Let's Talk About Your Wall by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The New Press
Published: 2020-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

“The Quetzal” and “The Jaguar”

Mexico is a key transit route for human mobility because of its proximity to the United States. The main gateway into Mexico for migrants is the border with Guatemala, marked by the River Suchiate. Every day people can be seen making the crossing, hoping above all to be able to reach the United States.

The first rays of sun illuminate the river’s gentle waves; the day begins, and the river moves people, along with their hopes, dreams, longing, and regret at having to leave the places where they were born. These are places where, for a variety of reasons, people have not been able to find the work, safety, or well-being they need, and so they decide instead to migrate. The river is a daily witness to the dreams of people traveling with little more than a backpack, a bottle of water, a hat to keep the sun off, and eyes full of hope and uncertainty. Rafts are made of wood and a couple of tires held together with cables or heavy rope. They transport anything and everything. Some take entire families: women and children sit hand in hand while the fathers stand beside the guide or driver of the makeshift boat. For them, this is just the beginning of their journey. They seem to fix on a spot on the other side of the river, their first destination, and one it’s not too difficult to arrive at: the border with Mexico. Then again, sometimes they seem not to see anything at all, their eyes drifting over the abundant foliage in these warm, tropical climes. They have no idea what is waiting for them on the other side.

Mexico receives them with promises, with damp, cool, fertile soil, perfect for sowing dreams at the start of a journey. Most migrants arrive in Tapachula, in the southern state of Chiapas, a border city with a unique personality. In this first port of call, migrant status is taken for granted. But migratory encounters are not always friendly. There is disappointment, despair; people who lose their way and are never seen again.

“There are no borders up above … so nothing should stop us here on earth.” This phrase appears on two murals that depict the crossing of the River Suchiate. The murals involved artistic collaboration with communities on both sides of the border. The first part of the sentence, accompanied by an image of a Quetzal, is painted on the inner wall of a hostel in Tecún Uman, on the Guatemalan side of the river; the second part of the sentence, accompanied by an image of a Jaguar, is painted on the wall of a market in Ciudad Hidalgo, on the Mexican side of the river. The murals are a visual expression of the power of the natural world; the animals represent movement, agility, and the freedom to travel. They bear witness to a longing for a world without borders, and in particular for there to be no border between these two countries divided by the River Suchiate.

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