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Introduction
The US-Mexico Borderlands
US-Mexico Borderlands
• Defined by location
Border graffiti, Nogales, Mexico
Border marker #1,
Texas/Chihuahua
Historical US-Mexico Border Boundaries
Physical Geography
• Basically extensions of its northern borders:
– Intermontane West, Great Plains, Inland South,
Coastal South
• Deserts:
– Chihuahua, Mojave, Sonora
• Climate:
– Varied due to landscape, but generally hot
Physical Geography
• Hydrology
– Increasing population taxing water supply
– Main rivers: Colorado, Rio Grande, Pecos
Physical Geography
• Biogeography
– Peccary
– Saguaro
– Gila Monster
– Elf Owl
Historical Settlement
• Tri-cultural area:
– Native Americans
– Spanish Americans
– Anglo Americans
Historical
Settlement
Native Americans
• Settlement
Patterns
– Long Beach-Los
Angeles area =
more Indian
residents than any
other urban area in
the country
– The majority of the
population is
static; “Four
Corners”
Hispanic Americans
• Ethnic Identifiers/References
–“Hispano”
–“Chicano”
–“Texanos”/“Tejanos”
• Spanish settlement in the Southwest
•
predates English settlement by 200+ years
Mostly explored by 1550
– Santa Fe founded in 1610
• Taos, Albuquerque, and other “pueblos” followed
Spanish
American
Settlement
•
•
•
•
Cabeza de Vaca
Coronado
“Zone of Contact”
Alamo
Adapted from Arreola, 2002.
Tejano South Texas: A Mexican
American Cultural Province
Ethnic Patterns
• 1850: ~10% Mexican overall
• 1900-1990: ~3 million legal Mexican immigrants
arrived in the US
Spatial
Interaction
•
•
•
•
Gravity Model
Complementarity
Transferability
Intervening
Opportunities
Borderland building (US Customs) in the Spanish
(Mexican) style. Naco, AZ.
Spatial Interactions
• Political Boundaries
• Cultural Differences
• US-Mexico
Borderlands as a
“Gateway”
Political Economy
• Primary Sector
• Secondary
Sector
– Zona libre
– Maquiladoras
– NAFTA
Regional Population Growth
• During the 1980s, all US-Mexico
Borderland states grew above the
national average!
• Climate attracts retirees
• Pull factor: Industry
– Aircraft industry
• Good flying weather and proximity to
California’s large aircraft complex
– Electronics industry
Poverty Rates, 1999
Anglo Americans
• Compared to Hispanics and Native
Americans
– Higher incomes
– Better educated
– Fewer children
– More urbanized
• “Quality of Life” indicators (above):
– Hispanics second and Native Americans third
Places: US-Mexico Borderlands
• Major metropolitan growth cities:
–
–
–
–
El Paso
Phoenix
Albuquerque
Tucson
• Major Border Crossings (non-Californian)
– El Paso-Juarez
– Ambos Nogales
– Laredo-NL
El Paso, TX looking toward Juarez, Mexico
Other US-Mexico Border Crossings
Notice the gate!
Harder to get to
Mexico! Naco, AZ
Informal crossing,
Sasabe
30 miles
(western
west
AZ)
of Columbus, NM
Reading & Discussion Question
• Reading: Short biography of Dr. Daniel D.
Arreola, US-Mexico Borderlands expert
Why do some people consider the USMexico Borderlands a “melting pot” while
other people don’t?
What do you think the future will bring for the
US-Mexico Borderlands?
Related Books
• Arreola, Daniel D. 2002. Tejano South Texas: A Mexican American
Cultural Province. Austin: University of Texas Press.
– This book earned Dan the prestigious J. B. Jackson award from the
Association of American Geographers! He’s spent his whole career
studying the US-Mexico Borderlands.
• Garreau, Joel. 1981. The Nine Nations of North America. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin.
– Defines “new” regions of North America in terms of social, cultural, and
economic standards. A hit with readers in its day.
• Meinig, Donald W. 1971. Southwest: Three Peoples in Geographical
Change, 1600–1970. New York: Oxford University Press.
– A thorough book that scrutinizes the regional geography of Native
American, Spanish, and Mormon landscapes in the Southwest. An oldtime regional geography approach.
• Nostrand, Richard L. 1992. The Hispano Homeland. Norman:
University of Oklahoma Press.
– This book started the so-called “Homeland Theory”. It weaves
interesting tales of Hispanic families, chronicling historical and presentday events.
WebSources
• All-American Canal
http://www.iid.com/water/works-allamerican.html
• Festival of the West
http://www.festivalofthewest.com/
• Mesilla, New Mexico
http://www.oldmesilla.org/