Mexico: Juarez: First Date: Introduction

The El Paso-Juárez Bus mural outside the El Paso History Museum, El Paso, Texas. November 2016.

One of the reasons I chose El Paso as my year's home was its proximity to Mexico, and more specifically, its proximity to Juárez.

It is a continuing source of wonder to me that I live in a conjoined city, with each sister in a different country. Severed but still attached, still sisters.

You strike at one of the sisters and the other sister feels the pain, too. Through money or blood or both. You love one sister, and both bloom.

Some El Pasoans have never been to Juárez. Some used to go, especially as adolescents, to party, but haven't been in years. Some grew up in Juárez, but haven't been back since the high killing times. Some live in El Paso, but work in Juárez. Some live in Juárez, but work in El Paso. There are fabulously wealthy Juarenses, astoundingly poor Juarenses, and everyone in between.


My first date with Juarez was a Friday afternoon in November.

I didn't think about November being among the busiest months for the border crossing, as so many Juarenses come to El Paso to buy Christmas gifts. In other words, it's pretty fast work to walk into Juárez, but slow, slow, slow at times to walk back into El Paso. Plus I happened to choose Veteran's Day for my first foray into Juárez. Doh. LOTS of traffic going in to El Paso. Not only Christmas shopping season, but good sales happening in El Paso.  (Oh, you didn't realize that Mexico brings money TO the United States economy?)

Long vehicle line to get from Juárez to El Paso. November 2016.

I'm going to go into more detail about my first date with Juárez in separate posts, but below is a video and a slide show about that day.

To come:

• The Kentucky Club
• Horses
• Murals
• Coming and going

Video below, Friday Afternoon in Juarez:

And a slide show of my first date with Juarez here: