Indonesian woman outside her home in Sulawesi, Indonesia. (Valeria Hernandez/Borderzine.com)

I spotted two pairs of female orangutans and their young foraging for food in the Indonesian jungle

EL PASO – I opened my eyes and immediately felt the heat of my bed sheet and the mosquito net on my face, the wooden roof seemed like a stranger I saw for the first time, and the mattress I lay on felt unfamiliar. It took me a few seconds to remember that I wasn’t in my room in El Paso, Texas, but rather in a local family’s traditional Islamic home in Bali, Indonesia. This past spring I was admitted into the Indonesia Study Abroad Program, led by Dr. Stacey Sowards, Chair of the Communication Department at the University of Texas at El Paso. Along with 12 other students and four faculty members, I spent three weeks in Indonesia and had the opportunity to observe the environmental conservation programs that the non-governmental organization Rare and the University of Mulawarman run in the island. According to its website, Rare “trains local conservation leaders all over the world to change the way their communities relate to nature…inspiring people to take pride in the species and habitats that make their community unique, while also introducing practical alternatives to environmentally destructive practices.”

Leaving the country for the first time in my life made my mind race a million miles per hour.

Lajitas is sometimes refered to as the "country club of Texas." (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

Un Viaje por el “Camino del Rio” (FM-170): Del Big Bend a Presidio, Texas-Ojinaga, Chihuahua

El día de hoy hablaré del recorrido que hicimos por otra parte de la región del Big Bend en nuestro camino hacia Presidio, Texas—y Ojinaga, Chihuahua, del otro lado del Río Bravo. Salimos temprano del pueblo fantasma de Terlingua, donde tomamos más fotos y desayunamos en un sitio que era sólo para turistas. Seguimos entonces por la carretera FM-170, conocida también como “Camino del Río” (The River Road). La FM-170 comienza en el denominado Study-Butte, que es la entrada al parque nacional del Big Bend. Ahí encontramos algunos hoteles, tiendas, una gasolinera y restaurantes; todo esto era esencialmente para los turistas del Big Bend.

The Rio Grande River near Lajitas, Texas. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

The River Road

Lupita and I were sad to leave the magical mountain town of Terlingua but our journey across the border had to continue. We set course on FM 170, which is known as the “River Road” because it runs parallel to the winding Rio Grande River for 120 miles. The folks at the cafe in Terlingua told us that the road was one of the most beautiful in Texas, so we were eager to see it for ourselves. It didn’t take us long to reach the town of Lajitas, a resort town with an official population of 50 people. Just the day before, we had seen the majestic natural beauty of Big Bend National Park and the ghost town of Terlingua.

Convoy of Hope delivered 50,000 pounds of groceries to to 6,398 attendees. (Jose Luis Hernandez/Borderzine.com)

Thousands brave the cold to seek assistance from the Convoy of Hope

Convoy of Hope, audio report by Nancy Lorain Watters

EL PASO – The rainy, windy, and freezing weather didn’t stop the Convoy of Hope from going far and beyond the
call of generosity on its first visit to El Paso. Many families in the area went to the El Paso County Coliseum on November 23 and stood in the cold in the hope of getting some much needed groceries at no cost. The Convoy of Hope is an international faith-based non-profit organization that delivers food and provides many services to underprivileged people in the U.S. and around the world. Hal Donaldson founded Convoy of Hope in 1994 in Springfield MO, after members of the community joined forces to help him and his family recover after a drunk driver killed his father and incapacitated his mother. El Paso Convoy of Hope spokeswoman Lorayn Melton said that the needy families that attended the event were the guests of honor.

You can cross on foot or pay a couple of bucks to be taken across in a row boat. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

Big Bend: A park, a ghost town and crying rocks

After a hearty breakfast, Lupita and I set out for Big Bend National Park and the Boquillas border crossing. It was a two-hour drive with no cell phone service to the town of Study Butte where we made a pit stop. We were puzzled to watch a woman mumbling to herself and waging an unceasing war with a flyswatter to kill flies on a bench outside the store. For every fly that she killed, five more seemed to take its place. It was a 100 degrees and seemed too hot to expend that much energy on anything.

A thunderstorm offers a rainbown in the desert near Langtry. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

Entre Del Río y el Big Bend: El río Pecos, Marathon, Marfa, Alpine y las empresas del “Otro Lado”

La semana pasada reflexionaba sobre varios temas propios de la región que divide a México y Estados Unidos, y al final mencioné que hablar de la frontera no se trata únicamente de hablar de temas de seguridad, migración y tráfico (de drogas, armas o personas). Me doy cuenta de que la frontera es mucho más que eso. Es una región interesantísima, llena de contrastes, diversidad y paisajes hermosos. La vegetación es cambiante y muy diversa, y el clima—en algunos tramos y en algunas épocas del año—suele ser extremo. En ciertas regiones observamos grandes campos de cultivo, en otras grandes desarrollos urbanos, y en porciones importantes del recorrido pasamos incluso por el desierto.

The Pecos River empties into the Rio Grande River. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

The mysterious Marfa Lights

This is the only stretch of our trip where we did not cross the border. There are some 250 miles separating the Amistad Dam International Border Crossing from the one border crossing inside Big Bend National Park. Our journey continued into a changing landscape, one that was becoming more arid but we did get to see a brief summer thunderstorm and a rainbow. Lupita and I took it as a sign of good fortune on our trip. Despite the brief rain show, the drive along U.S. Highway 90 was one into the Chihuahuan Desert, a drive into the Great American West.

The beautiful Rio Grande River at the foot of Amistad Dam. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

In the Del Rio area a clean Rio Grande River alternated in color from emerald green to sapphire blue

It was hard for Lupita and I to leave Eagle Pass. We had only spent one night there and there was so much more to see. But our trip along the border needed to continue. We took U.S. Highway 277 North, a Hill Country Highway that hugs the Rio Grande River. It’s only a one-hour trip but we drove through the towns of Elm Creek and Quemado as well as pecan farms and ranches.

Msgr. Arturo Bañuelas led the prayer commemorating the dead. (Edwin Delgado/Borderzine.com)

Day of the Dead procession remembers recent casualties along the U.S.-Mexico border

EL PASO – The Border Network for Human Rights held its eighth annual Day of the Dead Procession along the Cesar E. Chavez border highway on Nov. 1 to remember those who have perished while trying to enter the United States and show their support for comprehensive Immigration Reform. “As the Day of the Dead looms, we take this day to remember the immigrants who unfortunately lost their lives while crossing the border,” said BNHR director Fernando Garcia. “We should never forget them; we will be here honoring them every year because if we forget about them their deaths will be in vain and more people will lose their life.”

The non-profit BNHR, along with nearly 150 El Pasoans of all ages, marched from Bowie High School through Central El Paso and along the border highway that separates El Paso from Ciudad Juarez. Participants carried coffins made out of cardboard, religious crosses, lit candles and banners to express their support for immigration reform. Although the U.S. Senate passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill that grants a path to citizenship to undocumented residents last summer, the bill is currently stalled in the House of Representatives and unlikely to be discussed this year.

A Border Patrol checkpoint along the highway between Carrizo Springs and Eagle Pass. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

Eagle Pass, Texas, Piedras Negras, Coahuila y Zonas colindantes: La “revolución” del gas shale, el lavado de dinero y la “Frontera Blanca”

El relato de esta ocasión se basa en la historia sobre esta parte del viaje que escribió mi amigo Sergio Chapa en inglés. Tuve la oportunidad de leer su historia antes de que yo escribiera la mía. Por lo tanto, debo darle el crédito que se merece pues su magnífico recuento inspiró mi propia historia y me guió por los detalles que en ocasiones se me dificulta recordar. El trabajo de Sergio y el mío se complementan bastante bien y siempre lo han hecho así. Los académicos que investigan los temas fronterizos y de seguridad se basan en los trabajo de algunos periodistas que con gran esfuerzo y valentía cubren regiones que no siempre son seguras y que muchas veces no son de fácil acceso.

The bleak highway between Laredo and Eagle Pass is filled with shrub buses, natural gas well and oil wells. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

Eagle Pass, Texas to Piedras Negras, Mexico and back: Oil wells, fracking, a night at a Native American casino, and a monument to the swallows on the Mexican side

Lupita and I left Laredo and drove into the undiscovered country. Both of us had been to Laredo and Nuevo Laredo several times in past. But neither one of us had been to Eagle Pass before. We took a slight detour away from the border to head north on U.S. Highway 83, the same highway that goes through the Rio Grande Valley and continues through the heart of Texas and all the way north to the Canadian border. But we were only taking it to Carrizo Springs. Eagle Ford shale

Just north of Laredo, Highway 83 is a sun-bleached road where the vegetation turns from mesquite forest to thorny scrub brush. Unlike the vast brush country of deep-South Texas, there are not vast groups of immigrants crossing to bypass Border Patrol checkpoints.

Ebenezer Anom is one of about just one hundred students from Africa at UTEP. (Vianey Alderete/Borderzine.com)

Overcoming obstacles is a constant part of life for international students

EL PASO – Ebenezer Anom’s passion for nursing developed when he was a child in Ghana from a visit to a hospital where he was impressed by the activity of the nurses. Despite his parents’ disapproval because nursing is seen as woman’s work in his native country, he is now finalizing his senior year in pre-nursing at the University of Texas at El Paso. He came to UTEP after acquiring a bachelor’s degree in computer science and communication at the University of Duisburg, in Germany. “After my first degree I worked for about three years and then I realized my passion in nursing was stolen from me. So this was the point where I asked myself if I wanted to continue what I was doing or go into what I am passionate about,” said Anom.

Las prótesis de Carlos han estado raspando su piel, provocando dolorosas quemaduras. (Jacqueline Armendariz Reynolds/Borderzine.com)

Mexicanos en Exilio – Día 4 de pedalear por la paz y justicia – 322 kilómetros a Marfa

Nota del editor – En el 2011, un grupo de narcotraficantes en el estado de Chihuahua comenzó a extorsionar a Carlos Gutiérrez por la cantidad mensual de 10 mil dólares.  Al verse incapaz de cumplir, Gutiérrez fue atacado. El 30 de septiembre del mismo año, hombres armados le laceraron ambas piernas dejándolo por muerto. Gutiérrez junto con otros individuos que, al igual que él buscan refugio, forman parte del grupo “Mexicanos en Exilio” han organizado un recorrido en bicicleta desde El Paso hasta Austin en contra de la violencia y la corrupción en México con el propósito no solo de educar al pueblo norteamericano, si no también de educar a los líderes políticos. Todos nos estamos sintiendo un poco estresados. Las prótesis de Carlos han estado raspando su piel, provocando dolorosas quemaduras.

Joe conduce una van Dodge azul de 1990 y hace paradas cada cinco millas para asegurarse que los ciclistas del equipo tengan suficiente comida, agua y medicamentos. (Jacqueline Armendariz Reynolds/Borderzine.com)

Day four – Mexicanos en Exilio – pedaling for peace and justice 200 miles to Marfa

Editor’s Note – Carlos Gutierrez fled Mexico in 2011 after criminals cut off his legs for refusing to pay extortion fees. His goal now in a 13-day 701-mile bicycle trip from El Paso to Austin sponsored by Mexicanos en Exilio is to raise awareness of the continuing violence and corruption in Mexico. We’re all feeling pretty stressed today. Carlos’ prosthetics have been rubbing against his skin causing painful contact burns. The press were calling non-stop, and our Internet access is spotty at best.

El condado de Webb, Texas y Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas: Una zona comercial estratégica, Los Zetas Inc. (Incorporados) y la delincuencia organizada paramilitarizada

El episodio de hoy se refiere a la parte de nuestro viaje que abarca el Condado de Webb, el cual es único en Texas debido a que tiene frontera con tres estados mexicanos: Tamaulipas, Nuevo León y Coahuila. Esta parte del trayecto es sumamente interesante pues me hace reflexionar sobre algunos temas de gran importancia que involucran a dos naciones extremadamente desiguales pero muy vinculadas, sobretodo, en la parte comercial. En particular, el presente relato se centrará en tres temas fundamentales: i) los intercambios comerciales (legales e ilegales) entre dos naciones profundamente desiguales a través de una zona estratégica en la frontera; ii) la nueva configuración del crimen organizado transnacional que tiene su origen en México—y sobre todo en esta región fronteriza—con la aparición de los Zetas, un grupo de la delincuencia organizada paramilitarizado; y iii) el análisis de este nuevo modelo criminal utilizando un modelo de negocios parecido al de cualquier empresa transnacional. Esta parte podría ser quizás una de las partes más importantes de nuestro recorrido. Como dije la vez anterior, en mi opinión, la denominada “guerra contra las drogas” en México empezó aquí, al otro lado del condado de Webb, Texas, específicamente en la ciudad fronteriza tamaulipeca de Nuevo Laredo, la cual es extremadamente importante por su localización y actividad comercial.

A picnic area overlooking the Rio Grande River in northern Zapata County, Texas. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

Webb County – From the city of Zapata to Laredo, Texas

El Cenizo

There is little between Zapata and Laredo other than hills, thorny brush, melon farms, ranches and natural gas wells. Lupita and I did make a pit stop at a picnic area atop a hill that overlooks the Rio Grande River near the Webb County line. Texas flag picnic tables overlook the river under stone and wooden pavilions. It was a lonely but scenic spot where we saw numerous butterflies swarming around flowering plants that grew on top of the hill. Following the highway west brings travelers to the twin communities along the Rio Grande River: El Cenizo and Rio Bravo.

Artist Diego Garcia works on a “Día de los Muertos” mask for an upcoming gallery opening.(Valeria Hernandez/Borderzine.com)

Mural painter finds an educational mission in graffiti

EL PASO – As Diego Garcia, driven by inspiration and the waves crashing on the shore, was on the very last stroke of his painting on the seawall at Venice Beach, next to mural-master Sano’s famous masterpiece, the beach patrol arrived and ordered him to stop painting and leave. “I found a wall and I started to paint. I took one section that was all messed up,” says Garcia, 21, recalling one of his most memorable pieces from two summers ago when he visited Venice Beach, California. “I remembered Sano’s piece from a movie I had seen on Netflix filmed in 1992. I thought it was insane that I could be painting next to his piece.”

From drawing Ninja Turtles and Dragonball Z characters when he was a first grader to working on his art education at The University of Texas at El Paso, Garcia’s talent shines.

Día 2 de Pedaleando por la justicia. (Jacqueline Armendariz Reynolds/Borderzine.com)

Día 2 – Mexicanos en Exilio – desde Fort Hancock a Van Horn, 201 kilómetros pedaleando por la paz y la justicia

Read this story in English

Nota del editor – En el 2011, un grupo de narcotraficantes en el estado de Chihuahua comenzó a extorsionar a Carlos Gutiérrez por la cantidad mensual de 10 mil dólares.  Al verse incapaz de cumplir, Gutiérrez fue atacado. El 30 de septiembre del mismo año, hombres armados le laceraron ambas piernas dejándolo por muerto. Gutiérrez junto con otros individuos que, al igual que él buscan refugio, forman parte del grupo “Mexicanos en Exilio” han organizado un recorrido en bicicleta desde El Paso hasta Austin en contra de la violencia y la corrupción en México con el propósito no solo de educar al pueblo norteamericano, si no también de educar a los líderes políticos. 

El timbre del teléfono nos despierta a las 6 de la mañana, sacándonos de camas calientes que aun no queremos dejar. Era la prensa queriendo una entrevista, alguien calentó café, el espejismo de una cuidad nos guiñó desde el horizonte. La entrevista tomó mas de lo previsto, el sol empezó a salir desde las montañas, el aire ya no se sentía tan frío… íbamos tarde.

Gutierrez rie cuando sugerimos que pare. (Jacqueline Armendariz Reynolds/Borderzine.com

Day two – Mexicanos en Exilio – pedaling 125 miles for peace and justice from Fort Hancock to Van Horn

Lea esta historia es español

Editor’s Note – Carlos Gutierrez fled Mexico in 2011 after criminals cut off his legs for refusing to pay extortion fees. His goal now in a 13-day 701-mile bicycle trip from El Paso to Austin sponsored by Mexicanos en Exilio is to raise awareness of the continuing violence and corruption in Mexico. The phone rang at 6 a.m.  forcing us out of warm beds that we weren’t quite ready to leave. It was the press calling, coffee was being brewed on an electric skillet; it was still dark, a mirage city winked at us from the horizon. The interviews took longer than expected, the sun peaked from behind the mountains, the air warmed and we were behind schedule.

Carlos Gutierrez dando declaraciones antes de la partida oficial. (Alejandra Spector/Borderzine.com)

Primer día: de El Paso a Fort Hancock – 92 kilómetros de pedalear por la paz y justicia

Read this story in English

Nota del editor – En el 2011, un grupo de narcotraficantes en el estado de Chihuahua comenzó a extorsionar a Carlos Gutiérrez por la cantidad mensual de 10 mil dólares.  Al verse incapaz de cumplir, Gutiérrez fue atacado. El 30 de septiembre del mismo año, hombres armados le laceraron ambas piernas dejándolo por muerto. Gutiérrez junto con otros individuos que, al igual que él buscan refugio, forman parte del grupo “Mexicanos en Exilio” han organizado un recorrido en bicicleta desde El Paso hasta Austin en contra de la violencia y la corrupción en México con el propósito no solo de educar al pueblo norteamericano, si no también de educar a los líderes políticos. 

Hoy madrugamos y nadie había descansado mucho la noche anterior, aunque sabíamos que iba ser un día  muy largo, una combinación de nervios y preparaciones del ultimo momento. Llegamos a Lincoln Park en El Paso, Texas temblando en el aire árido y frío de otoño que sopla por el desierto chihuahuense. Univisión Miami ya había llegado, arreglando bicis, preparando sus cámaras y micrófonos, una reportera pintaba su cara en preparación de la historia que iba salir.

Day one – Mexicanos en Exilio – pedaling 57 miles for peace and justice from El Paso to Fort Hancock

Lea esta historia en español

Editor’s Note – Carlos Gutierrez fled Mexico in 2011 after criminals cut off his legs for refusing to pay extortion fees. His goal now in a 13-day 701-mile bicycle trip from El Paso to Austin sponsored by Mexicanos en Exilio is to raise awareness of the continuing violence and corruption in Mexico. Our day began early, but none of us had gotten much sleep due to the combination of last minute preparations and nerves. We arrived at Lincoln Park in El Paso shivering in the cold, dry air that blows over the Chihuahuan Desert in the fall. Univision Miami had already arrived and were setting up, checking bikes, mics, cameras, prepping make-up for the big story that was about to air.  A few weeks ago, Carlos Gutierrez had been rolling burritos at a local Mexican restaurant and now we were surrounded by media and fans.

Outdoor shrine to Virgen de Guadalupe in Falcon Heights, Texas. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

Zapata County – A study in contrasts

Lupita and I left the historic City of Roma and took the Zapata Highway heading west. The next major landmark along the border is Falcon Lake. The 83,654-acre reservoir was created in 1954 when a dam was built along the Rio Grande River just a few miles west of Roma. Falcon Lake stores water in a drought-prone area of the border for human consumption, agriculture, hydroelectricity and recreation. There are several tourist sites around the lake on both sides of the border.

The Rio Grande River at the foot of Falcon Dam. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

El condado de Zapata, Texas y Guerrero, Tamaulipas: La presa Falcón, el tráfico de bienes ilícitos, las armas y una carretera en expansión

El episodio de hoy se refiere a nuestro paso por el condado de Zapata, Texas; también hablaré del municipio mexicano que colinda con esta región: Guerrero, Tamaulipas, el cual no tuvimos oportunidad de visitar por cuestiones de seguridad. Salimos de la Ciudad de Roma, Texas y continuamos nuestro recorrido hacia el oeste por la carretera Zapata (Zapata Highway) hacia el condado que lleva el mismo nombre. Pasamos por el poblado de Falcon Heights y llegamos al parque estatal Falcón (o Falcon Lake State Park), desde donde puede verse la denominada Presa Falcón. El parque estatal atrae cada año a miles de personas que vienen a pescar (róbalo verde o lobina especialmente) o a vacacionar a orillas de la presa. En los últimos años, la afluencia de visitantes a este lugar ha disminuido un poco debido a la violencia en el lado mexicano de la presa.

Homeless veterans in El Paso are estimated to be around 200 according to Casa Vida de Salud.

Unable to adjust to civilian life, some Army veterans end up living on the street

EL PASO – Nicolas Charles Damico, a veteran of both of America’s longest wars, shuffles through papers on the kitchen table of the homeless shelter where he lives until he finds the Army patch he promises to live by – “This we’ll defend.”

He does this at the Veterans Transitional Living Center, a shelter for homeless veterans who have the potential to return to normal life soon. “I am now homeless for many reasons. The one benefit I got, I messed up. I used up my G.I. Bill very quickly. I only had 36 months to complete my education.

Bienvenidos a Mexico en Nuevo Progreso, Tamaulipas. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

South Texas’ Hidalgo County: Winter Texans, citrus, micheladas, corruption and a chance to buy an international border bridge

Our journey across the Texas border continued in Hidalgo County. With close to 800,000 inhabitants, Hidalgo County is one of the most populous along the border and can be split up into three zones: northern, central and southern. The northern zone is sparsely populated with vast ranches dotted by oil, gas well and even a chain of salt lakes. Northern Hidalgo County is also a springboard for illegal immigrants from south of the border and through the unforgiving brush of South Texas. The central zone, which is cut in half by the newly named Interstate 2, is densely populated.

McAllen Free Trade Zone in McAllen, Texas. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

El Condado de Hidalgo, Texas y Reynosa, Tamaulipas: Zonas de libre comercio, desarrollo industrial incompleto, corrupción, drogas, desigualdad y turismo de invierno

Salimos del condado de Cameron y entramos al condado de Hidalgo. Continuamos por la Carretera Militar o Military Highway que conecta a los poblados a orillas del Río Bravo. Este segundo episodio del viaje es probablemente uno de los más difíciles de escribir; hay demasiado que contar. El condado de Hidalgo, Texas, es parte también del Valle del Río Grande y es una región diversa, dinámica económicamente, llena de contrastes, y también conflictiva y compleja. Con una población de casi 800,000 habitantes, la denominada Área Estadística Metropolitana de McAllen-Edinburg-Mission colinda con la importante ciudad fronteriza mexicana de Reynosa, Tamaulipas.

El Pasoan Iliana Guzman with her son Sergio Pedroza, 15, at their animal shelter in Chaparral, NM. (Velia Quiroz/Borderzine.com)

Paralegal’s love for animals changes lives

CHAPARRAL, NM – An animal lover since she was a child, El Pasoan Iliana Guzman now devotes her free time to the care of homeless animals. The 34-year-old paralegal last year opened her very own animal shelter, a long time dream, and now cares for nearly 100 dogs and cats on her one-and-a-half acre parcel of land in Chaparral, New Mexico. Recently, she rescued several dozen animals that had been removed from their owner because of hoarding. Prior to opening Enchanted Pass Animal Rescue, Guzman would always take abandoned animals into her home and then rehabilitate them until she could find suitable owners. Although the last year has been a busy time for Guzman and her four children, who also help with the care of the animals, “it’s worth it in the end,” she says.

Los Indios, Texas. Transmigrantes companies are big business in Los Indios where Central American immigrants fill up buses and other vehicles with used clothes and toys and take them back to their home countries. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

Space commerce, oil discoveries, Central American transmigrantes and a spiffy new highway along northern Mexico are transforming the Brownsville-Matamoros corridor

BROWNSVILLE-MATAMOROS – Our nine-day journey started in the southernmost tip of Texas just east of where the Rio Grande River empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Cameron County is home to more than 406,000 people and is one of four counties that make up the Rio Grande Valley. It’s a beautiful part of the border, one filled with great natural beauty. But there are also bleak industrial landscapes mixed in with rich farmland and neighborhoods both rich and poor. Mexico’s bloody drug war and kidnappings have definitely taken its toll on American tourism south of the border in Mexico’s State of Tamaulipas.

Downtown El Paso as seen from the Paseo del Norte International Bridge. (Sergio Chapa/Borderzine.com)

Borderzine invites you to ride with us on a nine-day road trip hugging the Texas-Mexico border

Editor’s note: What is this territory we call the U.S.-Mexico border?  We read frequent alarming stories and see media images about la línea, the borderline, a 2000-mile stretch along the Rio Grande and beyond, separating the U.S. from Mexico. It’s often portrayed as a no-man’s land rife with drug smugglers, vicious criminals, gunrunners, anti-immigrant militias, and undocumented or impoverished immigrants, all portrayed with some degree of accuracy and ample amounts of hype in the FX TV series “The Bridge.”

But what’s the real storyline of the border region beyond the sensational headlines? Who are its citizens, a majority of them Mexican American?  What is their piece of the American dream? Borderzine invites you to follow Texas journalist Sergio Chapa and University of Texas at Brownsville Professor Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera on their nine-day road trip along the dusty byways and highways hugging the Texas-Mexico border.