Border Community Alliance News

Vol 4

September 2018

The Border Line

In his book Riding Behind the Padre, Richard Collins describes multiple ventures he made with a small cadre of riders, most of whom were Mexican, tracing the routes Padre Kino took exploring the Borderlands. Collins and his cohort, called a cabalgata, rode some 300 miles of Kino’s journeys. Kino, who died in 1711 at age 65, rode over 8,000 miles, establishing 24 missions or visitas while mapping the area for those who followed. Kino left more than his cartography; his legacies include the churches (many of which are still functioning), respect among indigenous groups and a more diverse agricultural base for survival, including cattle and quince. He must have been a pretty rugged guy. The way Collins describes long rides in the region 300 years later made me saddle sore! Of course, I’m not really a cowboy, in spite of the hat, but Collins is. He’s also a keen observer and a conservationist with a Ph.D. in Biology. In the ‘70’s and ‘80’s he worked in public health in southern Mexico and Central Mexico before settling in at his ranch near Sonoita. I loved his book so much I invited him to speak at our fall kick-off Breakfast and the Border event October 23 . Be sure to sign up soon, as seating is limited. Here’s what Collins said about his book, ”I wrote Riding Behind the Padre” out of admiration for the horseback reenactments of Sonora’s Por Los Camino de Kino group, but also to inform the public, especially Arizonans, about the forces behind today’s turmoil and political misinformation on the borderlands.” His book is not always comforting to read; it gives you a lot to think about. It also gave me a greater appreciation for the Borderlands, for Eusebio Kino, for horses and people who ride then and for the complex human struggle involved in making this region home for so many diverse creatures, including you and me.

Jerry Haas

Stories from

San Lorenzo

By Rita Cantu & Peg Bowden

The Spirits of Huepac

by Peg Bowden

One thing I love about the rural Rio Sonora valley in mid-summer is this: you absolutely know you are in another country. There is nothing like it in the USA. Life is slower, quieter, and muy contento. The lush, green countryside, the mountains and valleys, and the tiny villages with their plazas and central church are uniquely Mexico. I felt like I was on a movie set. We were a motley group of ten adventurous travelers bouncing along the curving mountain roads of the Sierra Madre on our way to Huepac and their annual Fiesta de San Lorenzo. It was early August, and the skies were filled with the drama of monsoon cumulus clouds and distant thunder. Arriving in the small village of Huepac after dark , read more

El Rio del Sonora:

On the

Opata and Jesuit Trails

by Rita Cantu

“Banàmichi.” The word has a beckoning sound, like a term of endearment, one of many villages strung like rosary beads alongside the Rio Sonora Valley: Huèpac, Aconchi, Arizpe. Rio Sonora’s verdant thread stitches through these bright villages and monsoon-drenched mountains … a lush green expanse best seen in this late-summer read more

View Peg's photo album

2018 FALL Calendar

new additions...

registration is now open

Sept 20- Gastronomic Tour

Sept 21- Magdalena Here & Now Tour

Sept 22- Concert- St. Francis in the Valley (in partnership with the Mexican Consulate)

Sept 27- Cross Border Tour- Nogales

Sept 28 - Videography in the Borderlands- Mike Foster

Oct 6- Gastronomic Tour

Oct 10- Magdalena Here & Now Tour

Oct 12- Tumacacori Meet the Authors Event (Non BCA Event no registration needed)

Oct 13 Agua Fresca Workshop

Oct 18- Cross Border Tour -Nogales

Oct 19- 21 Rio Sonora Tour

Oct 23- Fall Round Up Breakfast @ Canoa Ranch: Richard Collins Riding Behind the Padre

Oct 24- Moorish Legacies- Alex La Pierre

Oct 25- Cross Border Tour-Nogales

Oct 26- Magdalena Here & Now Tour

Oct 26 - Day of the Dead Videography - Mike Foster

Oct 31- Cross Cultural Communication- Rick Morritz

Nov 2-4 Hermosillo Tour

Nov 6, 13 & 20- US Immigration Then & Now w/ Jim Hoff (Part 1, 2 & 3)

Nov 8 - Cross Border Tour -Nogales

Nov 10- Migrants and the Food Chain- Minerva Orduno

Nov 10- Hands on Tortilla Workshop

Nov 12 - Birding in the Borderlands

Nov 24- Writing the Santa Cruz River Retreat- Lee Anne Gallaway-Mitchell & Jerry Haas

Nov 29- Cross Border Tour- Nogales

Nov 30 - Magdalena Here & Now Tour

Dec 1 & 2 Tumacacori Festival (Non BCA Event no registration needed)

Dec 11- Ranching in the Borderlands

Dec 13- Cross Border Tour- Nogales

Dec 14- Magdalena Here & Now Tour

Dec 15- Gastronomic Tour

May 27-June 8 SPAIN: Gateway to a New World: Extremadura & Andalucia Tour

This month...

Borderland Forums & Events

September 22

September 28

SPAIN 2019

Madrid - Caceres - Merida, - Sevilla - Cadiz - Cordoba - Castilla La Mancha

Extremadura and Andalucia

BCA Book Club

BCA BOOK CLUB…is just now underway. If you are interested in reading books about the Borderlands and about border issues, fiction and nonfiction, you may want to sign up. Monthly meetings may be attended in person or virtually. Group size will be kept small, so email me and we’ll get you matched up. There’s so much good stuff to read out there!

Jerry Haas – [email protected]

2018 Intern Final Reports by Caleb Walker Wilson

Weeks 5 & 6

On Monday, July 16 Robyn and Danko went to Eloy Detention Center to visit migrants currently held in the facility as they await their asylum hearings. Although I did not go with them, Danko gave me a detailed account of his conversation with one of the migrants. The Salvadoran migrant fled his native country about a year ago because of threats from gangs. He has been in the U.S. nearly 10 months, yet has never stepped foot outside of government custody. The Immigration judge recently ruled that he did not have enough evidence to be granted asylum. Instead of appeal this decision, he decided to... read more

Angela's Experience

Extraordinary creative work produced by 2017 BCA Intern Angela Gervasi. In this two part photo book, Angela shares her experience, showing us how important the Internship program is for cultivating the next generation of Borderlands leadership.

Part 1 Part 2

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:

BCA is looking for volunteers to help host various events and receptions, including Borderlands Forum classes, tours and special gatherings. If you are interested, please fill out a Volunteer Application (available online) or call the office (520-398-3229). Thanks!