Breaking Down Walls at the U.S.-Mexico Border: Celebrating La Posada Sin Fronteras 2011

A sweeping view of the participants on the Mexican side of the border during the Posadas Sin Fronteras celebration shows a community searching for bi-national and cross-cultural understanding, in spite of current difficulties.

Participants extend their hands in solidarity and prayer during the Posadas Sin Fronteras gathering.

People raised pieces of red construction paper to create the shape of a broken heart (as seen from above) split by the border wall between the United States and Mexico.

One of the organizers plays Christmas carols on the guitar during the celebration.

Participants on the U.S. side hold up crosses that say "No olvidados" or "Not forgotten." In this particular shot, the border fence is blocking an unobstructed view, and creates a patterned shadow in the foreground of the photo. This creates a unique vision in a symbolic way, as the photo creates a boundary that represents the actual physical separation at the border wall. Moreover, the people holding crosses create a middle layer, while the new U.S. border wall in the background mirrors the shape of the crosses with a third layer.

Armando Aguirre, who was recently deported, weeps as he talks of his three daughters that are still in New Jersey: "...I am their only support... I would ask that you (those on the U.S. side of the border) understand what it means to be a migrant; I would like you to put yourself in my position, to walk in my shoes. I have a good record...all I want to do is work..."

A closer view of those holding crosses that say "Not forgotten," or that have the actual names of migrants who have died crossing the border. A dark cast stands out in the two upper middle sections of the photo: these are the blurred bars of the border wall.

A deeply emotional woman shares her experience of recently being deported. "They also deported me about ten days ago. My five children are on the "other side." My young baby boy, was still breastfeeding...the law does not care about that...with all of these sad cases...I don't have the words to express anything...I just feel so much pain..."

The recently constructed 20-foot fence dominates the scene. Interestingly enough, the Mexican side is a beautiful, family friendly park, while the U.S. side is an area that is not accessible to people, and in no way represents what Friendship Park used to look like.

I find it interesting, and maybe even disturbing, that the new fence on the Mexican side is made with metal from the United States. This close-up shows the details of the metal, the thickness of the bars, and sends a clear message about what the U.S. thinks about letting people have any human contact in this zone. Sadly, fences and metal bars just create more fear, ignorance and misunderstanding in the world. Such a harsh physical barrier creates a stereotype of the "other" that we must continue to try and break down.

While the new fence is being built, recent construction shows the haphazard nature of how this process is done. Instead of breaking down walls and aspiring to tolerance and understanding, the U.S. is building higher and stronger walls, which inherently create an atmosphere of fear and mistrust.

On the Mexican side, the faro (lighthouse) mirrors a big-brother type surveillance structure on the U.S. side. I just love the festive nature of the park in Playas de Tijuana. Interesting enough, people on the U.S. side did not have any food or offer anything to the participants. Those on the Mexican side enjoyed tamales, dulces (candy) and champurrado (a warm, thick, chocolate-based corn flour atole type of drink) (all for free) in a festive, family based atmosphere.

This final shot shows how people were enjoying themselves at the Posada Sin Fronteras celebration (that is, on the Mexican side). My hope is that someday in the near future, the festivities could extend to both sides of the border. We still have a long way to go before that could ever become a reality.