Pati Jinich travels from San Diego and Tijuana to Mexicali. She meets…
La Frontera: Season 1, Episode 1 - Miles from Nowhere
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- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
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Pati Jinich travels from El Paso and Ciudad Juarez to Big Bend National Park. She discovers the people, places, and food that make it unique. Old and new friends help Pati discover the best places to eat and what makes the culture and economy of the region distinct.
Series Description
Savor the sights, sounds, and flavors of the U.S.-Mexico border alongside acclaimed chef and James Beard Award-winning host Pati Jinich as she experiences the region’s rich culture, people, and cuisine. Travel with Pati to El Paso, Ciudad Juárez, Laredo, Nuevo Laredo, McAllen, and Brownsville as she shares meals with locals from all walks of life and reflects on the melding of cultures.
Citation
Main credits
Connell, Dan (film director)
Epstein, Jessica (film producer)
Jinich, Pati (host)
Jinich, Pati (creator)
Other credits
Cinematography, James Ogle; editors, Ryan Schoonmaker, Paige Theisse.
Distributor subjects
Culture + Identity; Migration Studies; Latinx; Agriculture + Food; GeographyKeywords
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.250
Viewers like you make this program possible.
Support your local PBS station.
00:00:07.167 --> 00:00:08.852 position:20%
-So we're here at the spot
where the cattle is coming
00:00:08.876 --> 00:00:12.518
from Mexico to the U.S.,
right here.
00:00:12.542 --> 00:00:14.393
-Yes, Ma'am. They're coming
in the United States right now.
00:00:14.417 --> 00:00:16.560
-And now they're
in the United States?
00:00:16.584 --> 00:00:17.918 position:20%
-Yes, last year,
we crossed 606,138 animals
00:00:18.125 --> 00:00:21.975
from Mexico
to the United States.
00:00:21.999 --> 00:00:23.852
-And people have
no understanding,
00:00:23.876 --> 00:00:26.143
including me, of everything else
00:00:26.167 --> 00:00:28.310
that's happening at the border
that's essential.
00:00:28.334 --> 00:00:31.209 line:20%
-We have a saying in Spanish.
00:00:32.292 --> 00:00:34.185
And that's, "We're all eating
from the same plate."
00:00:34.209 --> 00:00:36.602
-The idea of the border
00:00:36.626 --> 00:00:38.643 position:20%
has profound meaning to me.
00:00:38.667 --> 00:00:40.935
As a Mexican American,
00:00:40.959 --> 00:00:42.602
I always feel like
I'm treading between two worlds.
00:00:42.626 --> 00:00:46.351
I was born and raised in Mexico,
then moved to America,
00:00:46.375 --> 00:00:49.310
and I'm raising my family here.
00:00:49.334 --> 00:00:50.976
And I spend my career traveling
my homeland,
00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:54.167
sharing Mexican food and culture
with the world.
00:00:54.375 --> 00:00:57.768
Are you with me?
00:00:57.792 --> 00:00:59.143 position:20%
I want to tell you things.
00:00:59.167 --> 00:01:00.975 line:20%
♪♪
00:01:00.999 --> 00:01:02.143
Now I'm setting my sights
directly on the place
00:01:02.167 --> 00:01:05.560
where my two
beloved countries meet.
00:01:05.584 --> 00:01:07.975
I'm traveling
the Texas/Mexico border,
00:01:07.999 --> 00:01:10.602
from far West Texas
00:01:10.626 --> 00:01:12.310
to the Gulf of Mexico
00:01:12.334 --> 00:01:13.975
to get a taste of life
in this truly unique place.
00:01:13.999 --> 00:01:17.310
-Welcome to South Texas.
00:01:17.334 --> 00:01:18.975
We're just starting.
00:01:18.999 --> 00:01:20.351
[ Laughter ]
-Oh, take me there.
00:01:20.375 --> 00:01:22.101
Take me there.
00:01:22.125 --> 00:01:23.792
In this episode, I'm traveling
from El Paso to Big Bend,
00:01:23.959 --> 00:01:27.685
meeting with local artists,
musicians,
00:01:27.709 --> 00:01:30.310
journalists, and chefs
00:01:30.334 --> 00:01:31.810 position:20%
on both sides of the border
00:01:31.834 --> 00:01:33.975
to explore the natural beauty,
hidden gems,
00:01:33.999 --> 00:01:37.792
in close-knit communities
that can only exist here.
00:01:38.999 --> 00:01:42.310
I'm Pati Jinich,
00:01:42.334 --> 00:01:43.876 position:20%
and this is "La Frontera."
00:01:44.709 --> 00:01:47.935 line:20%
♪♪
00:01:47.959 --> 00:01:49.959
-What's the first thing you do
when you get to a new city?
00:01:50.125 --> 00:01:53.393
Eat it.
00:01:53.417 --> 00:01:54.310
To get to know it, I eat it!
00:01:54.334 --> 00:01:57.542
For me, I'm always thinking
about that first bite of food --
00:01:57.876 --> 00:02:01.518
the ingredients,
the cooking methods,
00:02:01.542 --> 00:02:03.435
the people cooking it.
00:02:03.459 --> 00:02:05.310 position:20%
One bite tells me so much.
00:02:05.334 --> 00:02:07.810 line:20%
I'm in El Paso, Texas,
00:02:07.834 --> 00:02:10.727 line:20%
just across the border
from Ciudad Juárez, Tijuana.
00:02:10.751 --> 00:02:13.976
So much has been said
about the border
00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:16.310
between the U.S. and Mexico,
00:02:16.334 --> 00:02:17.975 position:20%
and I have a lot to learn.
00:02:17.999 --> 00:02:19.999
But right now, I'm thinking
about that first bite.
00:02:20.167 --> 00:02:23.976
And so I asked a friend
to show me around.
00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:26.975 line:20%
I keep hearing about
how the food here in El Paso
00:02:26.999 --> 00:02:30.351 line:20%
is so unique and so different
and its own universe.
00:02:30.375 --> 00:02:34.143
-El Paso has pretty unique
things as far as food
00:02:34.167 --> 00:02:37.975
that are similar
to the ones in Juárez,
00:02:37.999 --> 00:02:39.768
but they have created
00:02:39.792 --> 00:02:41.518
their own identity
within itself.
00:02:41.542 --> 00:02:43.935
Oscar Herrera is one
of the region's best chefs.
00:02:43.959 --> 00:02:46.810
He owns and operates restaurants
00:02:46.834 --> 00:02:48.810 position:20%
in both El Paso and Juárez.
00:02:48.834 --> 00:02:50.976
And I honestly couldn't think
of a nicer person
00:02:51.000 --> 00:02:54.351
to introduce me
to this food scene.
00:02:54.375 --> 00:02:57.393 line:20%
♪♪
00:02:57.417 --> 00:02:58.852
-This is La Colonial
Tortilla Factory.
00:02:58.876 --> 00:03:00.975
They do thousands of tortillas
a week.
00:03:00.999 --> 00:03:03.935
And because they sell tortillas,
they also sell burritos
00:03:03.959 --> 00:03:06.976
-La Colonial is an institution
here in El Paso.
00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:10.602 line:20%
[ Speaks Spanish ]
00:03:10.626 --> 00:03:13.018 line:20%
-It was my grandparents',
00:03:13.042 --> 00:03:13.975 line:20%
and then my dad and my uncle
took over.
00:03:13.999 --> 00:03:15.852 line:20%
And then now it's my turn.
-How many years?
00:03:15.876 --> 00:03:17.999 position:20%
-It will be three generations.
It will be 48 years total.
00:03:18.083 --> 00:03:21.393 line:20%
-So, wait.
00:03:21.417 --> 00:03:23.975 line:20%
-Yeah.
00:03:23.999 --> 00:03:24.975 line:20%
[ Laughter ]
00:03:24.999 --> 00:03:27.518
Burritos in the U.S. and Mexico
00:03:27.542 --> 00:03:29.852
often look nothing
like one another.
00:03:29.876 --> 00:03:32.185
But here at the border,
burritos manage to retain
00:03:32.209 --> 00:03:35.976
most of what makes them
traditionally Mexican
00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:38.894
with some strong
American influences.
00:03:38.918 --> 00:03:41.643 position:20%
So I've heard that burritos
00:03:41.667 --> 00:03:42.894
really define
the food of the region.
00:03:42.918 --> 00:03:45.351
But what's your point of view?
00:03:45.375 --> 00:03:46.975
-Without a doubt,
the history tells us
00:03:46.999 --> 00:03:49.518
that burritos started
within Juárez.
00:03:49.542 --> 00:03:51.518 position:20%
In our border,
the Juárez/El Paso border,
00:03:51.542 --> 00:03:53.975 position:20%
it's our bread and butter.
00:03:53.999 --> 00:03:55.959 line:20%
-La Colonial has so many
good burritos to choose from.
00:03:55.999 --> 00:03:59.643 position:20% line:20%
The first, chili con queso.
00:03:59.667 --> 00:04:01.975 line:20%
In that queso?
00:04:01.999 --> 00:04:03.143 line:20%
It's one bar of Philadelphia
and one bar of...
00:04:03.167 --> 00:04:06.351
-You guys,
he's sharing the recipe.
00:04:06.375 --> 00:04:08.727
Like, how generous is that?
-You know what.
00:04:08.751 --> 00:04:10.976
If you're trying to
do it at your home...
00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:12.852
-It won't work.
-...it won't work.
00:04:12.876 --> 00:04:14.476
-And their next biggest seller
00:04:14.500 --> 00:04:15.975
is another
cross-cultural match-up,
00:04:15.999 --> 00:04:18.334
chili con queso with brisket.
00:04:21.250 --> 00:04:25.143
I asked so that you could
come in with me, okay?
00:04:25.167 --> 00:04:27.999
You're welcome.
So, you know --
00:04:35.209 --> 00:04:38.560 line:20%
[ Laughter ]
00:04:38.584 --> 00:04:39.975 line:20%
Little did they know
00:04:39.999 --> 00:04:40.975 line:20%
that they came in
to get their burrito,
00:04:40.999 --> 00:04:42.685
and I'm going to be
making it for them.
00:04:42.709 --> 00:04:44.351
But what they don't know is,
00:04:44.375 --> 00:04:45.518
I'm learning how
to make it a burrito.
00:04:45.542 --> 00:04:47.560 line:20%
[ Laughter ]
00:04:47.584 --> 00:04:49.143
What's the technique?
-So, a little bit of beans.
00:04:49.167 --> 00:04:51.435
And now the queso.
00:04:51.459 --> 00:04:52.643
And then you fold the ends in.
00:04:52.667 --> 00:04:53.975 line:20%
-Did you guys ask
for bean and cheese?
00:04:53.999 --> 00:04:55.975 position:20% line:20%
Because that's what I made.
00:04:55.999 --> 00:04:57.393 line:20%
-Thank you.
00:04:57.417 --> 00:04:58.393 line:20%
[ Laughter ]
00:04:58.417 --> 00:05:00.894
Oscar and I are taking
these brisket burritos
00:05:00.918 --> 00:05:02.975
the way they were meant
to be eaten --
00:05:02.999 --> 00:05:05.393
on the go.
00:05:05.417 --> 00:05:06.999
[ Both speak Spanish ]
00:05:08.626 --> 00:05:10.393 line:20%
♪♪
00:05:10.417 --> 00:05:11.975
We've got the burritos,
we're here,
00:05:11.999 --> 00:05:13.975
just a couple blocks
away from La Colonial.
00:05:13.999 --> 00:05:17.351
We're here in El Paso.
-Yep.
00:05:17.375 --> 00:05:19.143
Pero if you cross that bridge,
you're in Juárez.
00:05:19.167 --> 00:05:21.975
-Yes, so this is pretty much
00:05:21.999 --> 00:05:24.101
the borderline.
00:05:24.125 --> 00:05:25.185
-Mmm!
00:05:25.209 --> 00:05:26.810
-That was good!
-Mmm!
00:05:26.834 --> 00:05:28.643
It was not good!
It's phenomenal.
00:05:28.667 --> 00:05:31.435
The farther away you get from
the border, I think the more --
00:05:31.459 --> 00:05:34.018
-The farther the reality
of the burrito is.
00:05:34.042 --> 00:05:36.310
They're smothered with salsa,
00:05:36.334 --> 00:05:37.975
and sometimes, like, super big.
00:05:37.999 --> 00:05:39.894
-So just, like, people
don't understand
00:05:39.918 --> 00:05:42.643
the true burritos
from the border.
00:05:42.667 --> 00:05:44.975
Do you think
there's also a misconception
00:05:44.999 --> 00:05:47.143 position:20%
of the people at the border
00:05:47.167 --> 00:05:48.975
and the communities
at the border?
00:05:48.999 --> 00:05:49.975
-I think the first
misconception --
00:05:49.999 --> 00:05:51.518
we had it from within ourselves,
00:05:51.542 --> 00:05:53.975
that we didn't understand
exactly who we actually are.
00:05:53.999 --> 00:05:57.810
And on one part,
we feel Mexican,
00:05:57.834 --> 00:05:59.685
but we don't know Mexico,
00:05:59.709 --> 00:06:00.852
and some other part
feels American,
00:06:00.876 --> 00:06:02.643
but actually don't know America.
00:06:02.667 --> 00:06:03.975
We actually didn't know
00:06:03.999 --> 00:06:06.727 position:20%
of the value that we had
as a binational community.
00:06:06.751 --> 00:06:10.226
-To better understand
these cross-culture dynamics,
00:06:10.250 --> 00:06:13.852
Oscar is taking me
for burritos again --
00:06:13.876 --> 00:06:15.975
over the border,
into Ciudad Juárez.
00:06:15.999 --> 00:06:18.975
I love being here so much,
Oscar.
00:06:18.999 --> 00:06:22.268
I personally feel like
00:06:22.292 --> 00:06:23.852
I've always treaded
between worlds.
00:06:23.876 --> 00:06:25.975
-Okay.
00:06:25.999 --> 00:06:26.852
-My accent is obvious
on one side.
00:06:26.876 --> 00:06:29.602
On the other side,
00:06:29.626 --> 00:06:31.351
I might be too white
to be Mexican.
00:06:31.375 --> 00:06:33.975
And I love the feeling of being
here at the border because --
00:06:33.999 --> 00:06:36.975
-Oh, because it makes you feel
right at home.
00:06:36.999 --> 00:06:38.643 position:20%
For me, crossing the border
00:06:38.667 --> 00:06:39.976
is something that I have done
since I was born.
00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:42.643
-Yeah.
-The main difference
00:06:42.667 --> 00:06:43.976
is standard of living
versus quality of living.
00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:46.975
-Okay.
-So standard of living
00:06:46.999 --> 00:06:48.393
is what every citizen
has access to.
00:06:48.417 --> 00:06:51.101
And the standard of living
in El Paso,
00:06:51.125 --> 00:06:53.476
it's a lot better
than in Juárez.
00:06:53.500 --> 00:06:55.435
You get proper roads.
00:06:55.459 --> 00:06:56.975
You get proper infrastructure
of the city.
00:06:56.999 --> 00:06:59.975
The quality of living
is something
00:06:59.999 --> 00:07:01.975
that is very personal because --
-More subjective.
00:07:01.999 --> 00:07:04.727
-Yeah, what defines
my quality of living?
00:07:04.751 --> 00:07:06.435
-Okay.
-But I think,
00:07:06.459 --> 00:07:07.560
in general purposes,
everybody would
00:07:07.584 --> 00:07:09.560
like to have some type of help
in their house.
00:07:09.584 --> 00:07:12.852
-Mm-hmm.
-Or a gardener that does
00:07:12.876 --> 00:07:14.975
your front yard
instead of you doing it.
00:07:14.999 --> 00:07:16.975 position:20%
-Mm-hmm.
-Well, that's a lot easier
00:07:16.999 --> 00:07:18.768
to have in Juárez
00:07:18.792 --> 00:07:20.435
than it is in El Paso.
00:07:20.459 --> 00:07:22.518 position:20%
In Juárez, you can probably
00:07:22.542 --> 00:07:25.143
have a life of a rich person
00:07:25.167 --> 00:07:28.643
without necessarily being rich.
00:07:28.667 --> 00:07:30.435
-Okay.
-In El Paso,
00:07:30.459 --> 00:07:31.975
to have a life of a rich person,
then you need to be
00:07:31.999 --> 00:07:34.975
a millionaire
in order to have that.
00:07:34.999 --> 00:07:36.143
-So in the U.S.,
00:07:36.167 --> 00:07:37.560
you have the standard of living
everybody has.
00:07:37.584 --> 00:07:39.351
But to be live a millionaire,
you need to be a millionaire.
00:07:39.375 --> 00:07:41.935
-Yeah, and in Juárez, you don't
need to be a millionaire
00:07:41.959 --> 00:07:43.975 position:20%
to live like a millionaire.
00:07:43.999 --> 00:07:45.542 line:20%
♪♪
00:07:47.042 --> 00:07:50.643
-This is Burritos Sarita,
00:07:50.667 --> 00:07:51.975
and this is as real as it gets.
00:07:51.999 --> 00:07:55.018
-Burritos are a standard icon
of Juárez.
00:07:55.042 --> 00:07:58.042
And I can already tell
I'm going to like this place.
00:08:01.334 --> 00:08:01.876 line:20%
With a "Y"! Okay.
00:08:04.792 --> 00:08:06.042 line:20%
She's Paty with a "Y."
I'm Pati with an "I."
00:08:06.667 --> 00:08:08.083 line:20%
-Paty's Aunt Sarah opened
the truck 52 years ago,
00:08:10.959 --> 00:08:14.500 line:20%
before food trucks were trendy.
00:08:15.999 --> 00:08:16.999 line:20%
Only women.
00:08:30.167 --> 00:08:33.417 line:20%
♪♪
00:08:50.999 --> 00:08:54.059
Mmm.
00:08:54.083 --> 00:08:55.727
I don't even want
to try the rest of them.
00:08:55.751 --> 00:08:57.476
-[ Laughs ]
-I'm, like --
00:08:57.500 --> 00:08:58.643 position:20%
I'm so happy staying here.
00:08:58.667 --> 00:09:01.042 position:20%
The burritos in El Paso were
also absolutely delicious.
00:09:01.250 --> 00:09:05.143
But if I had to choose
where to eat my burritos,
00:09:05.167 --> 00:09:07.975
I would cross the border
to Juárez like a thousand times,
00:09:07.999 --> 00:09:11.894
which is why people cross
to Juárez to eat, right?
00:09:11.918 --> 00:09:14.018
-Yes, the beauty of it
is that it's pretty close by.
00:09:14.042 --> 00:09:16.975
And you can have
the best of both worlds.
00:09:16.999 --> 00:09:18.975
-We're experiencing
the same items,
00:09:18.999 --> 00:09:21.975
but they're
so radically different.
00:09:21.999 --> 00:09:24.185
-Yes.
00:09:24.209 --> 00:09:25.476 position:20%
-Both incredibly delicious.
00:09:25.500 --> 00:09:27.292
It's fascinating.
00:09:30.334 --> 00:09:33.560 line:20%
♪♪
00:09:33.584 --> 00:09:34.975
-As I start to wrap my head
around the fascinating
00:09:34.999 --> 00:09:37.560
and delicious food themes
here at the border,
00:09:37.584 --> 00:09:40.643
it's becoming more
and more clear
00:09:40.667 --> 00:09:42.976 line:20%
just how connected
these two communities,
00:09:43.000 --> 00:09:45.852 line:20%
Ciudad Juárez and El Paso,
really are.
00:09:45.876 --> 00:09:49.560
One of my dear friends
here in El Paso
00:09:49.584 --> 00:09:51.792
dedicates his career to
highlighting that connectivity,
00:09:51.999 --> 00:09:55.310
one story at a time.
00:09:55.334 --> 00:09:57.518 line:20%
-Half my life
has been in Mexico,
00:09:57.542 --> 00:10:00.476 line:20%
mostly Mexico City,
00:10:00.500 --> 00:10:01.975 line:20%
and half my life in the U.S.
00:10:01.999 --> 00:10:04.727
-Alfredo Corchado is
an award-winning journalist
00:10:04.751 --> 00:10:07.375
and border correspondent
for the Dallas Morning News.
00:10:07.751 --> 00:10:11.518
His work takes him
all over both countries.
00:10:11.542 --> 00:10:14.560
But he still considers
El Paso home.
00:10:14.584 --> 00:10:17.975
So, we're, right now,
in the heart of downtown.
00:10:17.999 --> 00:10:19.975
-We are in the heart
of downtown.
00:10:19.999 --> 00:10:21.643
Everything you see here
00:10:21.667 --> 00:10:22.976
is a peek into the future
of the United States --
00:10:23.000 --> 00:10:25.476
-Mm-hmm.
-That we are binational.
00:10:25.500 --> 00:10:27.975
We are bicultural.
We are bilingual.
00:10:27.999 --> 00:10:30.894
-But it is a fact that
people get very scared
00:10:30.918 --> 00:10:33.310
when they think
about communities
00:10:33.334 --> 00:10:35.476
being binational, bicultural,
00:10:35.500 --> 00:10:37.727
as if belonging to two things
makes you lesser
00:10:37.751 --> 00:10:40.727
or makes you disloyal
or makes you not true.
00:10:40.751 --> 00:10:44.560
-But see that's the thing
about the border,
00:10:44.584 --> 00:10:46.185
is that that's reality.
00:10:46.209 --> 00:10:48.101
We might have different
political systems
00:10:48.125 --> 00:10:50.101
or different governments,
00:10:50.125 --> 00:10:51.810 position:20%
but at the end of the day,
00:10:51.834 --> 00:10:53.351
what unites us
are the blood ties,
00:10:53.375 --> 00:10:56.459
the bloodlines that run.
00:10:56.876 --> 00:10:58.667 line:20%
-We're one family.
00:11:00.125 --> 00:11:01.643
-Would you say it only Mexicans
00:11:01.667 --> 00:11:02.976
that have families
on both sides?
00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:04.435
Or is it also Americans?
00:11:04.459 --> 00:11:05.976
-You know, that's literally
the untold story.
00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:07.975 position:20%
There are so many Americans
00:11:07.999 --> 00:11:09.975
who live in Juárez
and Chihuahua.
00:11:09.999 --> 00:11:12.393
-Yeah.
-There's the American Mexicans.
00:11:12.417 --> 00:11:15.518
The two communities
used to blend in.
00:11:15.542 --> 00:11:17.935
I mean, imagine a midtown
New York City and Brooklyn.
00:11:17.959 --> 00:11:21.975
That was the kind of vibe
at one point in this community
00:11:21.999 --> 00:11:25.518 position:20%
where they really blended.
00:11:25.542 --> 00:11:27.351
They went back and forth.
People could just kind of --
00:11:27.375 --> 00:11:30.393
could be on one side
or the other.
00:11:30.417 --> 00:11:32.435
But over the years,
00:11:32.459 --> 00:11:33.976
security has taken
such importance
00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:37.393
that it has affected
the fluidity
00:11:37.417 --> 00:11:40.685
of people going back and forth.
00:11:40.709 --> 00:11:42.975 line:20%
♪♪
00:11:42.999 --> 00:11:44.975
-As connected
as these two cities are,
00:11:44.999 --> 00:11:47.101
the wall here stands
at over 20 feet high
00:11:47.125 --> 00:11:50.518
and stretches on
for hundreds of miles
00:11:50.542 --> 00:11:52.602 position:20%
over open desert landscape
00:11:52.626 --> 00:11:54.643
and cuts right through the heart
00:11:54.667 --> 00:11:56.602
of Juárez and El Paso.
00:11:56.626 --> 00:11:59.435
You know, being here
00:11:59.459 --> 00:12:00.685
and knowing how the wall
and the border
00:12:00.709 --> 00:12:03.999
is such an important presence
for La Frontera, of course,
00:12:04.250 --> 00:12:07.975
and the communities
that live here,
00:12:07.999 --> 00:12:09.999
tell me a little bit about that,
and what this means to you.
00:12:10.125 --> 00:12:13.602
Like, is that a --
00:12:13.626 --> 00:12:14.852
Carlos Fuentes called it a scar,
00:12:14.876 --> 00:12:16.209
and I think to us these days,
it's like an open wound,
00:12:17.334 --> 00:12:20.768
and it's gushing.
00:12:20.792 --> 00:12:23.560
Politicians come in,
and it's like, you know,
00:12:23.584 --> 00:12:25.894
who can do a better job
of securing the border.
00:12:25.918 --> 00:12:28.810
I mean, that is the cry.
-Yeah.
00:12:28.834 --> 00:12:31.560
-And we on the border
are the piñata.
00:12:31.584 --> 00:12:33.894
You know, you just hit,
you hit it, you hit it,
00:12:33.918 --> 00:12:36.560
and then you see what
your political points --
00:12:36.584 --> 00:12:39.143
you know, how they rise.
00:12:39.167 --> 00:12:40.894
The irony is that,
if anyone wants security,
00:12:40.918 --> 00:12:44.143
it's the people
who live on the border.
00:12:44.167 --> 00:12:45.894
I mean, we're the ones
that need to be secure.
00:12:45.918 --> 00:12:48.975
But many don't agree
that a wall's the way to do it.
00:12:48.999 --> 00:12:51.975
-Like the border
between many countries,
00:12:51.999 --> 00:12:54.975
the political border
between the U.S. and Mexico
00:12:54.999 --> 00:12:57.685
has been redrawn
over the centuries.
00:12:57.709 --> 00:13:00.059
For a long time,
00:13:00.083 --> 00:13:01.852
parts of this region
were part of Mexico.
00:13:01.876 --> 00:13:04.518
It's people,
along with their culture,
00:13:04.542 --> 00:13:06.602
didn't cross the border.
00:13:06.626 --> 00:13:08.101
The border crossed them.
00:13:08.125 --> 00:13:10.059
Every U.S. administration
has grappled with the challenge
00:13:10.083 --> 00:13:13.310
of how to deal with migration.
00:13:13.334 --> 00:13:15.935
There have been many
policy changes throughout time.
00:13:15.959 --> 00:13:18.976
One of these policies
was the Bracero Program.
00:13:19.000 --> 00:13:22.310 position:20%
From the 1940s to the 1960s
00:13:22.334 --> 00:13:25.518
during the post-war
labor shortage,
00:13:25.542 --> 00:13:27.976
millions of Mexicans came
for temporary work
00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:31.143
in the fields and farms
on American soil.
00:13:31.167 --> 00:13:34.310
Alfredo Corchado
was one of them.
00:13:34.334 --> 00:13:36.852
-My father came as a bracero.
-Mm-hmm.
00:13:36.876 --> 00:13:40.209
-And these men were welcome,
and their goal wasn't to stay.
00:13:40.999 --> 00:13:44.975
Their goal was to come in,
make some dollars,
00:13:44.999 --> 00:13:47.101
and then go back home.
00:13:47.125 --> 00:13:48.685
This country is
always a bit fickle.
00:13:48.709 --> 00:13:51.185
At times, it loves you,
and it welcomes you,
00:13:51.209 --> 00:13:53.643
and it wants to bring you in.
00:13:53.667 --> 00:13:55.727
And other times,
it's going to criminalize you.
00:13:55.751 --> 00:13:57.975
But think of the border
as a political deer.
00:13:57.999 --> 00:14:01.185
It's a way for politicians
to win political points,
00:14:01.209 --> 00:14:04.852
but also,
there is a lack of will,
00:14:04.876 --> 00:14:07.975
I think, in Washington to try to
get to the root of the problem.
00:14:07.999 --> 00:14:11.351
And what we have is this.
00:14:11.375 --> 00:14:12.975 line:20%
♪♪
00:14:12.999 --> 00:14:13.976
-In a way, is it that
instead of trying
00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:17.518
to stop what's happening,
00:14:17.542 --> 00:14:19.810
we should look at the examples
00:14:19.834 --> 00:14:21.351 position:20%
of how there's been success
00:14:21.375 --> 00:14:23.518 position:20%
in the border communities?
00:14:23.542 --> 00:14:25.560
-I think that's
a really good point.
00:14:25.584 --> 00:14:26.935
I mean, I think if you
take the border communities
00:14:26.959 --> 00:14:29.476 position:20%
as an example of tolerance,
00:14:29.500 --> 00:14:32.935
and you see trade going
back and forth every day --
00:14:32.959 --> 00:14:36.185 position:20%
I mean, we are doing everything
we can to reach each other
00:14:36.209 --> 00:14:39.685
and say, "How do I help you?"
00:14:39.709 --> 00:14:41.310
Because what's good for Juárez
is good for El Paso.
00:14:41.334 --> 00:14:44.518
What works?
What kind of communication?
00:14:44.542 --> 00:14:46.768
What kind of cooperation
00:14:46.792 --> 00:14:47.975
will work for both sides
in order to get ahead?
00:14:47.999 --> 00:14:51.351
-As you can tell,
my friend Alfredo
00:14:51.375 --> 00:14:54.185
covers important, serious topics
here at the border.
00:14:54.209 --> 00:14:58.018
But I'm going to let you in
on a secret about him.
00:14:58.042 --> 00:15:01.584
He's a mama's boy
through and through.
00:15:10.250 --> 00:15:13.975
-I see the resemblance
so much here,
00:15:13.999 --> 00:15:17.185
except that you didn't inherit
her gorgeous green eyes.
00:15:17.209 --> 00:15:21.143
-But I have her heart.
-You have her heart.
00:15:21.167 --> 00:15:24.059 line:20%
♪♪
00:15:24.083 --> 00:15:25.518
Freddy's mom definitely knows
her way around the kitchen.
00:15:25.542 --> 00:15:28.560
In fact, when she first
moved to El Paso,
00:15:28.584 --> 00:15:30.975
she opened
a very successful restaurant.
00:15:30.999 --> 00:15:34.727
What was the name
of the restaurant?
00:15:34.751 --> 00:15:35.999 line:20%
-Freddy's Café.
00:15:36.751 --> 00:15:37.250 line:20%
-Ah!
00:15:40.834 --> 00:15:42.975
When Alfredo's dad first came
to work in the U.S.,
00:15:42.999 --> 00:15:45.975
his mom, Doña Linda,
00:15:45.999 --> 00:15:47.643
stayed in Mexico with the kids.
00:15:47.667 --> 00:15:49.975
Once he had saved enough money,
00:15:49.999 --> 00:15:51.975
she moved the rest
of the family here
00:15:51.999 --> 00:15:54.393
to be with him.
00:15:54.417 --> 00:15:55.959
-And that was a picture that
we took before left Mexico.
00:15:56.292 --> 00:16:00.351
I think some of us were
more excited than other ones.
00:16:00.375 --> 00:16:02.894
-You didn't want to come.
-I didn't want to come.
00:16:02.918 --> 00:16:04.975
And I don't think
my brothers did.
00:16:04.999 --> 00:16:06.810
We were scared of the change.
00:16:06.834 --> 00:16:09.975
-As an immigrant,
I can relate to that feeling
00:16:09.999 --> 00:16:12.876
of being torn
between two countries.
00:16:12.999 --> 00:16:15.292
And we end up in a place
that's caught between the two.
00:16:17.792 --> 00:16:21.602
-It's very difficult
for someone to pack up
00:16:21.626 --> 00:16:25.393
and leave everything they know,
everything they own,
00:16:25.417 --> 00:16:27.768
everything they have,
to leave their families behind,
00:16:27.792 --> 00:16:29.975
to leave their little towns
behind.
00:16:29.999 --> 00:16:33.143
When I'm interviewing people,
00:16:33.167 --> 00:16:34.518
I see that sense of loss
in their eyes.
00:16:34.542 --> 00:16:37.518
Like, "I don't know that this is
00:16:37.542 --> 00:16:40.810
really the right thing to do."
00:16:40.834 --> 00:16:43.975
What more can I do?
00:16:43.999 --> 00:16:45.975
How do make sure that
my family has an opportunity
00:16:45.999 --> 00:16:49.101
that my family can make
something better?
00:16:49.125 --> 00:16:52.310
But one thing that's different
to me about El Paso,
00:16:52.334 --> 00:16:54.602
it's still very much
00:16:54.626 --> 00:16:56.268
an immigrant community.
00:16:56.292 --> 00:16:58.975 position:20%
There is a certain sense of,
I'm not going to treat you
00:16:58.999 --> 00:17:02.602
as "the other"
because we all are the others.
00:17:02.626 --> 00:17:05.518
And we're all trying
to make it work.
00:17:05.542 --> 00:17:07.059
-Mm-hmm.
00:17:07.083 --> 00:17:07.975 line:20%
♪♪
00:17:07.999 --> 00:17:11.185
-What connects us with home --
00:17:11.209 --> 00:17:13.268
a plate of food?
00:17:13.292 --> 00:17:14.268
For me, yes, always.
00:17:14.292 --> 00:17:16.975
But for so many
Mexican Americans
00:17:16.999 --> 00:17:18.810 position:20%
living here at the border,
00:17:18.834 --> 00:17:20.768
there's something else
that really brings them back --
00:17:20.792 --> 00:17:23.975
music!
00:17:23.999 --> 00:17:25.268
[ Mariachi music plays ]
00:17:25.292 --> 00:17:28.101
-And not just any music.
00:17:28.125 --> 00:17:30.685
Of course, I'm talking
about mariachis.
00:17:30.709 --> 00:17:34.351
Mariachi is
the spiritual embodiment
00:17:34.375 --> 00:17:36.975
of Mexican pride
00:17:36.999 --> 00:17:38.435
all wrapped up in a song.
00:17:38.459 --> 00:17:40.685
As a Mexican living in America,
00:17:40.709 --> 00:17:42.727
I can tell you these are
the sounds of our weddings,
00:17:42.751 --> 00:17:45.976
the sounds of our quinceañeras
or funerals.
00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:48.975
They are the soundtrack
to our life.
00:17:48.999 --> 00:17:52.226
[ Music ends ]
00:17:52.250 --> 00:17:55.125
[ Applause ]
00:17:56.918 --> 00:17:58.751 line:20%
-Lily, it's so lovely
to meet you.
00:18:00.584 --> 00:18:02.310 line:20%
-So nice to meet you.
00:18:02.334 --> 00:18:04.999
-Lily is the bandleader
of the Mariachi Feminine,
00:18:05.250 --> 00:18:08.975
and she lives for this music.
00:18:08.999 --> 00:18:11.643
-Passing on this music
00:18:11.667 --> 00:18:13.000
is essential to the survival
of our heritage.
00:18:16.292 --> 00:18:17.999
-Mariachi is so ingrained
in Mexican culture.
00:18:20.167 --> 00:18:23.000
But traditionally,
this music is male-dominated.
00:18:23.667 --> 00:18:27.018
And a big mission was...?
00:18:27.042 --> 00:18:29.351
-We want to show
that we can do this
00:18:29.375 --> 00:18:30.768
just as well as men can.
00:18:30.792 --> 00:18:32.727
In my opinion...
00:18:32.751 --> 00:18:34.602
-Yeah?
-Even better.
00:18:34.626 --> 00:18:35.975
-Mariachis are about heartbreak,
heartache,
00:18:35.999 --> 00:18:40.018
the heart being swollen, filled
with so much emotion, right?
00:18:40.042 --> 00:18:43.518
-Right.
-And women, like,
00:18:43.542 --> 00:18:45.476
we're experts at that.
00:18:45.500 --> 00:18:46.999
-I think we bring across
more of the sentiment
00:18:47.834 --> 00:18:51.185
of the music.
-Yeah.
00:18:51.209 --> 00:18:52.685
-'Cause like you said,
we carry it, I feel,
00:18:52.709 --> 00:18:55.059
more than men.
00:18:55.083 --> 00:18:56.560
We're the ones that go
through that heartbreak.
00:18:56.584 --> 00:18:58.685
We are the ones
that carry the babies.
00:18:58.709 --> 00:19:00.685
So, we bring that.
We bring that power.
00:19:00.709 --> 00:19:02.975
-Does it have, like,
an even deeper,
00:19:02.999 --> 00:19:04.975
stronger meaning here
at the border?
00:19:04.999 --> 00:19:08.185
-Absolutely.
Juárez is just a few steps away.
00:19:08.209 --> 00:19:11.999
And the culture there
is very present.
00:19:12.083 --> 00:19:15.435
Women are --
00:19:15.459 --> 00:19:16.975 position:20%
You stay at home, you know.
00:19:16.999 --> 00:19:18.268 position:20%
You take care of the kids.
00:19:18.292 --> 00:19:19.810 position:20%
There's a lot of machismo.
00:19:19.834 --> 00:19:21.518
-Right.
-And so for us to be able
00:19:21.542 --> 00:19:23.560
to step up
00:19:23.584 --> 00:19:24.975
and show you
that we have a voice,
00:19:24.999 --> 00:19:27.685
whether it's a few steps away
or here,
00:19:27.709 --> 00:19:30.268
and you're gonna hear us.
00:19:30.292 --> 00:19:31.518
We are very powerful.
-Yeah.
00:19:31.542 --> 00:19:32.975
-That's one thing that I love
about our group,
00:19:32.999 --> 00:19:35.810
is that, yes, we're all females,
00:19:35.834 --> 00:19:37.975
and we try to keep it
very feminine,
00:19:37.999 --> 00:19:39.975 position:20%
and we do the lashes
and the hair and all that.
00:19:39.999 --> 00:19:42.476
But we come to sing.
00:19:42.500 --> 00:19:44.143 position:20%
We come to perform,
and we're a powerful group
00:19:44.167 --> 00:19:46.560 line:20%
♪♪
00:19:46.584 --> 00:19:48.975
-All of Lily's time, effort,
and dedication
00:19:48.999 --> 00:19:51.852
have paid off in big ways
over the years.
00:19:51.876 --> 00:19:54.975
-2019 was definitely...
-One of your biggest years?
00:19:54.999 --> 00:19:57.976
-...one of our biggest years,
you know?
00:19:58.000 --> 00:20:00.602
And then 2020 happened.
00:20:00.626 --> 00:20:02.935
-Because of the pandemic,
00:20:02.959 --> 00:20:04.143
Mariachi Feminine didn't perform
for over a year.
00:20:04.167 --> 00:20:08.018
Many of her bandmates quit
as life's priorities shifted.
00:20:08.042 --> 00:20:12.042
So, Lily is rebuilding
and planning a comeback concert
00:20:12.250 --> 00:20:15.975
to celebrate
their 20th anniversary.
00:20:15.999 --> 00:20:18.852
-How are you feeling about it?
-Nervous.
00:20:18.876 --> 00:20:20.852
I'm nervous,
but I'm very hopeful,
00:20:20.876 --> 00:20:22.768
and I'm very happy.
00:20:22.792 --> 00:20:24.459
-If I could have done anything
with my life, other than cook,
00:20:25.083 --> 00:20:28.643
it would have been sing.
00:20:28.667 --> 00:20:30.435
-Well, I'll teach you mariachi,
and you can teach me to cook.
00:20:30.459 --> 00:20:33.143
How about that?
-Oh! Okay.
00:20:33.167 --> 00:20:35.125
Deal.
-Awesome.
00:20:35.751 --> 00:20:36.876 line:20%
♪♪
00:20:38.999 --> 00:20:42.894
-One of the best ways
to get a feel for a El Paso
00:20:42.918 --> 00:20:45.375
is to take a walk,
take it all in.
00:20:45.876 --> 00:20:49.518
One of the first things
you notice
00:20:49.542 --> 00:20:51.727
are the stunning works of art
on the buildings.
00:20:51.751 --> 00:20:54.435
The muralists of El Paso
00:20:54.459 --> 00:20:56.185
have turned this city
into an outdoor museum.
00:20:56.209 --> 00:20:59.643
It's breathtaking!
00:20:59.667 --> 00:21:01.685
And I'm not the only one
who appreciates it.
00:21:01.709 --> 00:21:04.375 line:20%
♪♪
00:21:06.999 --> 00:21:10.685
Every month or so,
El Paso's murals
00:21:10.709 --> 00:21:13.351
are a backdrop
to a cruise night.
00:21:13.375 --> 00:21:16.101
Of course, on the border,
00:21:16.125 --> 00:21:17.727
no cruise is complete
without a carne asada.
00:21:17.751 --> 00:21:20.976 line:20%
Hola! Y tu?
00:21:21.000 --> 00:21:23.435 line:20%
-Eduardo Beckett.
00:21:23.459 --> 00:21:24.602 line:20%
-Ed and his friend, Cimi,
00:21:24.626 --> 00:21:25.852 line:20%
brings artists
and lowriders together
00:21:25.876 --> 00:21:27.894 line:20%
as a show of strength
and solidarity
00:21:27.918 --> 00:21:30.310 line:20%
for this cross-border community.
00:21:30.334 --> 00:21:32.685
You and the people
that get together here
00:21:32.709 --> 00:21:34.685
are both from
El Paso and Juárez?
00:21:34.709 --> 00:21:36.143
-And from Juárez, yes.
00:21:36.167 --> 00:21:37.685
-Ed Beckett is
an immigration lawyer
00:21:37.709 --> 00:21:39.751
and one of the founders
of the Old Memory Lowriders.
00:21:39.999 --> 00:21:43.226
-Hey, what's up?
00:21:43.250 --> 00:21:44.560
-Cimi is one of El Paso's
most prolific muralists.
00:21:44.584 --> 00:21:47.935
-You know, a lot of the murals,
you know,
00:21:47.959 --> 00:21:48.975
those are the stories
of our people.
00:21:48.999 --> 00:21:51.685
They're stories of migration,
stories --
00:21:51.709 --> 00:21:53.975
-Stories of struggle,
immigration, corridos.
00:21:53.999 --> 00:21:56.310
-The street art with the murals
and the lowriding,
00:21:56.334 --> 00:21:58.975
two forms of art that typically
00:21:58.999 --> 00:22:00.975
have been looked upon
as negative.
00:22:00.999 --> 00:22:03.727
-You know, lowriding
is part of the culture.
00:22:03.751 --> 00:22:06.975 position:20%
But to me,
it's not negative anymore.
00:22:06.999 --> 00:22:09.185
We're saying,
"Look, immigrants are good."
00:22:09.209 --> 00:22:11.185
Immigrants come here.
They start businesses.
00:22:11.209 --> 00:22:14.185 position:20%
They will grow the economy.
00:22:14.209 --> 00:22:16.143 position:20%
-So how did you guys meet?
00:22:16.167 --> 00:22:17.975
-Eduardo was working
for a nonprofit.
00:22:17.999 --> 00:22:20.518
-Used to be.
-The migrant community.
00:22:20.542 --> 00:22:22.810 position:20%
-Okay.
-And I was doing a project
00:22:22.834 --> 00:22:24.393
with the youth
that were incarcerated.
00:22:24.417 --> 00:22:27.975
-Okay.
-So we were going
00:22:27.999 --> 00:22:29.018 position:20%
into the system
and working with the kids.
00:22:29.042 --> 00:22:32.143
-He was teaching them art,
and I was just trying
00:22:32.167 --> 00:22:34.018
to motivate them and saying,
"Look, you can do it.
00:22:34.042 --> 00:22:35.975
There's two paths,
the bad or the good.
00:22:35.999 --> 00:22:39.351
Go to school.
Go to school.
00:22:39.375 --> 00:22:40.685
It's not too late.
It doesn't matter.
00:22:40.709 --> 00:22:42.018
Yes, you've committed a crime
but you're a juvenile.
00:22:42.042 --> 00:22:44.435
You still have a chance."
00:22:44.459 --> 00:22:45.975
And even though
Cimi was born here,
00:22:45.999 --> 00:22:47.310
I was born here, but we come
from immigrant families.
00:22:47.334 --> 00:22:50.143
-Right.
-So, we're part
00:22:50.167 --> 00:22:51.143 position:20%
of the immigrant tradition.
00:22:51.167 --> 00:22:52.518
We're part of
the immigrant struggle.
00:22:52.542 --> 00:22:53.975
-Yeah.
-And maybe we didn't have
00:22:53.999 --> 00:22:55.018
to suffer like some of
our brothers and sisters
00:22:55.042 --> 00:22:57.185
that we're seeing right now.
00:22:57.209 --> 00:22:58.894
-Right.
-But we're in a place
00:22:58.918 --> 00:23:00.685
that we can make
the system better.
00:23:00.709 --> 00:23:02.975 line:20%
♪♪
00:23:02.999 --> 00:23:03.975
-What do you have,
carne asada?
00:23:03.999 --> 00:23:05.310
-Right here, this is discada.
00:23:05.334 --> 00:23:08.393
-Ah! Discada!
00:23:08.417 --> 00:23:09.768
-So we've got a little bit
of chorizo, beef, bacon.
00:23:09.792 --> 00:23:13.143
And I was going to make
a harissa skirt meat.
00:23:13.167 --> 00:23:15.975
-Discada is a traditional dish
from Chihuahua,
00:23:15.999 --> 00:23:18.975
originally cooked in the discs
of old field plows.
00:23:18.999 --> 00:23:22.894
But I've never had it
north of the border.
00:23:22.918 --> 00:23:25.894
-So it has chorizo,
bacon, beef, and bacon.
00:23:25.918 --> 00:23:28.727
-[ Laughs ]
00:23:28.751 --> 00:23:29.975
-You can't see it,
but you'll taste it.
00:23:29.999 --> 00:23:31.975
-It's like double the bacon,
right?
00:23:31.999 --> 00:23:34.250 line:20%
♪♪
00:23:34.999 --> 00:23:38.643
It's, like, so full of flavor!
00:23:38.667 --> 00:23:39.976
-It's got a lot of flavors,
yeah, yeah.
00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:41.852
Can you taste the bacon
and the chorizo?
00:23:41.876 --> 00:23:43.476
-That's the thing!
00:23:43.500 --> 00:23:44.975
I taste the chorizo
and the bacon and the beef,
00:23:44.999 --> 00:23:47.685
but I don't taste them
separately.
00:23:47.709 --> 00:23:49.975
It's a completely
combined thing,
00:23:49.999 --> 00:23:51.975 position:20%
where I cannot distinguish
00:23:51.999 --> 00:23:53.999
the three things
that are in here.
00:23:54.083 --> 00:23:57.393
It's good!
00:23:57.417 --> 00:23:58.976
Cimi and many
of his fellow artists
00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:01.727
create their pieces
in both Juárez and El Paso.
00:24:01.751 --> 00:24:05.560
Many of Cimi's murals focus
on Segundo Barrio,
00:24:05.584 --> 00:24:08.975 position:20%
a neighborhood whose fabric
00:24:08.999 --> 00:24:10.975
is made of Mexican immigrants.
00:24:10.999 --> 00:24:13.018
-This mural was painted
with another friend of mine,
00:24:13.042 --> 00:24:15.975
Victor "Mask" Casas.
00:24:15.999 --> 00:24:17.143
It's a little bit of the story
of Segundo Barrio.
00:24:17.167 --> 00:24:19.518
We call it
The Corrido of Segundo Barrio.
00:24:19.542 --> 00:24:21.810 position:20%
-Tell me what a corrido is.
00:24:21.834 --> 00:24:23.167
-So, it's basically a story
in the form of a song --
00:24:23.918 --> 00:24:27.518
a story of an event,
of a person.
00:24:27.542 --> 00:24:30.518
It's something historical
that happened.
00:24:30.542 --> 00:24:31.976
We have the musical.
00:24:32.000 --> 00:24:33.310
The musicals are
from the barrio.
00:24:33.334 --> 00:24:35.975
One of the main things
that I try to do in my murals
00:24:35.999 --> 00:24:38.143
is to have that connection
to the community.
00:24:38.167 --> 00:24:40.727
So we have to include
the community itself
00:24:40.751 --> 00:24:42.975
into the artwork
00:24:42.999 --> 00:24:44.560
because that's the way
they're gonna identify.
00:24:44.584 --> 00:24:47.518
-One of Cimi's missions
is to make sure
00:24:47.542 --> 00:24:49.417
that the struggles of the people
of his community are remembered
00:24:49.876 --> 00:24:53.518
and to acknowledge
all of the good
00:24:53.542 --> 00:24:55.560
that Mexican immigration
has brought to El Paso.
00:24:55.584 --> 00:24:58.975
So the history
of Mexican Americans
00:24:58.999 --> 00:25:01.518
is not being registered
or recorded
00:25:01.542 --> 00:25:04.143
into the American history
00:25:04.167 --> 00:25:06.727
or educational system
as a whole.
00:25:06.751 --> 00:25:08.685
-So you're doing these
in murals.
00:25:08.709 --> 00:25:10.852
-Our job as not only artists
00:25:10.876 --> 00:25:13.975
but as musicians,
poets, writers,
00:25:13.999 --> 00:25:16.852
everybody that does that,
00:25:16.876 --> 00:25:18.560
we need to come out
and start doing that,
00:25:18.584 --> 00:25:20.351
because we need
to remind our people
00:25:20.375 --> 00:25:22.685
why we have to be proud
of who we are.
00:25:22.709 --> 00:25:24.417 line:20%
♪♪
00:25:28.918 --> 00:25:30.792 line:20%
♪♪
00:25:31.999 --> 00:25:33.602
-There's something happening
here at the border.
00:25:33.626 --> 00:25:35.975
It's happening every single day,
all day,
00:25:35.999 --> 00:25:38.975
and you may have no idea
that this even happening.
00:25:38.999 --> 00:25:42.059
And the thing is,
00:25:42.083 --> 00:25:43.435
you might be eating it.
00:25:43.459 --> 00:25:45.852
Have you enjoyed
a good steak recently
00:25:45.876 --> 00:25:48.101
or a juicy burger?
00:25:48.125 --> 00:25:50.393
Did you know that
all American burger
00:25:50.417 --> 00:25:52.518
may come from Mexico --
00:25:52.542 --> 00:25:54.643
that U.S. prime
might actually be
00:25:54.667 --> 00:25:57.435
Mexican-American prime?
00:25:57.459 --> 00:25:59.935 position:20% line:20%
-So we're here at the spot
00:25:59.959 --> 00:26:02.975 position:20% line:20%
where the cattle is coming
00:26:02.999 --> 00:26:04.975 line:20%
from Mexico to the U.S.,
right here.
00:26:04.999 --> 00:26:07.018
-Yes, Ma'am. They're coming
in the United States right now.
00:26:07.042 --> 00:26:09.101
-And now they're
in the United States?
00:26:09.125 --> 00:26:10.226
-Yes.
00:26:10.250 --> 00:26:11.976
-I'm at the Santa Teresa
Crossing union in New Mexico
00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:14.975 position:20%
with my new friend Daniel.
00:26:14.999 --> 00:26:16.975
And you're probably
asking yourself
00:26:16.999 --> 00:26:18.975
the same thing I am.
00:26:18.999 --> 00:26:20.894
Why are all these cows
racing through a giant door
00:26:20.918 --> 00:26:24.101
in the border wall?
00:26:24.125 --> 00:26:25.643
Everybody seems to be obsessed
00:26:25.667 --> 00:26:27.727
with people crossing
over the border.
00:26:27.751 --> 00:26:30.935
But people don't talk
about animal crossing
00:26:30.959 --> 00:26:33.852
and the incredible relationship
00:26:33.876 --> 00:26:35.975
that exists between
the two countries
00:26:35.999 --> 00:26:38.435
in growing, raising,
00:26:38.459 --> 00:26:41.476
and selling, trading cattle.
00:26:41.500 --> 00:26:44.602
-International commerce.
00:26:44.626 --> 00:26:46.351 position:20%
-If you think cows crossing
the border is interesting,
00:26:46.375 --> 00:26:49.975
wait until I tell you
how they got here.
00:26:49.999 --> 00:26:52.976
First, Mexican ranchers
get an American bull
00:26:53.000 --> 00:26:55.975
and breed them
with their Mexican cows.
00:26:55.999 --> 00:26:58.602
They have baby cows,
00:26:58.626 --> 00:27:00.476
all born in Mexico.
00:27:00.500 --> 00:27:02.768
Those Mexican American cows
grow up a little in Mexico.
00:27:02.792 --> 00:27:06.268
When they get big enough,
00:27:06.292 --> 00:27:07.685
they're brought here
to the border.
00:27:07.709 --> 00:27:09.768 position:20%
Then they're walked across
00:27:09.792 --> 00:27:10.975
and sold back
to American ranchers.
00:27:10.999 --> 00:27:14.542
-Last year,
we crossed 606,138 animals.
00:27:14.876 --> 00:27:17.975
-From?
00:27:17.999 --> 00:27:18.975
-From Mexico
to the United States.
00:27:18.999 --> 00:27:20.975
-But again, why?
00:27:20.999 --> 00:27:23.894
Well, first, it's cheaper
to let young cows graze
00:27:23.918 --> 00:27:27.268 position:20%
in the vast Mexican fields
00:27:27.292 --> 00:27:28.810
as land isn't expensive there.
00:27:28.834 --> 00:27:30.975
But when it is time for them
to mature and gain more weight,
00:27:30.999 --> 00:27:34.101
they come to the U.S.
to feed on corn
00:27:34.125 --> 00:27:36.852
because the U.S.
subsidizes corn.
00:27:36.876 --> 00:27:39.351 position:20%
But there's another reason.
00:27:39.375 --> 00:27:40.975
Ranchers in the U.S. and Mexico
00:27:40.999 --> 00:27:42.768
are working together
00:27:42.792 --> 00:27:44.476 position:20%
to breed the absolute best,
00:27:44.500 --> 00:27:46.685
most profitable cuts of beef
possible.
00:27:46.709 --> 00:27:49.935
-There was a general here
the other day who's a cattleman.
00:27:49.959 --> 00:27:52.975
And he was from Florida,
and he raised Brangus.
00:27:52.999 --> 00:27:55.894 position:20%
And we were there
watching the cattle cross,
00:27:55.918 --> 00:27:57.101
and there was like
400 head that crossed.
00:27:57.125 --> 00:27:59.976
And he was like,
"This cattle is as good
00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:03.310
or better than what we have
in the United States."
00:28:03.334 --> 00:28:05.959
-So, what's fascinating is
the cattle that's being born
00:28:06.083 --> 00:28:10.018
is already Mexican-American
or American-Mexican.
00:28:10.042 --> 00:28:12.975 position:20%
And then that continues back
and forth between borders.
00:28:12.999 --> 00:28:15.185
-Right, and the calves come
across and go to grow yards.
00:28:15.209 --> 00:28:17.975
The Mexican side
and the U.S. side
00:28:17.999 --> 00:28:19.976
and all the companies
that we work together,
00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:22.018
we coordinate together --
00:28:22.042 --> 00:28:23.975
we have a saying in Spanish.
00:28:23.999 --> 00:28:25.083 line:20%
And that's, "We're all
eating from the same plate."
00:28:27.000 --> 00:28:29.393
So, that's...
00:28:29.417 --> 00:28:30.976
-Oh, I love when you --
I love that so much.
00:28:31.000 --> 00:28:33.435
That's beautiful!
00:28:33.459 --> 00:28:35.476
The cattle that cross the border
00:28:35.500 --> 00:28:36.852
are only about three
or four months old.
00:28:36.876 --> 00:28:39.518
So where do they go next?
00:28:39.542 --> 00:28:41.975
To find out, I'm meeting
with Alvaro Bustillo,
00:28:41.999 --> 00:28:44.975
who uses
the Santa Teresa Crossing
00:28:44.999 --> 00:28:47.476
almost every day
with his company,
00:28:47.500 --> 00:28:49.727
Vaquero Trading.
00:28:49.751 --> 00:28:51.310 line:20%
-So, they come across
in small but specific lots.
00:28:51.334 --> 00:28:54.560 line:20%
So we put them together
to create volume
00:28:54.584 --> 00:28:57.435 line:20%
and build up loads.
00:28:57.459 --> 00:28:58.976
Loads are -- You're talking
50,000-pound loads.
00:28:59.000 --> 00:29:02.476
And probably it'll be 110 head.
00:29:02.500 --> 00:29:06.143
-What happens here is
that cows are separated
00:29:06.167 --> 00:29:09.518
into specific groups
based on weight
00:29:09.542 --> 00:29:11.975
and, believe it or not,
the quality of Vaquero beef --
00:29:11.999 --> 00:29:15.852
Alvaro can tell
just by looking at them.
00:29:15.876 --> 00:29:19.101
-These three cattle,
00:29:19.125 --> 00:29:20.310
they'll grade into
the prime choice quality meat.
00:29:20.334 --> 00:29:23.975
-How do you know?
-It's the build of the cattle.
00:29:23.999 --> 00:29:25.975
And it's like once
the genetics --
00:29:25.999 --> 00:29:28.518
Like, that black one,
you'll say, okay,
00:29:28.542 --> 00:29:30.310
that's a little breed of Angus.
00:29:30.334 --> 00:29:32.310
The yellow one has
a little breed of Charolais.
00:29:32.334 --> 00:29:35.310
So those are English crossers
00:29:35.334 --> 00:29:36.894
that will grade into some
of these prime steaks.
00:29:36.918 --> 00:29:39.018
-And when you buy them,
00:29:39.042 --> 00:29:39.975
you know what kind
you're getting?
00:29:39.999 --> 00:29:41.393
-Yes.
00:29:41.417 --> 00:29:42.727
-How many millions of dollars
are moving here?
00:29:42.751 --> 00:29:44.976
-It varies on the price,
but it's a $700 million,
00:29:45.000 --> 00:29:47.643
$800 million industry.
00:29:47.667 --> 00:29:49.810
-And that is just the passing
from Mexico to the U.S.?
00:29:49.834 --> 00:29:51.976
-From Mexico to the U.S.
00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:53.560
-So let's recap.
00:29:53.584 --> 00:29:55.560
An American bull
and a Mexican cow get together.
00:29:55.584 --> 00:29:58.518
They're offspring
are born in Mexico.
00:29:58.542 --> 00:30:00.685
They walk across the border
to the U.S.
00:30:00.709 --> 00:30:03.476 position:20%
American ranchers buy them,
00:30:03.500 --> 00:30:05.310
bring them to their ranches,
feed them American corn,
00:30:05.334 --> 00:30:08.185
and sell them as American beef.
00:30:08.209 --> 00:30:10.975
And get this --
00:30:10.999 --> 00:30:12.685
some cuts of meat get sold
in the U.S.,
00:30:12.709 --> 00:30:15.018
but some of that beef
actually goes back to Mexico.
00:30:15.042 --> 00:30:18.918
So these cows truly live
a cross-border life.
00:30:19.999 --> 00:30:23.059 line:20%
♪♪
00:30:23.083 --> 00:30:25.975
To see just how
the U.S. and Mexico
00:30:25.999 --> 00:30:28.101
treasure different
cuts of meat here,
00:30:28.125 --> 00:30:30.768
all you have to do is hop
across the border,
00:30:30.792 --> 00:30:33.476
in Ciudad Juárez.
00:30:33.500 --> 00:30:34.975
I'm meeting up again
with Oscar Herrera
00:30:34.999 --> 00:30:37.476 position:20%
for a classic Mexican bowl
00:30:37.500 --> 00:30:39.268
of hearty deliciousness.
00:30:39.292 --> 00:30:41.560
[ Speaks Spanish ]
It's menudo!
00:30:41.584 --> 00:30:44.852
Menudo is a Mexican soup made
00:30:44.876 --> 00:30:47.268 position:20%
with the stomach of a cow.
00:30:47.292 --> 00:30:48.975
-Menudo,
very traditional in the border.
00:30:48.999 --> 00:30:51.685
Our way of doing
it is kind of different.
00:30:51.709 --> 00:30:53.500
We have menudo with...
00:30:54.083 --> 00:30:55.999
-That is completely different
00:30:57.834 --> 00:30:59.810
from the rest of the country,
00:30:59.834 --> 00:31:01.018 position:20%
'cause menudo is typically
eaten with corn tortillas.
00:31:01.042 --> 00:31:03.810
-Corn tortillas
or corn tostadas.
00:31:03.834 --> 00:31:04.768
-Tostadas.
-Yes.
00:31:04.792 --> 00:31:06.768 position:20%
-Judging by the line of cars
at the drive-through here,
00:31:06.792 --> 00:31:09.393
the people of Juárez
love their menudo.
00:31:09.417 --> 00:31:12.999
-They cook a ton and a half
a week.
00:31:13.250 --> 00:31:16.768
-A ton and a half...
00:31:16.792 --> 00:31:18.975
a week!
00:31:18.999 --> 00:31:20.351 line:20%
♪♪
00:31:20.375 --> 00:31:23.560
Mm! Mm-hmm.
00:31:23.584 --> 00:31:26.476
I love the bread in the menudo.
00:31:26.500 --> 00:31:28.602
-Yeah, we call it --
00:31:28.626 --> 00:31:30.643
-I love it!
Do you know what?
00:31:30.667 --> 00:31:31.975
It makes the broth
of the menudo shine
00:31:31.999 --> 00:31:34.810 position:20%
just as much as the tripe.
00:31:34.834 --> 00:31:37.727
You know, as I continue
to explore your region,
00:31:37.751 --> 00:31:41.018 position:20%
and learning about
how important cattle is...
00:31:41.042 --> 00:31:44.685
They sell the different
cuts of meat
00:31:44.709 --> 00:31:46.351
to different places, right?
-Yes.
00:31:46.375 --> 00:31:47.935
-I'm assuming all the tripe
goes back to Mexico.
00:31:47.959 --> 00:31:50.709
-We are really into
taking advantage
00:31:50.876 --> 00:31:54.727
of the complete nose to tail
of our animals.
00:31:54.751 --> 00:31:57.351
Today,
what we're having is tripe.
00:31:57.375 --> 00:31:58.975
But also it's very common
to have pata.
00:31:58.999 --> 00:32:01.727
-I love pata.
00:32:01.751 --> 00:32:04.975
Bién. Feet!
-Feet of the cow.
00:32:04.999 --> 00:32:06.975
But also the barbacoa.
-The head.
00:32:06.999 --> 00:32:10.768 line:20%
-Barbacoa is another
classic Mexican dish
00:32:10.792 --> 00:32:13.602 line:20%
that sometimes uses meat
from the head of the cow,
00:32:13.626 --> 00:32:15.976 line:20%
including the cheeks,
tongue, lips,
00:32:16.000 --> 00:32:18.999 line:20%
slow cooked until
it almost falls apart.
00:32:19.292 --> 00:32:22.768
-It's really good.
00:32:22.792 --> 00:32:24.518
-Mmm.
00:32:24.542 --> 00:32:26.975
Mmm!
00:32:26.999 --> 00:32:27.810
-What do you think about it?
00:32:27.834 --> 00:32:29.542
-I mean, this is such
a perfect taco!
00:32:29.751 --> 00:32:33.518 position:20%
So talking about
the different cuts of meat
00:32:33.542 --> 00:32:35.602
that are preferred
in the different countries,
00:32:35.626 --> 00:32:37.518 position:20%
what is that like for you?
00:32:37.542 --> 00:32:38.975 position:20%
I mean, you are binational.
00:32:38.999 --> 00:32:40.768
You've lived on both sides
of the border.
00:32:40.792 --> 00:32:42.560
Your business is on both sides
of the border.
00:32:42.584 --> 00:32:45.310
-It's so hard to get attention
00:32:45.334 --> 00:32:46.894
to show up and highlight
the good stuff that we have.
00:32:46.918 --> 00:32:49.768
But it was so easy
00:32:49.792 --> 00:32:50.975
to get a bad reputation
and bad attention.
00:32:50.999 --> 00:32:53.268
-Does it annoy you
00:32:53.292 --> 00:32:54.685
that the border gets
such bad press?
00:32:54.709 --> 00:32:57.975
It annoys me,
and I'm not from here.
00:32:57.999 --> 00:32:59.975
-2010 was the super highlight
00:32:59.999 --> 00:33:01.975
of all the insecurity
that we had.
00:33:01.999 --> 00:33:04.185
I cannot say that it was a lie.
00:33:04.209 --> 00:33:05.975
It was really bad.
00:33:05.999 --> 00:33:07.393
In 2011, 2012,
00:33:07.417 --> 00:33:08.918
something happened
that we just got fed up.
00:33:09.876 --> 00:33:13.518
It comes to a point
where you say,
00:33:13.542 --> 00:33:15.685
"Hey, this is where I am from."
00:33:15.709 --> 00:33:17.167
All of a sudden, we got
really, really pride
00:33:17.999 --> 00:33:21.268
of being from here.
00:33:21.292 --> 00:33:22.685
-Do you think that prompted
more coloration?
00:33:22.709 --> 00:33:25.768
-Yes that prompted
our coloration because we --
00:33:25.792 --> 00:33:28.018
-From people across the border
or mostly Juárez?
00:33:28.042 --> 00:33:31.602
-No, across the border.
00:33:31.626 --> 00:33:32.975
Sometimes, we hear the term
that they are sister cities,
00:33:32.999 --> 00:33:36.435
but they really are.
00:33:36.459 --> 00:33:38.143
I think that this sense of being
00:33:38.167 --> 00:33:40.975
from one region,
that it's unique,
00:33:40.999 --> 00:33:42.975
and that's starting
to see the benefits
00:33:42.999 --> 00:33:45.518
not of what one city has
or the other
00:33:45.542 --> 00:33:47.435
but what we have...
00:33:47.459 --> 00:33:48.334
-Together.
-...together.
00:33:50.250 --> 00:33:53.393 line:20%
♪♪
00:33:53.417 --> 00:33:55.999
-[ Shouting ]
00:33:59.999 --> 00:34:03.310
[ Singing in Spanish ]
00:34:03.334 --> 00:34:06.351
-In just a couple days,
00:34:06.375 --> 00:34:07.852
the Mariachi Feminine
Flores Mexicanas
00:34:07.876 --> 00:34:09.975
are putting on
their big comeback show,
00:34:09.999 --> 00:34:12.351
an open concert right in
the heart of downtown El Paso,
00:34:12.375 --> 00:34:15.768
and I can't wait.
00:34:15.792 --> 00:34:18.310
I don't know any Mexican
00:34:18.334 --> 00:34:19.975
who doesn't feel
their heart explode
00:34:19.999 --> 00:34:23.518
when they listen
to Mariachi music.
00:34:23.542 --> 00:34:26.000
Lily has her group of mostly
new girls working so hard
00:34:26.209 --> 00:34:29.975
to get them ready
for the concert.
00:34:29.999 --> 00:34:32.310
[ Mariachi music plays ]
00:34:32.334 --> 00:34:33.975
I have to tell you,
mariachi music always gets me.
00:34:33.999 --> 00:34:37.894
But to walk into a room
full of women
00:34:37.918 --> 00:34:40.810
passionately singing mariachi,
00:34:40.834 --> 00:34:42.810 position:20%
giving it all they've got,
00:34:42.834 --> 00:34:44.560
what can I say?
00:34:44.584 --> 00:34:46.435
It moves me!
00:34:46.459 --> 00:34:48.125 line:20%
♪♪
00:34:51.792 --> 00:34:54.999 line:20%
♪♪
00:35:01.709 --> 00:35:04.976
-So, Lily,
how's rehearsal going?
00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:08.018
-Rehearsal's going great,
00:35:08.042 --> 00:35:09.018
but, you know, the nerves
are kicking in.
00:35:09.042 --> 00:35:10.975
We are nervous for our concert.
00:35:10.999 --> 00:35:13.143
-But I have to tell you
just from the minute
00:35:13.167 --> 00:35:15.975
that I walked in,
00:35:15.999 --> 00:35:17.643
the energy, the emotion,
00:35:17.667 --> 00:35:19.602
it sounds so beautiful.
00:35:19.626 --> 00:35:21.435
I am just so proud
00:35:21.459 --> 00:35:22.999
about everything
you girls are doing.
00:35:23.209 --> 00:35:26.560
-Thank you.
00:35:26.584 --> 00:35:27.894
-Not only for Mexican culture
but for women.
00:35:27.918 --> 00:35:31.310
-This is why we do what we do,
00:35:31.334 --> 00:35:33.167
to represent Mexican women
and because we love it.
00:35:34.667 --> 00:35:38.560
It's our passion.
That's why you feel that energy.
00:35:38.584 --> 00:35:40.602
-And it was just a second
in your rehearsal.
00:35:40.626 --> 00:35:42.935
I can only imagine what
will happen in the concert.
00:35:42.959 --> 00:35:45.518
-Oh, my gosh, I'm so excited.
-I want to say hi to your team.
00:35:45.542 --> 00:35:48.351
I want to congratulate them!
I'm very excited for you all.
00:35:48.375 --> 00:35:51.975
It feels so weird to be
talking in English
00:35:51.999 --> 00:35:53.975
to a mariachi
Mexican women band.
00:35:53.999 --> 00:35:56.894
But I guess that's what
you are all doing --
00:35:56.918 --> 00:35:58.476
you're breaking myths.
00:35:58.500 --> 00:35:59.810
You're breaking stereotypes.
00:35:59.834 --> 00:36:01.975
And you're doing it in English.
You're doing it in Spanish.
00:36:01.999 --> 00:36:05.125
You're doing it as women.
00:36:07.834 --> 00:36:11.518
Like a mujerona is
a heck of a woman,
00:36:11.542 --> 00:36:14.975
and you are all it.
00:36:14.999 --> 00:36:17.768
I'm going to leave you
to continue rehearsing.
00:36:17.792 --> 00:36:19.768
[ Speaks Spanish ]
00:36:19.792 --> 00:36:22.101
I want a little hug!
00:36:22.125 --> 00:36:23.101
Like give me a hug!
00:36:23.125 --> 00:36:26.167
[ Indistinct conversations ]
00:36:27.375 --> 00:36:29.042 line:20%
♪♪
00:36:30.626 --> 00:36:32.975
El Paso gets its name
from the phase
00:36:32.999 --> 00:36:35.268
"El Paso del Norte,"
00:36:35.292 --> 00:36:36.975
the Passageway to the North.
00:36:36.999 --> 00:36:39.727
Early travelers
from Central America
00:36:39.751 --> 00:36:41.975
used the mountain range
to guide them north,
00:36:41.999 --> 00:36:45.185
going straight to modern day
00:36:45.209 --> 00:36:47.101
Juárez and El Paso.
00:36:47.125 --> 00:36:48.975
Today, El Paso is
a jumping off point
00:36:48.999 --> 00:36:51.975
for a different
kind of adventure.
00:36:51.999 --> 00:36:54.292
Art in the desert.
00:36:54.709 --> 00:36:58.143
I'm heading to Marfa, Texas,
00:36:58.167 --> 00:37:00.709
America's smallest-biggest
art destination.
00:37:01.083 --> 00:37:04.643
On the way into town,
00:37:04.667 --> 00:37:05.975
these permanent art exhibitions,
00:37:05.999 --> 00:37:08.727
a Prada store
that's not a store,
00:37:08.751 --> 00:37:10.643 position:20%
in the middle of the desert
00:37:10.667 --> 00:37:12.167
tells you this part
of the borderlands is unique.
00:37:13.751 --> 00:37:16.999 line:20%
♪♪
00:37:17.999 --> 00:37:21.935
Marfa is a lot of fun
to explore on your own,
00:37:21.959 --> 00:37:24.685
but even better
with a local friend,
00:37:24.709 --> 00:37:27.167
especially when your friend
offers this as her ride.
00:37:27.834 --> 00:37:31.101
This should be fun.
00:37:31.125 --> 00:37:32.685
Liz Rogers
is an immigration lawyer
00:37:32.709 --> 00:37:34.768
who's been living in the area
for over 25 years.
00:37:34.792 --> 00:37:38.292
Liz knows just about everything
there is to know about Marfa...
00:37:39.167 --> 00:37:42.560
[ Horn honks ]
00:37:42.584 --> 00:37:43.768
...and maybe everyone.
00:37:43.792 --> 00:37:45.560
-How are you?
00:37:45.584 --> 00:37:47.143
-She really loves
her quirky little town.
00:37:47.167 --> 00:37:49.975
How would you describe Marfa
00:37:49.999 --> 00:37:51.351
to someone
who's never been here?
00:37:51.375 --> 00:37:53.018 line:20%
-Marfa's really unique.
These are Lanyon foundations.
00:37:53.042 --> 00:37:55.975 line:20%
-Let's say her tours are
filled with a lot of passion.
00:37:55.999 --> 00:37:58.975
-This house is owned
by Hamilton Fish
00:37:58.999 --> 00:38:00.643
from New York City.
00:38:00.667 --> 00:38:02.185
This house is owned by a lawyer
00:38:02.209 --> 00:38:03.975
who represented George Clooney.
00:38:03.999 --> 00:38:05.602 position:20%
She is the one, I think,
that gets the most credit.
00:38:05.626 --> 00:38:08.351
He got tired of the art world.
00:38:08.375 --> 00:38:11.143
But the Bride family,
that a big mansion...
00:38:11.167 --> 00:38:13.975
And, in fact,
his great-great-grandson...
00:38:13.999 --> 00:38:17.143
This has an elevator.
00:38:17.167 --> 00:38:18.975
-So, I'm gonna try
to keep up with this.
00:38:18.999 --> 00:38:21.310
What is that over there?
00:38:21.334 --> 00:38:22.685
-That's a house.
-Oh, that's a house?
00:38:22.709 --> 00:38:24.310
-That's a house.
So, you'll be...
00:38:24.334 --> 00:38:25.393
-In the meantime,
here are the basics.
00:38:25.417 --> 00:38:29.101
What you have to understand is
this sleepy little ranching town
00:38:29.125 --> 00:38:32.185
in the middle of the desert
hundreds of miles
00:38:32.209 --> 00:38:35.268
from the next major city
00:38:35.292 --> 00:38:37.000
is one of the art world's
biggest destinations.
00:38:37.876 --> 00:38:41.310
It all started in the 1970s,
00:38:41.334 --> 00:38:43.101
when world-renowned artist
Donald Judd
00:38:43.125 --> 00:38:45.975
decided he had had enough
of the art scene
00:38:45.999 --> 00:38:48.560
in New York City
00:38:48.584 --> 00:38:49.894
and wanted to find
a more permanent location
00:38:49.918 --> 00:38:52.101
for his giant
minimalist installations.
00:38:52.125 --> 00:38:55.727
Over time,
more artists joined Judd.
00:38:55.751 --> 00:38:58.351
And before Marfa
knew what hit it...
00:38:58.375 --> 00:39:00.852
I'll let Liz take it from here.
00:39:00.876 --> 00:39:02.685
-And so the way
it was explained to me,
00:39:02.709 --> 00:39:04.310
that if you care
about minimalism
00:39:04.334 --> 00:39:05.975
there are three places to go.
-Okay.
00:39:05.999 --> 00:39:07.768
-The Museum of Modern Art
in New York City,
00:39:07.792 --> 00:39:09.667
the Art Institute of Chicago,
00:39:09.834 --> 00:39:12.975
and Marfa.
00:39:12.999 --> 00:39:14.602
-You have people that come
from all over the U.S.
00:39:14.626 --> 00:39:16.894
Do you have people that come
from all over the world?
00:39:16.918 --> 00:39:18.810
-All over the world.
00:39:18.834 --> 00:39:19.975 line:20%
♪♪
00:39:19.999 --> 00:39:21.435
-To learn a little bit more
about Marfa,
00:39:21.459 --> 00:39:23.727
Liz wanted to take me
to one of her favorite places.
00:39:23.751 --> 00:39:26.768 position:20%
Of course when in Texas...
00:39:26.792 --> 00:39:28.768
it's gotta be barbecue.
00:39:28.792 --> 00:39:30.852
Pitmaster Mark Scott
and his wife Kaki.
00:39:30.876 --> 00:39:33.935
are the owners
of Convenience West barbecue.
00:39:33.959 --> 00:39:36.852
-This looks amazing.
-Oh, thank you.
00:39:36.876 --> 00:39:39.852 position:20% line:20%
-Oh, my God.
This is like coming apart.
00:39:39.876 --> 00:39:41.768 line:20%
-Oh yeah, we've been
cooking this for hours.
00:39:41.792 --> 00:39:43.727 line:20%
We almost don't ever
eat barbecue. It's sad.
00:39:43.751 --> 00:39:47.143 position:20%
-It looks gorgeous, no way!
00:39:47.167 --> 00:39:49.602
So, tell me a little bit.
You're both from Marfa.
00:39:49.626 --> 00:39:51.727 line:20%
What do you call people
from Marfa -- Marfians?
00:39:51.751 --> 00:39:54.059
-Marfa-- No.
00:39:54.083 --> 00:39:55.226
-Marfadines?
00:39:55.250 --> 00:39:56.435
-Marfins.
Marfanians.
00:39:56.459 --> 00:39:59.727
There's a fellow
who calls us Martians.
00:39:59.751 --> 00:40:01.476
-Right. Right.
00:40:01.500 --> 00:40:03.268 line:20%
♪♪
00:40:03.292 --> 00:40:06.310
-This is like...
00:40:06.334 --> 00:40:08.310
caramel barbecue.
-Mm-hmm.
00:40:08.334 --> 00:40:10.143
-It's crunchy, crusty,
00:40:10.167 --> 00:40:11.768
caramelly, sweet!
-Yeah, you got a good piece.
00:40:11.792 --> 00:40:13.975
-The brisket we cooked
for 16-plus hours.
00:40:13.999 --> 00:40:16.935
-Did you hear the crunch?
00:40:16.959 --> 00:40:18.810 position:20%
-Yeah, you got a good bite.
00:40:18.834 --> 00:40:19.975
[ Laughs ]
-Oh, my God!
00:40:19.999 --> 00:40:22.143
I'm not kidding when I say
this is possibly
00:40:22.167 --> 00:40:25.852
the best barbecue I've ever had.
00:40:25.876 --> 00:40:28.976 position:20%
Mark seasons his brisket
and ribs with brown sugar,
00:40:29.000 --> 00:40:32.685
salt and pepper, cider vinegar,
00:40:32.709 --> 00:40:34.810 position:20%
and some other secret stuff
00:40:34.834 --> 00:40:36.894
and slow cooks
for over 16 hours.
00:40:36.918 --> 00:40:40.101
They say in Chihuahua,
your neighbors,
00:40:40.125 --> 00:40:42.810
when something is really good
00:40:42.834 --> 00:40:44.268
they say it's fabuloso.
00:40:44.292 --> 00:40:46.018
Like you really feel
like saying a bad word.
00:40:46.042 --> 00:40:48.518
[ Laughter ]
It's that good.
00:40:48.542 --> 00:40:50.476
-I like that.
00:40:50.500 --> 00:40:52.101
-Before they were masters
of the barbecue,
00:40:52.125 --> 00:40:54.975
Mark and Kaki
had a front row seat
00:40:54.999 --> 00:40:57.143 position:20%
for the evolution of Marfa.
00:40:57.167 --> 00:40:58.975
-'99, 2000, a bookstore
opened downtown,
00:40:58.999 --> 00:41:02.727
a fine dining restaurant
that no one out here
00:41:02.751 --> 00:41:05.518
had seen the likes of
ever before.
00:41:05.542 --> 00:41:08.059
Before that, most of downtown
was still boarded up.
00:41:08.083 --> 00:41:11.560
It was quiet.
00:41:11.584 --> 00:41:12.975
-Was this because of
the Chinati Foundation or Judd?
00:41:12.999 --> 00:41:14.976
-Definitely that, does
have a part of it.
00:41:15.000 --> 00:41:16.975
-It's like that's how anybody
knew to be interested.
00:41:16.999 --> 00:41:19.976
But then at some point,
people just started to come
00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:22.143
because they wanted
to get out of Austin, maybe.
00:41:22.167 --> 00:41:25.894
And Marfa has a fun vibe,
and it's still in Texas.
00:41:25.918 --> 00:41:28.268
And yeah, so...
00:41:28.292 --> 00:41:30.167
-It's gradually become
more and more and more
00:41:30.334 --> 00:41:33.751
tourist heavy.
00:41:33.999 --> 00:41:37.518 position:20%
-As more artists, tourists,
00:41:37.542 --> 00:41:39.476
and hipsters flocked to Marfa,
00:41:39.500 --> 00:41:41.226
the rich bought second homes,
property values soared,
00:41:41.250 --> 00:41:44.935
and the struggling
ranching community of the past
00:41:44.959 --> 00:41:47.476
has become a backdrop
00:41:47.500 --> 00:41:49.185 position:20%
for posts on social media.
00:41:49.209 --> 00:41:50.975 position:20%
-When I was telling friends
that I was going to Marfa,
00:41:50.999 --> 00:41:53.560
they were asking me what
was I going to Instagram.
00:41:53.584 --> 00:41:56.518
-You can really tell
that people think
00:41:56.542 --> 00:41:59.975
that it is a movie set.
-Yeah.
00:41:59.999 --> 00:42:02.852
It took an outsider
from New York City,
00:42:02.876 --> 00:42:05.351
Donald Judd,
to see the possibilities
00:42:05.375 --> 00:42:07.975
and set a new path for Marfa,
00:42:07.999 --> 00:42:10.518 position:20%
including turning
the art world upside down.
00:42:10.542 --> 00:42:13.852
But there are still signs
of the past.
00:42:13.876 --> 00:42:16.975
-I lived in El Paso for a long
time before I came here.
00:42:16.999 --> 00:42:19.975
And here,
it's a very stratified society.
00:42:19.999 --> 00:42:23.894
It is very seldom that
I am at a social event
00:42:23.918 --> 00:42:26.894
with a Mexican-American
unless they're...
00:42:26.918 --> 00:42:29.518 position:20%
And I really had
a difficult time with that
00:42:29.542 --> 00:42:31.518
because El Paso
was not that way.
00:42:31.542 --> 00:42:33.518
-There is still the divide
in Marfa.
00:42:33.542 --> 00:42:34.935
There's still very much
a divide of, not just race,
00:42:34.959 --> 00:42:38.602
but also just what
a lot of people refer
00:42:38.626 --> 00:42:41.143
to as New Marfa and Old Marfa.
00:42:41.167 --> 00:42:43.518
-And the new Marfa people will
buy a house on the south side.
00:42:43.542 --> 00:42:45.975
Or they'll get the crappiest
little adobe
00:42:45.999 --> 00:42:47.810
and spend a bunch of money on it
00:42:47.834 --> 00:42:49.518
and live with
poor neighbors around.
00:42:49.542 --> 00:42:51.560
And that is not
what traditionally has been.
00:42:51.584 --> 00:42:53.852
The wealthy people lived
on one side of town.
00:42:53.876 --> 00:42:55.101
-Lived on the north side
of the tracks,
00:42:55.125 --> 00:42:56.542
and there are people
who can remember
00:42:56.709 --> 00:43:00.393
when Marfa was very,
truly segregated.
00:43:00.417 --> 00:43:02.685
Marfa cemetery
is basically segregated.
00:43:02.709 --> 00:43:05.727
It's a fence that runs
along the whole thing,
00:43:05.751 --> 00:43:07.143
but it's dilapidated,
00:43:07.167 --> 00:43:08.351
and it wouldn't
keep anybody out.
00:43:08.375 --> 00:43:09.975
And when you look at it,
you're like, okay, well,
00:43:09.999 --> 00:43:12.018
this is maybe the Catholic side
and the Protestant side.
00:43:12.042 --> 00:43:14.602
But it is what it is.
00:43:14.626 --> 00:43:16.975 line:20%
-The cemetery still
is divided here
00:43:16.999 --> 00:43:19.476 line:20%
until after that documentary.
00:43:19.500 --> 00:43:20.894 line:20%
And I think they took
the fence down, or no?
00:43:20.918 --> 00:43:22.518 line:20%
-Nope.
-Still divided.
00:43:22.542 --> 00:43:24.727 line:20%
Separating Anglos
from Hispanics at a cemetery,
00:43:24.751 --> 00:43:27.143 line:20%
and it just drives me crazy.
00:43:27.167 --> 00:43:28.975 line:20%
-But I mean every now and then,
00:43:28.999 --> 00:43:30.975 line:20%
there's real serious discussion
about it.
00:43:30.999 --> 00:43:33.018
But the people that get
the most serious about it --
00:43:33.042 --> 00:43:35.560
Like, this is wrong,
and it has to come down,
00:43:35.584 --> 00:43:37.101
are people that come in
from out of town,
00:43:37.125 --> 00:43:38.727
and they get a little
sort of squeamish
00:43:38.751 --> 00:43:41.101
about making a big issue
00:43:41.125 --> 00:43:44.975
about it being that
they're new to town.
00:43:44.999 --> 00:43:47.975
-You have such
contrasting things here.
00:43:47.999 --> 00:43:50.101
You have the very local,
00:43:50.125 --> 00:43:51.852
and you have all
these international,
00:43:51.876 --> 00:43:53.768
fancy tourists coming.
00:43:53.792 --> 00:43:55.810
How do you please everybody?
00:43:55.834 --> 00:43:57.476
-You just have to know that,
00:43:57.500 --> 00:43:58.975
every day you open
your restaurant,
00:43:58.999 --> 00:44:00.727
that a lot of people
are going to be happy,
00:44:00.751 --> 00:44:02.560
and someone's going
to yell at you.
00:44:02.584 --> 00:44:03.976
-The people are
willing to travel
00:44:04.000 --> 00:44:05.852
unbelievable distances
to eat barbecue.
00:44:05.876 --> 00:44:09.310
-That's how I knew we made it.
00:44:09.334 --> 00:44:11.476 position:20%
A few years ago, some guys,
00:44:11.500 --> 00:44:12.975
they drove from Dallas
to come here.
00:44:12.999 --> 00:44:15.975
And they had barbecue,
and they were so happy.
00:44:15.999 --> 00:44:17.351 position:20%
And they were like, "What else
is going on in this town!"
00:44:17.375 --> 00:44:19.727
And I'm like,
"Yes, we created a bubble
00:44:19.751 --> 00:44:22.310
inside of a bubble!"
00:44:22.334 --> 00:44:24.059
[ Laughter ]
00:44:24.083 --> 00:44:25.584 line:20%
♪♪
00:44:27.292 --> 00:44:30.975 line:20%
-A few hours south of Marfa,
00:44:30.999 --> 00:44:32.975 line:20%
way down at the bottom
of Big Bend,
00:44:32.999 --> 00:44:35.101 line:20%
in the Texas border,
00:44:35.125 --> 00:44:37.518
the road leads
to a national treasure,
00:44:37.542 --> 00:44:40.602
Big Bend National Park.
00:44:40.626 --> 00:44:42.709
Even the drive here
is mind-blowing.
00:44:42.876 --> 00:44:46.310
I've never been to Big Bend.
00:44:46.334 --> 00:44:48.393
To be honest,
I hadn't even heard of it
00:44:48.417 --> 00:44:50.393
before this trip.
00:44:50.417 --> 00:44:52.643
Pictures don't do it justice.
00:44:52.667 --> 00:44:56.143
This is one of the park's
biggest attractions,
00:44:56.167 --> 00:44:59.310
the Santa Elena Canyon.
00:44:59.334 --> 00:45:01.768
The canyon was formed over
millions and millions of years
00:45:01.792 --> 00:45:05.518
as the Rio Grande River
cut through
00:45:05.542 --> 00:45:07.709
and carved away
at the limestone rock.
00:45:07.876 --> 00:45:11.310
The canyon walls stand about
00:45:11.334 --> 00:45:12.876 position:20%
1,500 feet above the river.
00:45:13.999 --> 00:45:17.643
The river is a natural border
00:45:17.667 --> 00:45:19.310
between the U.S. and Mexico.
00:45:19.334 --> 00:45:21.685
It just surprises you
at every turn.
00:45:21.709 --> 00:45:24.560 line:20%
♪♪
00:45:24.584 --> 00:45:25.810
When we think about the border,
00:45:25.834 --> 00:45:26.976
we often create
an image in our minds.
00:45:27.000 --> 00:45:29.810
But what don't often think of
00:45:29.834 --> 00:45:31.876
is the stunning natural beauty.
00:45:31.999 --> 00:45:35.435
As a Mexican-American,
00:45:35.459 --> 00:45:36.852
I had my own expectations
00:45:36.876 --> 00:45:38.435
of what the border meant.
00:45:38.459 --> 00:45:40.792
But this is showing me how much
I still have to explore.
00:45:43.000 --> 00:45:44.626 line:20%
♪♪
00:45:46.250 --> 00:45:48.185 line:20%
Back in El Paso,
Lily and the Mariachi Feminine
00:45:48.209 --> 00:45:50.975 line:20%
are getting ready for
their big comeback performance.
00:45:50.999 --> 00:45:54.018
But I've got one more stop
to make first.
00:45:54.042 --> 00:45:57.143
"La Frontera" draws people
not only from Mexico
00:45:57.167 --> 00:46:00.560
and the U.S.
00:46:00.584 --> 00:46:01.602
-[ Speaks Arabic ]
00:46:01.626 --> 00:46:03.143
Ed Farah and his mom, Salma,
00:46:03.167 --> 00:46:05.560
are opening their newest
restaurant in El Paso,
00:46:05.584 --> 00:46:08.167
featuring Syrian and Lebanese
family recipes.
00:46:08.918 --> 00:46:12.685
And when I say "opening,"
I mean tonight --
00:46:12.709 --> 00:46:15.059
right now!
00:46:15.083 --> 00:46:16.310 line:20%
-So, this is our soft opening.
00:46:16.334 --> 00:46:17.518 line:20%
We're actually three months
behind schedule.
00:46:17.542 --> 00:46:19.643
But I told my contractor,
00:46:19.667 --> 00:46:20.975
"We're having
a special occasion tonight.
00:46:20.999 --> 00:46:22.476
So if you don't get it done,
00:46:22.500 --> 00:46:23.768
you're not getting paid."
00:46:23.792 --> 00:46:25.894
-To celebrate,
they've invited 80 or 90
00:46:25.918 --> 00:46:28.518
of their closest family
and friends
00:46:28.542 --> 00:46:30.560
And me!
00:46:30.584 --> 00:46:31.602
-Hi, Pati, how are you?
00:46:31.626 --> 00:46:32.393
-Hola.
00:46:32.417 --> 00:46:33.476
I'm here crashing your opening.
00:46:33.500 --> 00:46:35.018
-No, you're welcome any time.
Thank you for coming.
00:46:35.042 --> 00:46:38.059 line:20%
-What is that?
00:46:38.083 --> 00:46:40.143 line:20%
-This is my...
00:46:40.167 --> 00:46:41.685
-Because it's you're
opening night,
00:46:41.709 --> 00:46:42.975
because you're getting
your kitchen ready.
00:46:42.999 --> 00:46:45.975
I love Middle Eastern food
so much!
00:46:45.999 --> 00:46:49.268
-Thank you.
00:46:49.292 --> 00:46:50.643
This is hummus.
-Hummus?
00:46:50.667 --> 00:46:52.975
-Baba ghanoush,
00:46:52.999 --> 00:46:54.101
[ Speaking Arabic ]
00:46:54.125 --> 00:46:57.268
-You guys speak Spanish?
00:46:57.292 --> 00:46:59.268
-[ Speaks Spanish ]
00:46:59.292 --> 00:47:00.292 line:20%
-I don't speak
as much as she does.
00:47:03.083 --> 00:47:06.310
-Mmm!
-They're good, huh?
00:47:06.334 --> 00:47:07.975
-Mmm!
-There you go.
00:47:07.999 --> 00:47:10.975
-So where does
your family come from?
00:47:10.999 --> 00:47:13.268
-There's two sides.
00:47:13.292 --> 00:47:14.560
My mother's Syrian.
My father Lebanese.
00:47:14.584 --> 00:47:16.810
-Okay.
That's great food!
00:47:16.834 --> 00:47:19.810
Ed and Salma's family immigrated
00:47:19.834 --> 00:47:21.810
to both the U.S. and Mexico.
00:47:21.834 --> 00:47:24.727 line:20%
Some of the family that
immigrated to Mexico
00:47:24.751 --> 00:47:27.351 line:20%
then moved up here
to the border.
00:47:27.375 --> 00:47:30.143
But the people that came
from Syria to Mexico
00:47:30.167 --> 00:47:33.351 position:20%
wanted to come to El Paso.
00:47:33.375 --> 00:47:35.101
-Yes.
-Why?
00:47:35.125 --> 00:47:36.975
-Because it's
better opportunity.
00:47:36.999 --> 00:47:38.975
-Once one person came
from the family...
00:47:38.999 --> 00:47:40.852
-Yeah.
-...the rest started coming.
00:47:40.876 --> 00:47:42.975
-In fact, it's also how
we ended up in a dining room
00:47:42.999 --> 00:47:45.975
full of Syrian
and Lebanese friends.
00:47:45.999 --> 00:47:49.185 line:20%
♪♪
00:47:49.209 --> 00:47:51.810 position:20%
Coming to the Texas border,
00:47:51.834 --> 00:47:53.643
I did not expect to find myself
00:47:53.667 --> 00:47:55.643
filling a plate with kibbeh,
00:47:55.667 --> 00:47:57.476
baba ghanoush, kebabs...
00:47:57.500 --> 00:48:00.018
But at the same time,
it makes so much sense.
00:48:00.042 --> 00:48:02.975 position:20%
I've see many similarities
00:48:02.999 --> 00:48:04.768
between our two cultures.
00:48:04.792 --> 00:48:06.768
-I'm hearing from all your
family and friends here that
00:48:06.792 --> 00:48:10.185
the Syrian/Lebanese community
is actually pretty big.
00:48:10.209 --> 00:48:13.975
-It's large, yes.
-I want to hear about
00:48:13.999 --> 00:48:15.975
how your family
got into the food business.
00:48:15.999 --> 00:48:18.975
-Okay.
We had a convenience store.
00:48:18.999 --> 00:48:20.602
-Here in El Paso?
00:48:20.626 --> 00:48:21.727
-Here in El Paso.
We were up and down.
00:48:21.751 --> 00:48:22.975
We were trying
to make ends meet.
00:48:22.999 --> 00:48:24.975 position:20%
My mother threw a party
one time, and people said,
00:48:24.999 --> 00:48:27.976
"Oh, it's delicious!
You should sell this food!"
00:48:28.000 --> 00:48:31.518
-This old man came,
and he told me,
00:48:31.542 --> 00:48:33.852 position:20%
"You have to make me food.
00:48:33.876 --> 00:48:35.185
I'll pay you whatever you want."
00:48:35.209 --> 00:48:36.976
-Was he from the community?
-He's Lebanese, yes.
00:48:37.000 --> 00:48:40.393
-This sparked an idea
for Salma.
00:48:40.417 --> 00:48:42.643
Maybe she was a good enough cook
00:48:42.667 --> 00:48:44.310 position:20%
to open her own restaurant.
00:48:44.334 --> 00:48:46.351
But instead of starting
with Syrian and Lebanese food,
00:48:46.375 --> 00:48:49.310
she took a different approach.
00:48:49.334 --> 00:48:51.143
-It was a Mexican restaurant
00:48:51.167 --> 00:48:52.310
called Casa Verde.
-Mexican!
00:48:52.334 --> 00:48:54.975
-The reason we didn't start
with Arabic food
00:48:54.999 --> 00:48:56.975
is that no one believed
it would sell.
00:48:56.999 --> 00:48:59.393
-Yeah.
00:48:59.417 --> 00:49:00.560
-We were scared
to put it out there.
00:49:00.584 --> 00:49:02.518
But when the Mexican,
the restaurant,
00:49:02.542 --> 00:49:03.852
started dying down,
my mom's orders
00:49:03.876 --> 00:49:05.975
started coming up
for the Arabic stuff.
00:49:05.999 --> 00:49:09.393
-Little by little,
Ed and Salma added
00:49:09.417 --> 00:49:11.727
Syrian and Lebanese food
to their menus.
00:49:11.751 --> 00:49:14.476
Today, Farah's opens with a menu
00:49:14.500 --> 00:49:16.810
filled with Middle Eastern food.
00:49:16.834 --> 00:49:18.975
I think they're going to have
plenty of family support!
00:49:18.999 --> 00:49:21.727
-So, the three brothers
are here.
00:49:21.751 --> 00:49:23.351
-Yes.
-There's George.
00:49:23.375 --> 00:49:24.518
-That's George.
-Where is the other son?
00:49:24.542 --> 00:49:27.560
I think I've met
your other brother. Hi!
00:49:27.584 --> 00:49:29.975
-That's my granddaughter.
-Nice to meet you.
00:49:29.999 --> 00:49:33.143
Big family!
-These are all first cousins.
00:49:33.167 --> 00:49:35.268
-This is her brother.
00:49:35.292 --> 00:49:37.518
-Okay, whose brother?
-Your brother.
00:49:37.542 --> 00:49:39.643
-That's my brother, this one.
00:49:39.667 --> 00:49:41.727
-I think I'm gonna need
to see a family tree
00:49:41.751 --> 00:49:43.602 position:20%
to keep track of everyone.
00:49:43.626 --> 00:49:45.393
-Who are you?
00:49:45.417 --> 00:49:46.959
-I am a friend of theirs.
00:49:47.959 --> 00:49:49.250 line:20%
[ Laughter ]
00:49:51.083 --> 00:49:54.935
-These families came here
to the border with nothing,
00:49:54.959 --> 00:49:58.101
and they're proud
of what they've built.
00:49:58.125 --> 00:50:00.518
And you were telling me
how everybody here
00:50:00.542 --> 00:50:02.768
started from scratch.
00:50:02.792 --> 00:50:05.518
-And my Ed with a quarter
in his pocket.
00:50:05.542 --> 00:50:08.185
-With a quarter in his pocket.
00:50:08.209 --> 00:50:09.975
Why do you all love the border,
00:50:09.999 --> 00:50:13.727
and why do you call
El Paso home?
00:50:13.751 --> 00:50:16.852
-Honestly,
because Hispanics and Arabs
00:50:16.876 --> 00:50:19.143
are very close, very similar.
00:50:19.167 --> 00:50:21.143
Family first, large families.
00:50:21.167 --> 00:50:23.935
You come here,
bunch of Arabs coming together.
00:50:23.959 --> 00:50:25.975
I go to my Mexican
friends' houses,
00:50:25.999 --> 00:50:28.310
it's just like this.
00:50:28.334 --> 00:50:29.975 position:20%
We're our own culture here,
00:50:29.999 --> 00:50:31.560
but we love to hang out
with each other.
00:50:31.584 --> 00:50:33.602
It's as simple as that.
00:50:33.626 --> 00:50:34.626 line:20%
♪♪
00:50:36.250 --> 00:50:39.975
-In the heart of downtown
El Paso,
00:50:39.999 --> 00:50:42.643
the Mariachi Feminine Mexicanas
00:50:42.667 --> 00:50:44.894
are making their way
to the stage.
00:50:44.918 --> 00:50:47.101
After over a year
from performing live,
00:50:47.125 --> 00:50:49.894
rebuilding her group,
and months of practice,
00:50:49.918 --> 00:50:52.894
Lily and her girls are
ready for their comeback.
00:50:52.918 --> 00:50:55.976
Their performance
tonight celebrates
00:50:56.000 --> 00:50:58.894
the 20th anniversary
of the group.
00:50:58.918 --> 00:51:01.999
Lily!
00:51:03.042 --> 00:51:03.751 line:20%
-I'm so excited!
00:51:06.459 --> 00:51:08.059 line:20%
No!
00:51:08.083 --> 00:51:09.810 position:20% line:20%
-You all look so beautiful!
00:51:09.834 --> 00:51:12.268
Are you feeling okay?
00:51:12.292 --> 00:51:13.975
-I'm just nervous.
-No, look at the crowd.
00:51:13.999 --> 00:51:16.768
Everybody's so happy!
00:51:16.792 --> 00:51:19.518
You all look beautiful!
Just look at this!
00:51:19.542 --> 00:51:22.226
I mean...
00:51:22.250 --> 00:51:23.975
-Good evening, El Paso.
Thank you for coming out today.
00:51:23.999 --> 00:51:27.018
[ Cheers and applause ]
00:51:27.042 --> 00:51:30.351
We have a great show
for you all.
00:51:30.375 --> 00:51:32.685 position:20%
But first,
I'd like to thank everyone
00:51:32.709 --> 00:51:33.975
for supporting
Flores Mexicanas,
00:51:33.999 --> 00:51:37.018
and we're going to
continue to work hard,
00:51:37.042 --> 00:51:41.185
not only for ourselves
but for all of our loved ones
00:51:41.209 --> 00:51:44.975
and all of the support
that we have.
00:51:44.999 --> 00:51:46.999
Thank you, El Paso!
00:51:47.999 --> 00:51:51.209
[ Cheers and applause ]
00:51:52.918 --> 00:51:55.999 line:20%
♪♪
00:51:57.042 --> 00:52:00.292 line:20%
♪♪
00:52:00.999 --> 00:52:04.894 line:20%
-There's such unique energy here
at the border.
00:52:04.918 --> 00:52:08.143 line:20%
I had been wanting
to come here for so long.
00:52:08.167 --> 00:52:11.751 line:20%
Yet I arrived not knowing
quite what to expect.
00:52:12.999 --> 00:52:16.268
But being here,
00:52:16.292 --> 00:52:17.852
watching Lily sing
her heart out,
00:52:17.876 --> 00:52:19.975
holding tightly onto tradition
00:52:19.999 --> 00:52:21.685
as she's able
to break new ground,
00:52:21.709 --> 00:52:24.143
thinking about all of the people
00:52:24.167 --> 00:52:25.643
that welcomed me with open arms
00:52:25.667 --> 00:52:27.518
in both Mexico and the U.S.,
00:52:27.542 --> 00:52:29.727
this layered, complex
border story
00:52:29.751 --> 00:52:32.351
becomes more clear to me.
00:52:32.375 --> 00:52:34.626 line:20%
♪♪
00:52:34.834 --> 00:52:38.602
-To people on both
sides of the border --
00:52:38.626 --> 00:52:41.268
families, friends, chefs,
00:52:41.292 --> 00:52:43.602
artists, musicians -
00:52:43.626 --> 00:52:47.101
their passions, struggle,
00:52:47.125 --> 00:52:49.185
achievements, their food,
00:52:49.209 --> 00:52:51.310
their art, their songs,
00:52:51.334 --> 00:52:53.975
they're all living
this closer together
00:52:53.999 --> 00:52:56.351
than many places without a wall.
00:52:56.375 --> 00:52:58.999 line:20%
♪♪
00:52:59.999 --> 00:53:03.143
The border --
00:53:03.167 --> 00:53:04.351
the place where one thing ends
and another begins.
00:53:04.375 --> 00:53:07.143
The place where there is
supposed to be a divide.
00:53:07.167 --> 00:53:09.976
It is here where
no possibility is final.
00:53:10.000 --> 00:53:13.310
Here on La Frontera,
00:53:13.334 --> 00:53:14.975
in the middle
of the West Texas desert,
00:53:14.999 --> 00:53:17.935
miles from nowhere,
00:53:17.959 --> 00:53:20.101
these two cities are one.
00:53:20.125 --> 00:53:23.125 line:20%
♪♪
00:53:26.000 --> 00:53:29.250 line:20%
♪♪
00:53:32.042 --> 00:53:35.292 line:20%
♪♪
00:53:37.999 --> 00:53:41.393 line:20%
Si, señor!
00:53:41.417 --> 00:53:43.268 line:20%
[ Cheers and applause ]
00:53:43.292 --> 00:53:46.143
-Next time on "La Frontera,"
00:53:46.167 --> 00:53:47.975
I'm traveling from Laredo
and Nuevo Laredo
00:53:47.999 --> 00:53:50.435
to the Gulf of Mexico,
00:53:50.459 --> 00:53:52.018
meeting with ranchers,
factory workers, chefs,
00:53:52.042 --> 00:53:55.018
and immigrants living out
the American dream
00:53:55.042 --> 00:53:57.975
to experience
this rich environment,
00:53:57.999 --> 00:54:00.268
foods that bond us,
00:54:00.292 --> 00:54:01.976
and future possibilities
that can only exist here.
00:54:02.000 --> 00:54:05.518
And hopefully you can hear
some of the conversation here,
00:54:05.542 --> 00:54:08.101
too, 'cause it's loud.
00:54:08.125 --> 00:54:10.209
♪♪
00:54:15.876 --> 00:54:20.876
♪♪
Distributor: Pragda Films
Length: 55 minutes
Date: 2021
Genre: Expository
Language: English; Spanish / English subtitles
Grade: Upper Elementary School, Middle School, High School, College, Adults
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Not available
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