Fusing History, Culture and Environment
in the Borderlands
by Ron Mader

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Regrettably the borderlands shared by Mexico and the United States have always been treated with distrust (and at best with indifference) from the federal capitals and general populace of both countries.

In Mexico City and throughout central Mexico, there is a saying that deftly criticizes both northern cuisine and its culture: "Civilization ends where carne asada begins."

What petty arrogance! But if we look at the United States, there is similar talk dismissing the "tortilla belt" that stretches along the southern border. Regional delicacies thus turn into the stereotypes for racists or, at best, regionalists who dismiss what makes the border special.

Note that traditional Mexican guidebooks saunter past this region. The exception that proves the rule is Joe Cumming's excellent Northern Mexico Handbook, Chico California: Moon, 1998. This is a welcome second edition that expands the work of his original classic. I don't use that word lightly. This handbook is destined to become one of my most dog-earred books... again!

In my eyes, the Mexico-U.S. borderlands is one of the most fascinating areas of the world. At times this area seems like a third country with its growing use of "Spanglish," a vocabulary neither pure English nor Spanish. Spanglish is nothing less than a practical Esperanto for those who live in the region.

Defining the border is a another challenge together. Should we follow our governments' lead and use the 100 kilometers from the actual political demarcation, or should we follow more natural lines, such as the ecosystems? Does regional cuisine play a decisive role in defining the border? Personally, I think of the border as any place where I'm automatically served flour tortillas with my eggs for breakfast.

However the border is defined, it is region that literally pulsates with innovations, political drama and environmental urgencies. It has drawn increasing attention from journalists, academics and publishers who find the rich history fertile ground for exploring political, environmental and cultural issues in several new books.

Kudos to the University of Arizona Press for re-issuing one of the key books in U.S. history that explains the Gringo fascination with the border. Available again is Frederick Jackson Turner's classic tome The Frontier in American History, (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1997, 375 pages, $19.95). Turner was a professor from Wisconsin who delivered an address "The Significance of the Frontier in American History" in 1893, arguing that the need for the U.S. to expand westward was akin to the Greeks exploring the Mediterranean Sea.

While Turner's work was highly conceptual, it fueled the passions as well as political idealism that justified U.S. expansionism. His original essay leads the book, followed by chapters on democracy and pioneer ideals.

The same publishing house also illuminating regional history with a new book. Recently released is A Frontier Documentary: Sonora and Tucson, 1821-1848 (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1997, 145 pages, $19.95), a veritable feast of historical document from Mexico's independence from Spain to the U.S.-Mexican war. The book opens with an account of the first gringos in Tucson - an omen - distinctly shabby - of things to come.

The author traces the daily life of the mission towns and military outposts. Here is the story of Tucson under Mexican rule, with tales of the Apaches and the Franciscans. The book is a sequel of sorts to McCarty's 1976 Desert Documentary. The set-up is simple - the author translates a historical document and provides an intro. Sometimes McCarty's prefaces are longer than the documents themselves, but this collage of historical and interpretive text blends together in a seamless and provocative whole.

Less academic are two wonderful collections of photos and essays about border parks. Julian Hayward's The Sierra Pinacate, (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1998) shows off the splendors of this park on the edge of both Baja California and Sonora. A field archaeologist Hayden started exploring the area 40 years ago and completed this work before his death in 1998. Exceptionally beautiful yet poorly known, the Sierre Pinacate was declared a protected biosphere reserve just a few years ago. The text is complemented by photos taken by Jack Dykinga.

D. Gentry Steele's Land of the Desert Sun: Texas' Big Bend Country, (College Station: Texas A&M Press, 1998) take readers on a photographic tour of the Chihuahuan Desert. Black and white photos capure the rich textures and light of the area. Complementing images are Steele's own text that describes both ecosystems and human history in the region.

Another innovative and exciting book is Jose Saldivar's Border Matters: Remapping American Cultural Studies, (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997, 251 pages, $15.95) arranges ethnography, performance art, corridos and pop music in a brilliant mosaic, celebrating the simultaneous history and arrival of border culture. Neither glib nor mundane, the book takes a good look at the bad news.

Within its first pages the author reminds readers of how the region is under political stress - namely a low intensity conflict and militarization of the border. He quotes border scholar Tim Dunn, whose work on this subject has brought to light continuing policies of aggression and mistrust - on both sides of the political dividing line.

Author Saldivar's love of border culture is evident as he describes the muralist movement, fiction and performance art. He singles out the musical talent of popular singers Tish Hinojosa and Americo Paredes.

He writes: "According to Hinojosa, her music (straight out of San Antonio) deserves a new name all its own - what she lyrically calls Frontejas (a combination of the Spanish words frontera and Tejas). 'Fronteras,' she writes, is 'a sound, a language a feeling, a place formed by the river of culture and time washing over those who contemplate and investigate.'"

Such depth is not usually associated with the borders - at least in the mainstream media. In addition, Hinojosa's efforts pay respect to a tradition borne out of place. As the author explains, she consciously grounds her music in classic border ballads, even paying homage to Americo Paredes' corrido "Con Su Pistola en Su Mano" with her song "Con Su Pluma en Su Mano."

Such artistry is inspiring. Borderlands culture constantly renews itself in this bi- or trinational region. Saldivar explains how artists and policy-makers alike are creating new spaces for understanding both sides of the border.

Saldivar's book reminds me of the classic The Late Great Mexican Border, (El Paso, Cinco Puntos Press, 1996), edited by Bobby Byrd and Susannah Mississippi Byrd. Subtitled "Reports from a disappearing line," this book may be one of the best collection of border essays and insights.

I've heard of the Cinco Puntos Press for several years, but never came across their publications until recently when I visited the Singing Winds Bookshop. The editors have wisely chosen to include some of the best writers from the region instead of the usual hash of academics. Writers, such as Maz Aguilera-Hellweg, talk about cross-cultural childhood. Debbie Nathan eloquently describes her city - El Paso - with free trade and cholera. The ever-present Gary Paul Nabhan documents his nocturnal trek looking for blooming cacti. When I wasn't laughing, I was crying. How often can you really say that about a book?

The physical geography of the borderlands is also quickly changing, and rarely with positive results. The chaparral or brushlands of South Texas and northern Mexico have been bulldozed and deprived of spring water. The deeply moving Adios to the Brushlands (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1997, 118 pages, $19.95) is author Arturo Longoria's personal observations of what is being lost thanks to "progress."

Much of the book reflects on his work at the McAllen Monitor newspaper where he wrote an environmental column. "My investigative stories on brush destruction and on the dangers of agricultural chemicals infuriated the land abusers because until then, they had experienced no serious opposition."

Despite the author's campaign, the destruction has continued unabated. The only long-term solution Longoria sees is education: "We must allow people to walk - mentally as well as physically - back into the woods. We must allow people to fuse with nature. We must provide places where people can savor utterly quiet, overpoweringly starry nights."

Such is the power of the outdoors and of the unique natural experiences the borderlands has to offer. Perhaps we all need to take a little time to explore this region in more detail. What we find may surprise us.

Other Good Books: Amazon.com Featured Titles

The Royal Road
- A beautiful coffeetable book documenting the transcontinental road that led from Mexico City to Santa Fe, New Mexico

Border Correspondent
- Selected writings and a biography of Ruben Salazar, one of the true pioneers in border journalism

Ron Mader is the host of the popular website Planeta.com (http://www.planeta.com). He travels extensively in the Americas and is the author of the guidebook, Mexico: Adventures in Nature (John Muir Publications, 1998).

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