| Workers on the Land and in Cities (Photos:
#15, 34,28,23,21,17,14,11,12,10,13,31) People make
their living in many different ways on the Texas/Mexican
Border. Some work on the land in ranching and farming:
some may own their land, others may rent, more work as
laborers on land leased or owned by other. Many work in
offices, shops, industry, small business and professions.
Others make things to sell or work in and around the
home. Men and women often do different sorts of work. In
some cases, specific types of work are done on one side
of the border more than on the other. Some work is
specifically related to life on the Border.
1. Working on the Land -
Agriculture:
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The Borderlands are a region rich in agricultural
production. In addition to cotton and tobacco and a range
of grains, many fruits and vegetables are produced in its
warm, temperate zones. Go to your local produce market
and try to find a fruit or vegetable that was produced in
Texas or somewhere in Mexico. The store’s produce
manager should be able to help you choose one. The list
below mentions fruits and vegetables which are sometimes
grown in Border areas. If you can not find any of the
mentioned items in your local grocery, choose one from
the list and answer these questions. You can get
additional information by reading the back of a seed
packet at a local garden center.
FRUITS: Grapefruit, Limes, Oranges,
Strawberries, Cantaloupes, Watermelons, Apples,
Avocados, Bananas, Grapes, Mangoes, Papaya,
Peaches, Pears, Pineapples, Plums
VEGETABLES: Beans, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots,
Cauliflower, Celery, Corn, Cucumbers, Garlic,
Lettuce, Onions, Peppers, Potatoes, Squash,
Tomatoes
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Ave Bonar.
Cantaloupe picking for Griffin & Brand,
Inc.,
near Rio Grande City, 1984 |
A) Cantaloupe Picking for
Griffin & Brown: Growing and Picking Fruits
and Vegetables (#15)
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1. What is the common name and the
Latin name of the fruit or vegetable you
chose?
2. Find out something about the way
the fruit/vegetable is planted. Does it need
a lot of water or sun? Does it require a
special kind of soil?
3. Look at the people in image #15.
These people are picking cantaloupes near Rio
Grande City. Describe their job from what you
can see in the photograph.
4. Now think of the fruit/vegetable
you chose. Find out what you can about how it
is harvested. Is the work done by people who
work as pickers or is a lot of the work done
by machines operated by people?
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Sharon Stewart.
Valley Fruit and Vegetable Packing Shed,
Pharr, Texas.
Agricultural products have been continually
processed and shipped from here since the
1920s. |
B) Valley Fruit and Vegetable
Packing Shed: Distributing Fruits and Vegetables
(#34)
Image #34 depicts a fruit and vegetable packing
place. Here the fruit is processed and shipped out to
its destination.
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1. Can you trace the path that your
fruit or vegetable took to get to your table
from the border? What farm did it get
produced on? Did it travel by truck, train or
by another means to get to your home town?
Did your grocery store get it from a local
distribution center?
2. How was the fruit or vegetable
packaged? Can you record any details from the
label?
3. Can you find a recipe in a
Border Cookbook for the fruit or vegetable
you chose? Record it here. Try making it to
share with your class or your family.
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Sharon Stewart.
The Magic Valley Sunflower,
south of Mission, Texas, where sunflowers
are commercially grown for seeds. |
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C) The Magic Valley Sunflower (#28)
This photograph was taken in South Texas, near the
border with Tamaulipas. The photographer talks about
the agricultural and spiritual importance of the
sunflower to life in the Valley area.
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1. What is the Latin name for the
sunflower? Where does it grow primarily? Is
it a native plant to the border?
2. How high does a sunflower grow?
Describe its flower and the leaves. Draw a
picture of a sunflower.
3. The sunflower has many uses. It
is a popular ornamental plant. In addition,
the leaves, petals and seeds are used as raw
materials for making other products. Can you
find out what some of these uses
are? Try to list at least five.
4. How does this sunflower image
make you feel? Write a poem about the
sunflower of four lines or more.
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2. Working on the Land:
Ranching (#23)
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Mary Lee Edwards.
Noble Viejo de la Tierra.
West of Sabinas Hidalgo |
This image depicts an older Mexican rancher. Ranching
was once a key source of activity for many Border
residents. Today fewer people make their living through
ranching.
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A)Noble Veijo de la Tierra
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1. Study this image and describe it
in a few sentences.
2. A vaquero is a Mexican cowboy.
Many of the words that are used to describe
elements of cowboy life and work come from
Spanish and speak of a long-time
collaboration between cultures on the border.
Chose a word from this list below:
| Bandana |
Bronco |
Chaps |
Corral |
Lariat |
Lasso |
| Mustang |
Ranch |
Remuda |
Rodeo |
Serape |
Sombrero |
| Vaquero |
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3. Write your word and define it.
4. What is the derivation of the
word? Where does it come from - if not from
English?
5. Write a story of four sentences
which uses the word.
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B) Ranching and Cattle
The King Ranch in Kingsville, Texas, in the
southern part of the state is the largest ranch in
the continental United States. Founded in 1825, the
ranch began to develop a breed of beef cattle known
as the Santa Gertrudis. The breed is part Brahman and
part Shorthorn. People that raise cattle commercially
speak about different cattle breeds - although many
ranches have animals which are combinations. Below is
a list of some other cattle breeds in Texas. Answer
the questions below about a breed that interests you.
| Angus |
Brahman |
Charolais |
Hereford |
Santa Gertrudis |
| Shorthorn |
Simmenthal |
Texas |
Longhorn |
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1. What is the name of the Cattle
you chose? What is its Latin name?
2. Where did this cattle originate?
When was it introduced to the Border area?
3. Describe the appearance of this
cattle.
4. Find out the name and address of
the organization of breeders of this type of
cattle. Write to them for more information on
the cattle. When it comes, write a report or
make a poster.
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3. Women and Work:
Women on the Border work in a range of jobs -
politicians and doctors, teachers and office workers.
Because of the special economics of the Border,
industries and jobs exist there that don’t exist
everywhere. There are jobs unique to the culture. Another
common type of job done by poor and migrant women
involves work in the informal sector. Here people make
their living through selling simple goods in places like
markets or street corners. Some women may work as
domestics, cleaning houses for more affluent community
members. They make much less than other members of their
society.
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A) Women and Maquiladoras
The past three decades have seen a great increase
in industry on the border. The Mexican government, in
an effort to create jobs through industry, has passed
laws that gives large companies special assistance if
they open their manufacturing plants in Mexico. The
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has made
it easier for US companies to do business in Mexico.
Some advantages to doing business in Mexico include
lower taxes and tariffs, cheaper labor and less
strenuous requirements for environmental protection.
These Mexican factories are called maquiladoras.
The majority of workers in the maquiladoras are
women. Many have left their homes in the interior of
Mexico and come to the Border to find work. Although
their jobs are often very repetitive and difficult to
do, through the maquiladoras they also find work and
friendship which helps them live more satisfied
lives.
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1. Find out something about women
and factory work. Can you find information on
maquiladoras at the library or on the Web?
Write a short report on the maquiladora
industry.
2. Go to a discount store that
sells electronics equipment or small
appliances and make a list of the products
that were made in Mexico. These were probably
made in a Maquila. If you can, find the
address of the corporate headquarters of a US
company that has a production plant in
Mexico. Write to them to find out more about
their maquiladora plant in Mexico. Then find
it on the map.
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B) Women Cooking (#21,14)
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These images show women in their homes. They
may make money through the work they do in their
homes. Some may work hard both inside and outside
of their homes.
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#21. Mary Lee Edwards.
Cociņa de Alma.
Due west of Reynosa |
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#14. Ave Bonar.
Woman standing in kitchen,
Alamo, 1984
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1. Look at the the two women in their
kitchens (#21 and 14). Describe the older
woman’s kitchen. Describe the younger
woman’s kitchen. What is different about
each setting? Can you recognize any foods which
you are familiar with here?
2. In Image #21, Cocina de Alma,
we see a woman making tortillas. Find out about
how a tortilla is made by hand. Describe the
process here. Can you find a recipe which uses
tortillas? Try making it.
3. Here is poem by Carmen Tafolla, a
native of San Antonio, Texas. Read it and think
about how it relates to image #21. Write another
verse for Tafolla's poem which capture some of
your thoughts about the photograph:
Alli por la Calle San Luis
West Side-corn tortillas for a penny
each
Made by an aged woman
and her mother.
Cooked on the homeblack of a flat stove,
Flipped to slap the birth awake,
Wrapped by corn hands.
Toasted morning light and dancing
history-
earth gives birth to corn and gives birth
to man
gives birth to earth.
Corn tortillas-penny each
No tax.
from: In Other Words:
Literature by Latinas of the United
States, edited by Roberta
Fernandez. Houston: Texas: Arte
Publico Press, 1994, page 180.
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C) Curandera (#17)
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Ave Bonar.
Curandera, Brownsville, 1984 |
In image #17 we see a women who serves her
community as a healer. This is a portrait of a
Curandera in Brownsville, Texas. She works with herbs
and other substances to diagnose and treat people
with illnesses of many sorts. Read this excerpt of a
poem by Pat Mora, a Chicana poet who was born and
raised in El Paso, Texas. Think about it when you
answer the questions below.
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from Curandera
She wakes early, lights candles before
her sacred statues, brews tea of hierbabuena.
She moves down her porch steps, rubs
cool morning sand into her hands, into her
arms,
Like a large black bird, she feeds on
the desert, gathering herbs for her basket.
Her days are slow, days of grinding
dried snake into powder, of crushing
wild bees to mix with white wine.
And the townspeople come, hoping
to be touched by her ointments,
her hands, her prayers, her eyes.
She listens to their stories, and she listens
to the desert, always the desert.
from: In Other Words:
Literature by Latinas of the
United States, edited by
Roberta Fernandez. Houston:
Texas: Arte Publico Press,
1994, page 144.
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1. Make a list of the verbs in this
poem which describe what the curandera does.
2. Make a list of the things that
curandera uses to perform her cures which are
mentioned in the poem. Now look at image #17. Put
a check mark next to the items mentioned in the
poem which you also see within this image.
3. A curandera helps people through
both a knowledge of traditional medicine and an
abiding religious faith. Here is a list of
popular mexican herbs. Find the translations for
them in English and see if you can find
information on their use in local medicine in
your area.
| Yerbabuena |
Hibiscus |
Oregano |
Dormilon |
Manzanilla |
4. Do you or your family use any plants
or plant products to make you feel better? These
might include special teas, vitamins or
plant-products for cuts and bruises.
5. Talk to an older friend or relative
about a plant that is used locally to make a
curing tea or poultice. Try to pick a sample of
this plant to make a herbarbium sample. The plant
must be pressed, dried and then attached to a
thick piece of paper. Label the plant with the
local name. See if you can find other common
names and a Latin name for the plant type. Write
a short report of several paragraphs on the uses
of this plant as told to you by the person who
told you about it. Maybe your class could make a
group herbarium exhibit for your school.
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4. Border Work
(#11,12,10,13,31)
National borders separate countries. Borders like the
one shared by the US and Mexico may trace a special land
feature like a river. Crossing the US/Mexico border means
dealing with political authorities who often want to know
a person’s reasons for crossing a border. Crossing a
border also means travelling over a river. These
questions focus on the work of people who do these
specialized jobs which relate to the Border and its
needs.
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A) Border Surveillance:
Travelers(#11, 12)
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#11. Deborah A. Garza.
Searching Illegal Aliens on the Border of Brownsville, Texas, 1992 |
Photo #12 shows law enforcement personnel
searching a car. In Photo #11 mounted police
are detaining a group of people who were
trying to cross the Border without
documentation. Law enforcement agents
generally look for people who may be crossing
illegally or for contraband, things that
aren’t permitted to be taken across the
border. Aside from illegal substances, there
are special things that governments do not
want to have enter or leave their countries.
Border residents who are US citizens
usually have an easy time crossing. If they
are staying for no more than 72 hours and
remaining within about 15 miles (25
kilometers) of the Border, they don’t
need a permit to enter Mexico. Beyond this,
US citizens need Tourist Cards for stays of
more than 90 days and up to 180 days. A
longer stay requires a visa. If children are
traveling, they must have a notarized
permission from any parent or legal guardian
who is not traveling with them.
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#12. Deborah A. Garza.
Checkpoint on Highway 281, south of
Falfurrias, Texas, 1992 |
Citizens coming to the US from Mexico and
remaining within the 15-25 mile border limit
must present a Border Crossing Card, jointly
issued by the US and Mexican governments. In
order to get the card, Mexicans must show
proof of employment and residence. A Commuter
Card will be issued to allow a Mexican to
enter the US in the case of a family
emergency. If a Mexican plans to visit for a
longer time and travel beyond the border
region, a passport and visa are required.
Mexicans who enter for work or political
asylum must apply for Resident Alien status.
After seven years they may apply to become
Naturalized Citizens.
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1. Have you ever crossed a border
or had your things checked at an airport, bus
or train station? What was the experience
like? How did you feel? If it didn’t
happen to you, did you ever have family
members or visitors who came to see you from
far away who had to be checked? Did they
describe it to you?
2. Contact the US Department of
Immigration in your community. You can find
their phone number in the Government Pages of
your telephone directory. Request brochures
on national immigration policies. Based on the
information you have gathered, write 2-3
paragraphs on the requirements that a woman
from Mexico would have to meet if she was
leaving her native country to work in a
cannery in northwest United States.
3. Design your own version of a
Border Crossing card for the US -Mexican
Border. Incorporate material which represents
both countries. See if you can make the card
bilingual
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B) Border Surveillance: Things
(#11, 12)
Entering the United States, travelers may not
bring any wildlife or wildlife products. This
includes anything made from sea turtles or any birds,
stuffed or alive. There are also many restrictions on
plants that may be brought across. In Mexico, a range
of products must be declared before being
transported. There are restrictions on plants and
animals, fresh foods from plant or animal sources.
Art works and archeological treasures may not leave
Mexico under almost all circumstances.
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1. There are many government
agencies in both countries who monitor and
regulate the passage of controlled
substances.
On the US side there are:
*United States Custom Service
(Department of the Treasury)
*Food and Drug Administration (Health
and Human Services Department)
*Agricultural Department.
*The Fish and Wildlife Department
(Department of the Interior)
On the Mexican side there are:
*Customs Office/Direccion General de
Aduanas (Secretary of Finance and Public
Credit/Secretaria de Hacienda y Credito
Publico)
*Secretary of Health /Secretaria de
Salud
*Secretary of Agriculture and
Hydraulic Resources/Secretaria de
Agrcultura y Recursos Hidraulicos
*Secretaria del Medio Ambiente y
Recursos Naturales y Pesca/ Secretary of
the Environment, Natural Resources and
Fishing
Choose one of the agencies listed above
and do a one-page write-up on the general
activities they perform. You may do some
library research and/or some web-site
browsing.
2. Look over the list of Mexican
agencies. Can you tell which one provides a
similar service in Mexico? See if you can
find any information on this Mexican agency.
You may need to contact the Mexican consulate
or embassy closest to you.
3. Can you find one substance that
the US agency controls in border commerce?
Write a paragraph explaining why you think
that that substance is controlled. Does it
present a health danger to people or the
environment?
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C) Ferryman at Los Ebanos
(#10,13, 31)
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#10. Peter Goin.
International Ferry at Los Ebanos. |
Several of the exhibit’s photographers have
chosen to photograph the last hand-drawn ferry which
links Los Ebanos, Texas, and San Miguel, Tamaulipas.
Although most travelers today cross the river by
bridges in cars or on foot, boats and ferries were
once the rule. Cost for travel on the Los Ebanos
ferry was $1.00 a vehicle and 25c per person the last
time we checked.
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#13. Ave Bonar.
Ferrymen, Los Ebanos International Ferry,
1984 |
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1. The Los Ebanos ferry is pulled back and
forth along the length of a cable which is
connected to pulleys at either riverbank. Workers
pull a heavy rope which causes the ferry to glide
across the river. Look at the three photos
carefully. Can you see the cable/pulley/rope
technology at work? Describe what you have found
in words or with a sketch.
2. Pulling the ferry is hard work and most of
the men do not wear gloves. What are some of the
hard parts of doing this job? What do you think
are some of the good parts of doing this job?
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#31. Sharon Stewart.
Two men help pull the Los Ebanos international ferry
across the Rio Bravo/Grande near
Rio Grande City. |
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Hispanic Ranching in Texas
Hispanic influences had an impact on ranching in
Texas and did much to shape the stock-raising
practices of Anglo-Texans in the nineteenth century.
What aspects of Spanish ranching heritage influenced
Anglo-American ranching, and what still remains
today? Let us start our inventory with the gear of a
typical vaquero and see how it influenced that used
by cowboys. Apart from his horse, the three most
important tools of the vaquero and cowboy alike were
his saddle, rope and branding iron. It is true that
Anglo stockmen used all three before reaching Texas,
but it is also true that these tools and the way they
were used underwent a transformation when exposed to
the Tejano variety. Anglo saddles sprouted horns
(where English riding saddles had none) and
"Mother Hubbards" (covers patterned after
the mochila, a removable housing typical of Mexican
vaquero saddles). Anglo stirrups soon sported
"taps" (from tapaderas, used to protect the
foot from thorns and brush). By the 1840's
"everyone in Texas" was riding on Mexican
saddles. The use of the lasso (lazo) or lariat (la
riata) underwent a similar transformation once Anglo
cowboys saw how effectively the Mexican vaqueros used
it in working cows on the open range. Whips,
preferred over ropes by the cowboys along the
Atlantic coast, quickly gave way to the lasso in
Texas. Roping became an essential part of the
cowboy's working skills, acquired from his Spanish
teachers. Some of the terms used in roping, like
"daly" (from da la vuelta, to take a turn
around the horn), betray their Spanish origins.
Indeed, many Spanish ranching terms entered the
English language, so integral were they to the way in
which Anglos learned to conduct stock raising: ranch
(from rancho), rodeo, corral, chaps (from
chapparreras), sombrero, serape, bandana, remuda,
mustang (from musteno), and bronco, to name a few.
-- Hispanic Texas, 1992
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