The Naco Borderland

The pictorial mural at Naco is one piece divided into 3 panels.  I chose this format because the triptych is commonly used in religious painting and I wanted to evoke a sacred feeling for the subject matter. The subject is the land; to consider land as sacred establishes the viewpoint that it transcends the boundaries arbitrarily drawn by man.

By downplaying the divisive nature of a border, I hope to focus the viewers' attention on the features shared by those living in the Naco area-once again, the land and all that it supports:  plants, animals, family and friends that have their roots in the land. The heritage of farmers, miners, ranchers, laborers, and professionals on both sides of the border. The curtains of sky frame this scene as they would a stage, implying the earth as the place we each act out our own drama, according to our culture.  The angels holding back the curtains and the stars beyond the sky introduce the notion that all live under the same God.

Specific images within the piece are:  the jaguar for Mexico; the American Beauty roses for the USA; the bull for the cattle industry; the copper-cored hills for the mining industry; the calla lilies are a tribute to the Mexican muralists who inspire my work. The humming birds refer to Ramsey Canyon.  The division of night and day serves several purposes in the work:  to remind us of the paradoxes of life; to draw a parallel between the rhythm of nature and the flow of human and animal traffic across the "border"; to show the United States as an enlightened democracy whereas Mexico in the dark is a statement about it being a 3rd world country.

The backsides of the 3 panels contain a written history of the development of the Naco area, citing events and anecdotes pertaining to both sides of the border.  They also contain tables describing the composure of the population of US residents from the late 1800's to this early century."

Susan Gamble July 1997