On the Border Society and Culture between the United States and Mexico

by Wood, Andrew Grant; Arbeláez, María S.; Arreola, Daniel D.; de Baca, Juan Cabeza; de Baca, Vincent Cabeza; Bry, Travis Du; Hayman, Josiah McC.; Macías-González, Víctor Manuel; Pilcher, Jeffrey M.; Schantz, Eric Michael; Taylor, Lawrence D.; Vanderwood, Pa

• ISBN13: 9780842051729
• ISBN10: 0842051724
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-09-14
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

A stunningly beautiful backdrop where cultures meet, meld, and thrive, the U.S.Mexico borderlands is one of the most dynamic regions in the Americas. On the Border explores little-known corners of this fascinating area of the world in a rich collection of essays. Beginning with an exploration of mining and the rise of Tijuana, the book examines a number of aspects of the region's social and cultural history, including urban growth and housing, the mysterious underworld of border-town nightlife, a film noir treatment of the Peteet family suicides, borderlands cuisine, the life of squatters, and popular religion. As stimulating as it is lively, On the Border will spark a new appreciation for the range of social and cultural experiences in the borderlands.

Table of Contents

Introduction	vii
Andrew Grant Wood
The Mining Boom in Baja California from 1850 to 1890 and the Emergence of Tijuana as a Border Community	1	(30)
Lawrence D. Taylor
Anticipating the Colonias: Popular Housing in El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, 1890--1923	31	(12)
Andrew Grant Wood
The Fence and Gates of Ambos Nogales: A Postcard Landscape Exploration	43	(38)
Daniel D. Arreola
A Note on Homosexuality in Porfirian and Postrevolutionary Northern Mexico	81	(10)
Victor Manuel Macias-Gonzalez
All Night at the Owl: The Social and Political Relations of Mexicali's Red-Light District, 1909--1925	91	(54)
Eric Michael Schantz
The ``Shame Suicides'' and Tijuana	145	(32)
Vincent Cabeza de Baca
Juan Cabeza de Baca
Low-Budget Films for Fronterizos and Mexican Migrants in the United States	177	(22)
Maria S. Arbelaez
Tex-Mex, Cal-Mex, New Mex, or Whose Mex? Notes on the Historical Geography of Southwestern Cuisine	199	(22)
Jeffrey M. Pilcher
U.S. Ports of Entry on the Mexican Border	221	(20)
Josiah McC. Heyman
Slab City: Squatters' Paradise?	241	(16)
Travis Du Bry
Dominique Rissolo
Juan Soldado: Field Notes and Reflections	257	(12)
Paul J. Vanderwood
The Oaxacan Enclaves in Los Angeles: A Photo Essay	269	(18)
Devra Weber
How Would You Like an El Camino? U.S. Perceptions of Mexico in Two Recent Hollywood Films	287	(8)
Andrew Grant Wood
Index	295	(6)
About the Contributors	301