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Portrait of a neighbor

Joshua D. Trujillo Arizona Daily Wildcat At a roadblock outside of Guadalajara, a Mexican military solider (above) tries to lighten the mood with a Pancho Villa marionette. Roadblocks with armed soldiers are common as the government tries to gain control of the northward flow of drugs and illegal goods.

Mexico is a land known to the majority of North Americans as a place where you can bargain for small toys and imitation Rolex watches. You can buy Cuban cigars and drink alcohol at an age younger than the strictly enforced 21-year-old drinking age in the United States. Many North Americans know Mexico through the constant reports of anonymous souls trying to enter this country, dying of exposure in the desert or being caught by the guardians of our borders. But Mexico is also a land of wonders. There are canyons that rival Arizona's grandest, there are jungles that hide amazing archeological treasures, and beaches and surf that are enjoyed by many wave riders and vacationers. It is the closest neighbor to the southwestern states, yet many people know little of this amazing place. Mexico is undoubtedly a land with problems. Corruption and the drug trade have taken hold. The presence of armed men at banks and roadblocks is intimidating.

Mexico is a land of contrasts. Large gated urban homes are built next to small tin and cinder block dwellings. Sub-Commondante Marcos and the Zapatistas have tried to narrow the economic gap. Mexico city, for example, has large modern office buildings built next to old Catholic churches built on top of Aztec Indian ruins. There is a legend in Mexico that many post-conquest structures are sinking into the unstable soil, not for geologic reasons, but because the Aztec gods are angry and are swallowing those that oppressed their people.

These pictures present a small yet intimate portrait of our nearest and sometimes misunderstood neighbor to the south.