Naheyla Medina

Patchwork, 76 km between Juárez ~ El Paso

Published: Digital Commons @ RISD

Presented as partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree Master of Architecture of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), 2024

Advisors: Amelyn Ng, Debbie Chen, & Germán Pallares-Avitia

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“The Borderlands are physically present wherever two or more cultures edge each other, where people of different races occupy the same territory, where under, lower, middle and upper classes touch, where the space between two individuals shrinks with intimacy.”

-Gloria Anzaldúa

Situated at the western edge of Texas, where the Río Bravo (Rio Grande) marks the border between México and the United States, lies a confluence of misconceptions. An extensive corten steel border wall cuts through the landscape, obscuring the intertwined histories, cultures, and environments that embed this zone. The built environment shapes daily experiences and, in turn, is shaped by them.
This project uses murals, creative writing, and architectural projections to reimagine mapping along the México-US border. It focuses on three specific sites within a 76-km stretch between Juárez-El Paso: Grandpa’s House, Chamizal, and Paso del Norte.
Traditional border mapping often relies on a top-down aerial perspective that prioritizes one side over the other.

The delineation of natural and built infrastructures—such as the river, highways, railroads, and the border wall—offers an opportunity to reveal overlooked stories. These critical nodes of constant movement serve as focal points for projecting these narratives.
The project culminates in a mural composed of four 6 ft x 3 ft wooden panels, crafted from salvaged wood offcuts. Collaboration played a vital role in this process, fostering dialogue and the exchange of border narratives. The resulting mural serves as a tangible artifact, visually weaving these stories together like a patchwork, reflecting upon the layered and interconnected realities of the borderlands.

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