Geography asks three questions:
Where is it? Why is it there? So what?
~~~
Geographers apply spatial understanding to the real world.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Nuevo Laredo Carpooling
Thanks to my favorite librarian and fellow Latin Americanist for sharing this wonderful collection of photographs from suburban Nuevo Laredo, which is a bit upstream and across the river from our old South Texas home. Photographer Alejandro Cartagena found a location from which to invade the private space of workers who are building suburbia in nearby Monterrey.
I recommend viewing the slideshow first and then reading Matt McCann's thoughtful commentary about what the photographs reveal about work, place, camaraderie, and even masculinity. The online comments are also interesting, as the reactions of readers vary quite a bit. They include some ribbing of McCann for being too citified to know the difference between a flatbed and a pickup.
As McCann points out, the stillness of the men in these incredibly candid photographs reveals a determination to make an ordinary living in a place that in many ways has become extraordinarily chaotic. Though it is intimate to the point of invasive, Cartagena's vision is one that honors his subjects, who are honorable men living in dishonorable times.
Those not familiar with the region might want to spend some time browsing the map below. Communities along the Rio-Not-So-Grande are much more intricately connected than many folks from farther north realize. Notice, too, the tremendous difference in the amount of water used for household plants on either side of the border.
I think the photographer must have used a bridge along Route 85, the direct route to Monterrey.
View Larger Map
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Blog Ideas
coffee
(25)
GEOG381
(24)
GEOG388
(23)
GEOG470
(18)
climate change
(17)
GEOG130
(16)
geography
(16)
GEOG332
(13)
GEOG431
(12)
musica
(11)
GEOG 381
(9)
Mexico
(9)
Brazil
(8)
GEOG286
(8)
Texas
(8)
education
(8)
migration
(8)
GEOG298
(7)
borderlands
(7)
GEOG199
(6)
GEOG331
(6)
Massachusetts
(6)
US-Mexico
(6)
deBlij04
(6)
immigration
(6)
GEOG 286
(5)
GEOG 332
(5)
GEOG287
(5)
climate justice
(5)
cultural geography
(5)
fair trade
(5)
food
(5)
geographic education
(5)
nicaragua
(5)
water
(5)
Arizona
(4)
GEOG 130
(4)
GEOG 171
(4)
GEOG171
(4)
GEOG295
(4)
Safina
(4)
africa
(4)
deBlij05
(4)
music
(4)
politics
(4)
Bolivia
(3)
Boston
(3)
COVID-19
(3)
Detroit
(3)
Ethiopia
(3)
Managua
(3)
Obama
(3)
border
(3)
cartography
(3)
drought
(3)
land protection
(3)
libraries
(3)
pesticides
(3)
suburban sprawl
(3)
trade
(3)
unemployment
(3)
Alaska
(2)
Amazon
(2)
Bridgewater
(2)
Canada
(2)
Chiapas
(2)
China
(2)
Colonialism
(2)
EPA
(2)
EarthView
(2)
Economy
(2)
Environment
(2)
GEOG 199
(2)
GEOG 287
(2)
Google Maps
(2)
Government
(2)
Hawaii
(2)
India
(2)
Lexington
(2)
Maldives
(2)
Mozambique
(2)
NOLA
(2)
NPR
(2)
National Monuments
(2)
National Parks
(2)
New Orleans
(2)
Religion
(2)
Rio Grande
(2)
Taunton River Wild and Scenic
(2)
Tex-Mex
(2)
The View from Lazy Point
(2)
United States
(2)
Venezuela
(2)
anthropocene
(2)
cape verde
(2)
censorship
(2)
central america
(2)
chocolate
(2)
corn
(2)
deBlij07
(2)
deforestation
(2)
demographic transition
(2)
demography
(2)
education reform
(2)
employment
(2)
environmental geography
(2)
film
(2)
forest fire
(2)
global warming
(2)
islands
(2)
librarians
(2)
maps
(2)
organic
(2)
peak oil
(2)
refugees
(2)
sense of place
(2)
soccer
(2)
sustainability
(2)
television
(2)
water rights
(2)
whales
(2)
#bbc
(1)
#nicaragua
(1)
#sosnicaragua
(1)
#sosnicaragua #nicaragua
(1)
100 Years of Solitude
(1)
ACROSS Lexington
(1)
Accents
(1)
Adam at Home
(1)
Alice
(1)
Alt.Latina
(1)
American Hustle
(1)
April
(1)
Association of american Geographers
(1)
Audubon
(1)
Aunt Hatch's Lane
(1)
BSU
(1)
Baby Boomers
(1)
Banda Aceh
(1)
Bay Circuit Trial
(1)
Bechtel
(1)
Beleza Tropical
(1)
Belize
(1)
Beloit College
(1)
Ben Linder Cafe
(1)
Bet The Farm
(1)
Bhopal
(1)
Biafra
(1)
Bikeway
(1)
Bikini
(1)
Bill Gates
(1)
Bill Moyers
(1)
Boeing 777
(1)
Brazilian
(1)
Brazilianization
(1)
Bridge
(1)
British Columbia
(1)
Brockton
(1)
Bus Fare
(1)
Bush
(1)
Cabo Verde
(1)
California
(1)
Cambridge
(1)
Cape Cod Bay
(1)
Carl Stafina
(1)
Catholic
(1)
Ceuta
(1)
Chalice
(1)
Chipko
(1)
Citgo
(1)
Climate risks
(1)
Cochabamba
(1)
Colombia
(1)
Common Core
(1)
Commuter
(1)
Computers
(1)
Cuba
(1)
Cups and Summits
(1)
Dallas
(1)
David Byrne
(1)
Deans Beans
(1)
Delaware Valley
(1)
Dunkin Donuts
(1)
Earth Day
(1)
Earth View
(1)
Easton
(1)
El Salvador
(1)
Elizabeth Warren
(1)
Ellicott City
(1)
Emilia Laime
(1)
English-only
(1)
Environmental History
(1)
Euphrates
(1)
European Union
(1)
Evo Morales
(1)
FIFA
(1)
FYS
(1)
Fades Out
(1)
Farms
(1)
First-Year Seminar
(1)
Food Trade
(1)
Frederick Kaufman
(1)
French press
(1)
Fresh Pond Mall
(1)
GEOG 388
(1)
GEOG 431
(1)
GEOG 441
(1)
GEOG213
(1)
GEOG490
(1)
Gabriel GarcÃa Márquez
(1)
Garden of Gethsemane
(1)
Gas wells
(1)
Gateway Cities
(1)
General Motors
(1)
Gini Coefficient
(1)
Girl in the Cafe
(1)
Google
(1)
Gordon Hempton
(1)
Gravina Island Bridge
(1)
Great Migration
(1)
Great Molasses Flood
(1)
Guy Lombardo
(1)
Haiti
(1)
Hawks
(1)
Heart
(1)
Higher Education
(1)
History
(1)
Holyhok Lewisville
(1)
Homogenous
(1)
Honors
(1)
How Food Stopped Being Food
(1)
Hugo Chavez
(1)
IMF
(1)
Iditarod
(1)
Imperial Valley
(1)
Income Inequality
(1)
Indonesia
(1)
Iraq
(1)
Irish
(1)
Japan
(1)
Junot Diaz
(1)
Kenya
(1)
Ketchikan
(1)
Key West
(1)
Kindergarden Students
(1)
King Corn
(1)
Kiribati
(1)
Latin America
(1)
Limbaugh
(1)
Literature
(1)
Living On Earth
(1)
Louisiana
(1)
Love Canal
(1)
Luddite
(1)
M*A*S*H
(1)
MCAS
(1)
MacArthur Genius
(1)
Maersk
(1)
Malawi
(1)
Malaysia
(1)
Malaysian Air Flight 370
(1)
Mali
(1)
Manu Chao
(1)
Map
(1)
Marblehead
(1)
Mary Robinson Foundation
(1)
Maryland
(1)
Massachusetts Bay Colony
(1)
Math
(1)
Maxguide
(1)
May
(1)
Maya
(1)
Mayan
(1)
Mayan Gold
(1)
Mbala
(1)
McDonald's
(1)
Melilla
(1)
Mexicans
(1)
Michael Pollan
(1)
Michelle Obama
(1)
Micronesia
(1)
Military
(1)
Military Dictatorship
(1)
Minuteman Trail
(1)
Mongolia
(1)
Monsanto
(1)
Montana
(1)
Morocco
(1)
Mount Auburn Cemetery
(1)
Muslim
(1)
NPS
(1)
Nantucket
(1)
National Education Regime
(1)
Native American
(1)
Native Americans
(1)
New Bedford
(1)
New Hampshire
(1)
New York City
(1)
New York Times
(1)
Nigeria
(1)
No Child Left Behind Act
(1)
Norquist
(1)
North Africa
(1)
Nuts
(1)
Oakland
(1)
Oaxaca
(1)
Occupeligo
(1)
Occypy
(1)
Oklahoma
(1)
Oklahoma City
(1)
Oppression
(1)
PARCC
(1)
Pakistan
(1)
Pascal's Wager
(1)
Peanut
(1)
Pearson Regime
(1)
Philadelphia
(1)
Philippines
(1)
Pink Unicorns
(1)
Poland
(1)
Portuguese
(1)
Protest
(1)
Public Education
(1)
Puebla
(1)
Puritans
(1)
Quest University
(1)
Rachel Carson
(1)
Reading
(1)
Republican
(1)
Retro Report
(1)
Robert Reich
(1)
Rock Legend
(1)
Ronald Reagan
(1)
Rondonia
(1)
Rosa Parks
(1)
SEXCoffee
(1)
Safety
(1)
Samoza
(1)
Sandino
(1)
Sara Vowell
(1)
Save the Children
(1)
Scotch
(1)
Scotland
(1)
Seinfeld
(1)
Senegal
(1)
Sergio Mendes
(1)
Severin
(1)
Sharrod
(1)
Silent Spring
(1)
Sinatra
(1)
Slope
(1)
Smokey the Bear
(1)
Somalia
(1)
Sombra
(1)
Sonora
(1)
Sonoran desert
(1)
Sonoran hot dog
(1)
South America
(1)
Spain
(1)
Stairway to Heaven
(1)
Storm
(1)
Suare Inch of Silence
(1)
Sumatra
(1)
Swamp
(1)
Tacloban
(1)
Tanzania
(1)
The Amazon
(1)
The Amazon Trail
(1)
Tigris
(1)
Tucson
(1)
Tufts
(1)
U.S Federal Reserve
(1)
U.S Government
(1)
U.S. economy
(1)
USDA
(1)
USLE Formula
(1)
Uganda
(1)
Unfamiliar Fishes
(1)
Union Carbide
(1)
Vacation
(1)
Vexillology
(1)
Vietnam
(1)
ViralNova
(1)
WNYC Data News
(1)
Wall Street
(1)
Walsenburg
(1)
Walt Disney
(1)
Walt and El Grupo
(1)
Ward's Berry Farm
(1)
West
(1)
Whaling
(1)
Wilson
(1)
Winter Storm Saturn
(1)
Wisconsin
(1)
World Bank
(1)
Xingu
(1)
YouTube
(1)
Zombies
(1)
agriculture
(1)
antitrust
(1)
aspen
(1)
austerity
(1)
aviation
(1)
banned books
(1)
bark beetle
(1)
bean
(1)
bicycle
(1)
bicycling
(1)
bike sharing
(1)
binary
(1)
biodiversity
(1)
bioneers
(1)
books
(1)
boston globe
(1)
cacao
(1)
cafe
(1)
campaign
(1)
campus
(1)
cantonville
(1)
capitals
(1)
carbon dioxide
(1)
carbon offsets
(1)
carioca
(1)
cash
(1)
cashews
(1)
census
(1)
chemex
(1)
chemistry
(1)
chronology
(1)
churrasco
(1)
civil rights
(1)
coffee grounds
(1)
coffee hell
(1)
coffee prices
(1)
coffee quality
(1)
college
(1)
compost
(1)
computerized test
(1)
congress
(1)
conservation commission
(1)
corporations
(1)
countries
(1)
cubicle
(1)
dams
(1)
deBlij06
(1)
deBlij08
(1)
death
(1)
deficit
(1)
development
(1)
dictatorship
(1)
distracted learning
(1)
distraction
(1)
drug war
(1)
dtm
(1)
earth
(1)
economic diversification
(1)
economic geography
(1)
election
(1)
embargo
(1)
energy
(1)
enhanced greenhouse effect
(1)
environmentalist
(1)
ethnomusicology
(1)
exremism
(1)
failed states
(1)
farming
(1)
financial crisis
(1)
football
(1)
forestry
(1)
forro
(1)
fracking
(1)
free market
(1)
free trade
(1)
fuel economy
(1)
garden
(1)
genocide
(1)
geography education
(1)
geography games
(1)
geography of chocolate
(1)
geography of food
(1)
geologic time
(1)
geotechnology
(1)
gerrymandering
(1)
global pizza
(1)
globe
(1)
goodall
(1)
green chemistry
(1)
ground water
(1)
guacamole
(1)
guatemala
(1)
high-frutcose
(1)
home values
(1)
hospitality
(1)
hourglass
(1)
housing
(1)
illegal aliens
(1)
income
(1)
indigenous
(1)
interfaith
(1)
journalism
(1)
kitchen garden
(1)
labor
(1)
landscape ecology
(1)
language
(1)
libertarianism
(1)
library
(1)
linguistics
(1)
little rock
(1)
llorona; musica
(1)
macc
(1)
maccweb
(1)
magic realism
(1)
maple syrup
(1)
mapping
(1)
masa no mas
(1)
massland
(1)
medical
(1)
mental maps
(1)
mi nina
(1)
microlots
(1)
microstates
(1)
mining
(1)
mltc
(1)
monopoly
(1)
municipal government
(1)
nautical
(1)
neoclassical economics
(1)
new england
(1)
newseum
(1)
newspapers
(1)
noise pollution
(1)
pandas
(1)
petroleum
(1)
piracy
(1)
pirates
(1)
poison ivy
(1)
police
(1)
political geography
(1)
pollution
(1)
provincial government
(1)
proxy variables
(1)
public diplomacy
(1)
quesadilla
(1)
rabbi
(1)
racism
(1)
real food cafe
(1)
regulations
(1)
remittances
(1)
resilience
(1)
resistance
(1)
respect
(1)
rigoberta menchu
(1)
rios montt
(1)
romance
(1)
roya
(1)
runways
(1)
russia
(1)
satellites
(1)
science
(1)
sea level
(1)
selva negra
(1)
sertao
(1)
sertão
(1)
sex
(1)
sex and coffee
(1)
simple
(1)
sin
(1)
smokey
(1)
solar
(1)
solar roasting
(1)
south africa
(1)
sovereignty
(1)
species loss
(1)
sporcle
(1)
sports
(1)
state government
(1)
taxes
(1)
tea party
(1)
teaching
(1)
textile
(1)
texting
(1)
tortilla
(1)
training
(1)
transect; Mercator
(1)
travel
(1)
triple-deckers
(1)
tsunami
(1)
urban geography
(1)
utopia
(1)
vermont
(1)
vice
(1)
video
(1)
wall
(1)
water resources
(1)
water vapor
(1)
whiskey
(1)
whisky
(1)
widget
(1)
wifi
(1)
wild fire
(1)
wildfire
(1)
wildlife corridor
(1)
wto
(1)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for your comment and your interest in my blog. I will approve your comment as soon as possible. I had to activate comment moderation because of commercial spam; I welcome debate of any ideas I present, but this will not be a platform for dubious commercial messages.