THE NORTH RIDING PROJECT

Of a long line of ancient, squat, forlorn, sun-dried, neon-lit oases al otro lado, on the other side, perhaps a dozen qualify (in gringo terminology) as boda fide hell-holes.  To Mexicans in the interior, the border is poso del mundo (idiomatically, the lowest hole of the world).  It is an old opprobrium, gained by some oases back in the days of longhorn cattle and cowboys along the Rio Grande, or the Rio Bravo, as the Mexicans call it.  Other bordertowns earned their mark later, in the days of revolution and the traffic in guns, gold, and adventurers.

Demaris/Mundo