(c) 2010 Lydia Hinshaw
Vehicle for international travel
Site of international commerceROSWELL, NM -- Big Bend is distant in our rear-view mirror at this point, but it is worth a look back for what we learned about the U.S.-Mexican border.
There are no longer legal border crossings in Big Bend National Park -- two of them were closed not long after 9-11. Americans can launch boats on the Rio Grande but are not allowed to land on the other side. Ditto for Mexicans.
But the river is neither wide nor swift near Rio Grande Village, an area of the park where these pictures were taken. It could easily be crossed with a canoe, like this one beached in Mexico, viewed from the U.S. When I zoomed in on the canoe picture on my computer, I spotted a man, a dog and a pony or donkey on the far side under the trees.
Mexicans cross the river to set up small "gift shops" like this on the U.S. side, selling walking sticks and various handmade trinkets on the honor system. There's a price list on the note. You put your money in the jar at top left and select your purchase.
One of the notes, not this one, said the money would go to the schoolchildren of Boquillas del Carmen, a tiny village on the other side.
Before 2002, Boquillas thrived on the dollars provided by legal American tourism. The border closing has nearly killed the town. Only a handful of people still live there.
There are no longer legal border crossings in Big Bend National Park -- two of them were closed not long after 9-11. Americans can launch boats on the Rio Grande but are not allowed to land on the other side. Ditto for Mexicans.
But the river is neither wide nor swift near Rio Grande Village, an area of the park where these pictures were taken. It could easily be crossed with a canoe, like this one beached in Mexico, viewed from the U.S. When I zoomed in on the canoe picture on my computer, I spotted a man, a dog and a pony or donkey on the far side under the trees.
Mexicans cross the river to set up small "gift shops" like this on the U.S. side, selling walking sticks and various handmade trinkets on the honor system. There's a price list on the note. You put your money in the jar at top left and select your purchase.
One of the notes, not this one, said the money would go to the schoolchildren of Boquillas del Carmen, a tiny village on the other side.
Before 2002, Boquillas thrived on the dollars provided by legal American tourism. The border closing has nearly killed the town. Only a handful of people still live there.
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