On the border

The town of Boquillas, Mexico. After 9/11, all border crossings along the Big Bend section

of the Rio Grande were closed. Only Boquillas was reopened. The town just barely survives.

Park visitors frequently ask, “Is it safe here?” What they want to know, of course, is whether any of those notorious Mexican drug cartels pose a threat to their security. Our answer: no, they don't.

You see, the Mexican side of Big Bend National Park (BiBe) is even more remote than the U.S. Given a tendency towards laziness on the part of most criminals, it seems it is just too much work and too little gain to make the BiBe section of borderland worth targeting.

That said, one man's challenge is another's opportunity. A few Mexican entrepreneurs eager and willing to go the extra mile do cross the border and head for unguarded vehicles left by unsuspecting hikers out exploring the park's remotest areas. Once spotted, these horse-mounted hooligans turn their trusty steeds homeward and in the direction of the nearest fencing operation (and I'm not talking barbed wire). It's become enough of a nuisance that one area here is closed for camping as a result. Park rangers, aided by U.S. Border Patrol agents, are trying to disrupt this criminal activity, but BiBe is a big place and doing so will be difficult.

Having traveled in Mexico and lived near the Arizona-Mexico border, I can attest to the fact that these aforementioned opportunists do not represent Mexican nationals, the vast majority of whom just want a decent life for themselves and their families. (Don't we all?) This perception was reinforced by a recent visit Leonard and I made to the section of Big Bend known as Rio Grande Village near the Mexican border town of Boquillas.

Mexicans display items like this on the U.S. side hoping to sell them to tourists. Buying
them is illegal for a variety of reasons, including a desire to discourage the taking of raw
materials used to make them from the park.

Once there, we saw evidence of illegal activity of quite a different sort. Tracks leading from the banks of the Rio Grande to boulders displaying handcrafted goods and “honor” jars asking anyone purchasing the items to leave payment suggested the area was regularly trod by some hard-working soul (or soul) willing to risk arrest for selling goods and entering the U.S. illegally. We encountered Jesus, a man who refers to himself as “the singing Mexican,” standing on the southern bank of the Rio Grande and belching out the lyrics to “Cielito Lindo.” He, too, had placed several containers along the path leading to the river requesting contributions from anyone wishing to express their gratitude for his acceptable, albeit slightly off-key, serenade.

 

A row boat beached on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande

(After Jesus realized we speak Spanish, he cheerily jumped into his own boat and rowed his way onto the U.S. side to make our acquaintances, all against the law. No matter. It seems poverty is a powerful motivator.)

 

Trails like this show evidence of cross-river traffic.

The experience was sobering. It reminded me that life for some out there is very, very hard. I left the scene feeling grateful for what I have and more compassionate for those who have less.

As for Jesus? Well, let's just say he returned home that day a few bucks richer.

 

Rio Grande Village, site of what once was the Daniels Ranch. One of the ranch's original adobe dwellings still stands.

BiBe's Boquillas Canyon trail is a favorite among park visitors. (Are there any bad views in this park?)