tecate, California, USA.  2016

Although Tecate is a relatively safe border city, the mountains both east and west along the border can be treacherous for migrants with bandits laying in wait.  Often they rape female migrants or demand migrants' relatives phone numbers from whom they demand ransom while threatening the migrants' lives. 
Yellow smoke from a brush fire south of the border is visible above the US border wall which crosses the Imperial/ Algodones Sand Dunes in the Sonora desert near the California/Arizona border.  The increased surveillance further east near Tijua

Yellow smoke from a brush fire south of the border is visible above the US border wall which crosses the Imperial/ Algodones Sand Dunes in the Sonora desert near the California/Arizona border.  The increased surveillance further east near Tijuana and the coast pushed migrants eastward where there were fewer US Border Patrol agents and difficult terrain.  Traffickers,  both human and drug traffickers, used to employ ATV's to mingle with American recreational ATV riders to the point that it was necessary to extend the wall through the sand dunes.  (See "Borderland California 1987 - 2007)  2016
The US government filled in Smuggler's Gulch with a structure resembling an earthen dam 244 meters long (800 ft.) and 55 meters high (180 ft), built a second tougher triple-thickness border fence topped with razor wire, flood lights, remote sensors

The US government filled in Smuggler's Gulch with a structure resembling an earthen dam 244 meters long (800 ft.) and 55 meters high (180 ft), built a second tougher triple-thickness border fence topped with razor wire, flood lights, remote sensors and cameras to deter nighttime crossings.  For decades, traffickers would smuggle everything from cattle to people, moonshine to cocaine through this canyon from Tijuana into the US making it one of the most treacherous places along the border.  In the 1990's, Smuggler's Gulch was a prime route for undocumented migrants attempting entering the United States.  Then in 2009, the Department of Homeland Security waived several environmental laws, with the blessing of the US Congress, to transport 1.5 million cubic meters (2 million cubic yards) of earth to fill in the gap.  Environmentalists, while recognizing the need for border control, describe this new structure as overkill and a threat to the environment.  The Smuggler's Gulch fence is part of a US$60 million project to install triple fencing over the final 5.6 km (3 1/2 mi) of the fence that runs from the Pacific Ocean separating San Diego, CA, USA from Tijuana, BC, Mexico.  2016
For all the talk of sealing the US border, not all the gaps in the border wall in California are because of the rugged terrain.  The border wall ends and is replaced by a barrier on a desert plain in the Imperial Valley, at the edge of the irri

For all the talk of sealing the US border, not all the gaps in the border wall in California are because of the rugged terrain.  The border wall ends and is replaced by a barrier on a desert plain in the Imperial Valley, at the edge of the irrigated oasis farmland west of Calexico.  Border Patrols were completely absent here, as opposed to all other places I visited along the border.  Border Patrol regularly approached to determine my nationality and why I was so close to the border line but here there was nothing but solitude.  Imperial Valley, California.  2016
Wall that separates Calexico, CA, USA from Mexicali, BC, Mexico.  As their names imply, Mexicali on the Mexico side and Calexico on the US side are sister cities but the wall was not always this big.  In the 80's a rickety corrugated steel

Wall that separates Calexico, CA, USA from Mexicali, BC, Mexico.  As their names imply, Mexicali on the Mexico side and Calexico on the US side are sister cities but the wall was not always this big.  In the 80's a rickety corrugated steel wall did not extend to the edge of the cities but in 2008, when I documented the migration issue from the Mexicali side, US crews were extending and reinforcing the border wall here.  Mexicali has a notorious reputation but there were prosperous suburbs south of the city complete with shopping malls and Starbucks.  
There are an estimated 160 "maquiladores", or manufacturing operations, in Mexicali, making it a prosperous city of commerce.

That said, Mexican cartel violence has been known to spill over the border because of the lucrative smuggling business.  Since it has become so hard to go over or around the fence, cartels often resort to constructing covert tunnels that extend under the fence into Calexico and one such tunnel, 70 meter long (230 ft), which had lighting and ventilation, was discovered leading from a residence in Mexicali into Calexico in April 2015 when US Border Patrol intercepted four men in Calexico carrying 25 vacuum-sealed packages containing 31 kilograms (69 lbs) of methamphetamine worth US$694,000.  They were trying to cross the All-American Canal using scuba gear.  Three of the men escaped back to Mexico and the one who arrested was from Honduras.  2016

Up Against the Border Wall; Literally 2017

While wondering the along the US-built border wall in Tijuana, Mexico, I happened upon several families whose houses were built up against the wall, literally.  Mexicans call it “El Muro de Verguenza”, “The Wall of Shame”.   I’ll never forget the shock at seeing, for the first time, the corrugated-tin US/Mexico border wall in 1982.  I could not believe that two countries, not at war, could be separated by such a formidable barrier, resembling the Berlin Wall.  It felt militarized on the beach.  Helicopters circled overhead.  Border Patrol, sitting in 4WD trucks, were watching my every move.  Not much has changed there except now there is more wall, extending into the sea and sometimes there is even a double wall. 

 

To this day, few people north of the border have any idea what life is like along the border, much less have any understanding of the people, the families, who live there.  How does it feel when your neighbor to the north so fears you, it feels the need to raise steel beams, concrete and razor wire to keep you out?

 

With incendiary language, US President Donald Trump has pledged to build a bigger, longer wall and make Mexico pay for it.  So, the wall is once again of intense interest.  This series attempts to offer a glimpse into people’s lives as a counter to the highly politicized discourse about this border separating neighbors, and many families.

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Published Borderland Stories

Newsweek cover story / April 2006

Newsweek cover story / April 2006
Newsweek cover story / April 2006

Newsweek cover story / April 2006
Newsweek cover story / April 2006

Newsweek cover story / April 2006
Newsweek cover story / April 2006

Newsweek cover story / April 2006
Newsweek cover story / April 2006

Newsweek cover story / April 2006
Newsweek cover story / April 2006

Newsweek cover story / April 2006
Newsweek cover story / April 2006

Newsweek cover story / April 2006
National Geographic / 2016

National Geographic / 2016
National Geographic / 2016  

National Geographic / 2016

 
National Geographic / 2016

National Geographic / 2016
National Geographic / 2016

National Geographic / 2016
National Geographic / 2016

National Geographic / 2016
National Geographic / 2016

National Geographic / 2016
National Geographic / 2016

National Geographic / 2016
National Geographic / 2016

National Geographic / 2016
National Geographic / 2016

National Geographic / 2016
Newsweek Int'l cover story / 2009

Newsweek Int'l cover story / 2009
Newsweek Japan / March 2014

Newsweek Japan / March 2014
Newsweek Japan / March 2014

Newsweek Japan / March 2014
National Geographic / 2017

National Geographic / 2017
National Geographic / 2017

National Geographic / 2017
National Geographic / 2017

National Geographic / 2017
National Geographic / 2017

National Geographic / 2017
National Geographic / 2017

National Geographic / 2017
National Geographic / 2017

National Geographic / 2017
National Geographic / 2017

National Geographic / 2017
National Geographic / 2017

National Geographic / 2017
National Geographic / 2017

National Geographic / 2017
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