1. SOUTHWEST BORDER AREA
(Chapter 14)
Elizabeth J. Leppman

2. Introduction
• Distinct region, yet extremely difficult to define
– Parallels Mexican border
– Overlaps other regions
• Tricultural, acculturation (cultural borrowing)
– Native Americans (1% of population today)
– Spanish (25% of population today)
– Northwest European Anglo American (74% of population)
• Spanish settlement as regional identifier
• Climatic aridity
– Discouraged Anglo settlement
– Substantial numbers of Native Americans

3. Southwest Border Area (page 277)

4. American Indians
• Earliest inhabitants but
least accepted
• Most numerous in areas
that Anglo settlers
rejected
• Within Southwest
Border Area, culturally
diverse

5. American Indian Reservations
• Largest groups
– Navaho
– Pueblo
– Papago
– Hopi
– Utes
• Major reservations
in Four Corners region
(page 280)

10. Navajo Blanket
Navajo Constellations

11. Pueblo Bonito
Ansel Adams, 1942, 79-AAP-2
"Dance, San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico, 1942," two Indians descending wooden stairs, carrying drums;
another Indian and child near by.
In 1941 the National Park Service commissioned noted photographer Ansel Adams to create a photo mural for
the Department of the Interior Building in Washington, DC. The theme was to be nature as exemplified and
protected in the U.S. National Parks. The project was halted because of World War II and never resumed.

13. Papago Basket

14. Hopi Canteen
Hopi Kachina

15. Studio portrait of Native American (Ute) and white men and
women in Washington, D. C. for the treaty signing. Left to right-
Back row (Northern Ute), Shawsheen (sister of Chief Ouray),
Johnson #2 (Shawsheen's husband), Capt. Jack (leader of
Thornberg ambush), John. Middle row: Uriah M. Curtis
(Interpreter for Northern Utes), J. B. Thompson (agent at the
Denver Ute Agency), Chas Adams (agent of the Los Pinos
Agency, 1872-75), Otto Mears. Front row: Guerro (may be

16. Hispanic Americans
• Spanish exploration (by 1550)
–Unsuccessful quest for gold and silver
–Claim to Southwestern territory
–Little settlement or attention
• Lack of valuable resources
• Distance from core of Spanish Empire in Mexico City
• Settlement
– Upper Rio Grande Valley (before 1700)
– Arizona (1700)
– Texas (1700)
– California (beginning 1769)
• Anglo Americans allowed to settle in 1820s and
1830s

17. Hispanic Americans
• 1845: U.S. acquisition of Texas
• 1848: Mexican Cession
– End of Mexican War
– Remaining Mexican population about 82,500
• 1850:
– New southern frontier for Anglo Americans in Texas
– Gold rush (1849) in California: More non-Spanish to
region
– Mexicans dominant in
• New Mexico
• Southern California
• Texas south of San Antonio

18. Hispanic Americans Today
• Immigration
– 1900-1990: 2.9 million
– Late 1980s: 75,000-90,000
annually
– 2000 to date: 171,000 annually
• Illegal immigration
• Push factors
– Mexican population growth
– Widespread unemployment
• Pull factors
– Ease of crossing
– Available jobs
• Political issues
(page 279)

19. Socioeconomic Disparities
• Cultural differences,
especially in rural areas
–Differences among
Mexicans in area in 1848
–Indian reservations
• Correlation with
poverty
• Recent improvements
–Education
–Government
–Discovery of resources
(page 284)

20. Cross-Border Economy
• Mexican migration
– World War I, 1920s: Mexican immigration to fill labor
needs in U.S.
– World War II
• U.S. labor shortage (workers in armed forces)
• Mexican Labor Program (Bracero Program) to 1964
• Maquiladoras
– Border Industrialization Program (1965)
– U.S. labor-intensive manufacturing industry
• Import of raw materials, semi-finished parts (in-bond)
• Manufactured products to be re-exported (since 1989, 50%
can be sold in Mexico)
– Wage-rate differential

21. Of the top 100 maquiladoras in Mexico; 66 are owned by companies from the
U.S., 7 from Japan, 2 from the Netherlands, 1 from Germany, 3 from Canada, 1
from Singapore, 4 from Korea, 1 from China, 1 from Sweden, 1 from Sweden, 2
from France, 1 from Australia, 1 from Taiwan, 1 from Finland, and 5 from
Mexico.

22. An aerial view of a maquiladora park in Tijuana, Baja California del Norte; Mexico

23. Since the maquiladora industry offers thousands of low-skill jobs, the border
has been a magnet to Mexican workers seeking economic opportunity for
decades. The opportunist nature of this industry creates an industrial ecology of
trade, supported by and supporting millions of migrant workers living in shanty
towns around the industrial parks while industry logistics are controlled on the
U.S. side.

26. North America Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA)
• Loss of special tariff status for maquiladoras
• Increased integration of border area as a
region
– Income differential
– Tourists, retirees from U.S. to Mexico for lower
costs
– Mexican shoppers for goods unavailable at home
– Travel to visit friends and family
– Twin cities along border

27. Regional Population Growth
• Climatic attractions
– Sunshine and aridity
– Respiratory patients, retirees
• Growth areas
– Southern California (late 19th
century)
– Arizona
• Industries and corporate offices
– Aircraft
• Proximity to California
• Good flying weather
– Electronics
• Amenities
• High value, low weight

28. Master planned community of Anthem, Arizona

29. Plural Society
• Hispanic population
– Northern highlands of New Mexico 70% Hispanic
– Strong Hispanic influence on rural landscapes
– Lower Rio Grande Winter Garden of Texas
overwhelmingly Hispanic
– Hispanic enclaves in Los Angeles
• Large Indian reservations