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NACO — A wrought-iron border fence that divides the U.S. and Mexican towns of Naco became the centerpiece of a bi-national fiesta Saturday that celebrated unity and friendship between the two communities.
At least 300 people from both sides of the border gathered at a section of train-rail fencing approximately a mile west of the Naco Port of Entry for a vibrant party that culminated with the participants joining hands across the barrier and singing “We Shall Overcome” in Spanish as an emcee bellowed “Viva Mexico! Viva Estados Unidos!”
“The ideal would be a world without borders,” said Lorenzo Villegas, mayor of Naco, Sonora, and a principal organizer of the event.
 ABOVE: The Mexican side of the border wall can be seen as Charlie Hill blows a conch as he and two other Temazcal elders perform a ceremony to six points, east, west, north, south, Mother Earth and the sky in support of Saturday's binational fiesta on the U.S.-Mexico border in Naco, Sonora, and Naco, Ariz. (Mark Levy-Herald/Review) |
“But even with a wall separating the United States and Mexico, we are still neighbors and brothers and so it is important that there are opportunities like this for us to come together.”
At various times during the festivities, the 2 1/2-foot-high fence served as an easel for a children’s art project, the base for a volleyball net, or simply a place for partygoers to set down their soft drinks as they passed freely back and forth through gaps in the barrier.
Alma Amaya, of Naco, Sonora, stood on the southern side of the border and watched as her 4-year-old daughter Elia dashed from one side of the fence to the other as she and a gaggle of other children colored a mural depicting people holding hands beneath a rainbow.
“As a mother, I like that she gets to play with children from the other side and learn about a different culture,” Amaya said. “I wish they would have these fiestas three or four times a year.”
But while her daughter barely seemed to notice the mini-border fence or the 12-foot, corrugated metal wall that it turned into just a few yards away, Amaya said she couldn’t help feeling put off by the barrier.
“I don’t believe that such an enormous wall is really necessary,” she said. “I mean, you (Americans) don’t need a passport to come into our country, but we need one to go into yours. We trust you, so why don’t you trust us?”
On the other side of the fence, Benson residents Peter Drake and Jean Labriloa-Drake watched as their 5-year-old son John Patrick made his best effort to join some bigger kids in a cross-border volleyball match.
“The more of this kind of thing for kids, the better,” said Jean, before sprinting to catch John Patrick as he tried to crawl under the volleyball net into Mexico.
“He wants to cross the border for a pineapple soda,” Jean explained. “Mommy doesn’t let him have soda on this side.”
Shared food and drink was a big part of the day, and buffet tables were set up on either side of the fence. Hungry guests reached from one nation to another as they filled their plates with tacos, carne asada, salad and homemade pie.
Meanwhile, a stage on the Mexican side featured a rotating lineup of folkloric dancers, guitar trios, rock bands and an Aztec dance troupe clad in feathered headdresses and concha (shell) anklets.
“I think it’s really important for cultures to come together like this,” said John Manfrediz, who came to the fiesta from nearby Palominas with his wife Barbara. “I wish we had told all our friends to come.”
Saturday’s bi-national fiesta was the first for the Manfredizes. Bisbee resident Susan Treiber came to her first fiesta in 2001 and read an original poem called “Manifest Destiny” in which she reflected on seeing Mexican migrants hiding in the brush along Highway 80 as she returned from a shopping trip to Douglas.
Treiber kicked off Saturday’s festivities by reading the same poem, first in English, then in Spanish.
The bi-national fiesta became an annual event after Villegas was first elected mayor in 2000. Mexican law, however, forbids mayors from serving consecutive three-year terms, and Villegas’ successor in 2003, Vicente Torres, showed little interest in continuing the tradition.
Last July, Villegas was once again elected mayor, and the fiesta was reborn.
“The first week Lorenzo was in office, he said to me, ‘When are we having another fiesta? A lot of people are asking about it,’ ” said Cecile Lumer of the Bisbee-based group Citizens for Border Solutions, which has co-organized the fiestas with Villegas.
Emilie Vardaman, a member of Citizens for Border Solutions who lives in Naco, Ariz., said she met a number of new friends from Naco, Sonora, at previous fiestas. When she and her mates at Citizens for Border Solutions heard about Villegas’ desire to bring the fiesta back, they jumped at the chance to help out.
“We did it for friendship and to show that Naco is really one community,” Vardaman said.
Organizers of the fiesta wished to thank the following local businesses for their donations: Caf/ Roka, Dot’s Diner, Renaissance Pizza, Mimosa Market, Tacho’s Tacos, Turquoise Valley Golf Club, Food City of Sierra Vista, Staples of Sierra Vista and Beto’s Restaurant.
HERALD/REVIEW reporter Jonthan Clark an be reached at 515-4693.
Ezai I. Martinez wrote on Jun 24, 2009 7:58 PM: