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
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
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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 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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International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC)
Franklin Mountains
Chihuahuita Community Center
Paso del Norte International Bridge
BNSF Railway
Ferrocarril Mexicano ~ Ferromex Railway (FXE)
Loop 375, Cesar E. Chavez Border Highway
Río Bravo ~ Rio Grande
Ingeniero Bernado Norzagaray
Centro Juárez
Mission Nuestra Señora De Guadulupe, 1652
Catedral de Nuestra Señora De Guadulupe, 1957
Mercado Juárez
Sierra de Ciudad Juárez
Defensa De La Sierra
Franklin Mountains
Chihuahuita Community Center
Paso del Norte International Bridge
BNSF Railway
Ferrocarril Mexicano ~ Ferromex Railway (FXE)
Loop 375, Cesar E. Chavez Border Highway
Río Bravo ~ Rio Grande
Ingeniero Bernado Norzagaray
Centro Juárez
Mission Nuestra Señora De Guadulupe, 1652
Catedral de Nuestra Señora De Guadulupe, 1957
Mercado Juárez
Sierra de Ciudad Juárez
Defensa De La Sierra
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Bowie Bakery
Lincoln Park
Isla de Córdoba ~ Cordova Island
Puente Libre ~ Bridge of the Americas
Chamizal Park present day
Hidalgo
Grandma
Family Dinner
Mata Ortiz
La Equis
Patriot Freeway, Toward Lincoln Park
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12188 Missy Yvette
Mom’s Kitchen
Family Table
Maquiladora workers
Cotton Fields
Grandpa’s shed no.1
Grandpa’s Clock
Grandpa’s shed no.2
Grandpa’s House
The Short Story
i. Bowie Bakery artifact
ii. Front Door
ii. Front Door
iii. Living Room Clock
iv. Grandpa’s House
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a bag of eggs, tomatoes, onions, beans, coffee,
sweet Mexican bread
towards Niles St
a house as tiny as I remember,
greeted by a Mexican Palm
stretching 12 meters into the sky
85 square-meters gated in metal and concrete stone
walls decorated with stray cats
Grandpa’s house
memories dressed in stucco,
the color of desert sand
bright sky blue upon front entry
spilling from the outside in
up towards the ceilings
disrupted by conduits
ornate clocks, cowboy hats, family portraits
pressed up against blue walls, as if they are floating in the sky
southbound trains
rumble the tile work beneath my feet
irregular transitions
toward the kitchen
bright cactus green on the walls
Dr. Pepper and fresh pecans
bitter, earthy, crumbly if I were to crack them, catching a lick of its outer shell
Sweet, smooth, and buttery if Grandpa were to crack them
another irregular transition
dark cactus green
Backyard scrap yard
Porcelain toilet, deconstructed washing machine
aluminum cans buried beneath the dirt
work boots and paint cans, live with prickly pears, and roosters
sweet Mexican bread
towards Niles St
a house as tiny as I remember,
greeted by a Mexican Palm
stretching 12 meters into the sky
85 square-meters gated in metal and concrete stone
walls decorated with stray cats
Grandpa’s house
memories dressed in stucco,
the color of desert sand
bright sky blue upon front entry
spilling from the outside in
up towards the ceilings
disrupted by conduits
ornate clocks, cowboy hats, family portraits
pressed up against blue walls, as if they are floating in the sky
southbound trains
rumble the tile work beneath my feet
irregular transitions
toward the kitchen
bright cactus green on the walls
Dr. Pepper and fresh pecans
bitter, earthy, crumbly if I were to crack them, catching a lick of its outer shell
Sweet, smooth, and buttery if Grandpa were to crack them
another irregular transition
dark cactus green
Backyard scrap yard
Porcelain toilet, deconstructed washing machine
aluminum cans buried beneath the dirt
work boots and paint cans, live with prickly pears, and roosters
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V. Section: One Side Rio the other Río
A place of many land disputes
within many land disputes
a once-meandering river
630 hectares
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El Paso
neat and tidy, empty, quiet
irrigation
nature deliberately placed and ordered
a glimpse at the
Rio Grande
encased in concrete
barbed wire and Cotren steel
Lost artifacts
then, Río Bravo
Juárez
green bursts at the seams of a concrete channel
an unnatural natural order of green
the smell of corn masa, lime, and motor oil consumes
markets & gatherings
Patched together in rows
rigid uneven stone pathways
Fringed with cacti
ocotillo, palo verde, agave, desert green, purples & reds
within many land disputes
a once-meandering river
630 hectares
…
El Paso
neat and tidy, empty, quiet
irrigation
nature deliberately placed and ordered
a glimpse at the
Rio Grande
encased in concrete
barbed wire and Cotren steel
Lost artifacts
then, Río Bravo
Juárez
green bursts at the seams of a concrete channel
an unnatural natural order of green
the smell of corn masa, lime, and motor oil consumes
markets & gatherings
Patched together in rows
rigid uneven stone pathways
Fringed with cacti
ocotillo, palo verde, agave, desert green, purples & reds
vi.
VI. Catedral de Nuestra Señora De Guadulupe ~ Bowie Bakery
El Paso Del Norte
Split into two
Juárez, El Paso
Iron bars & grilles
Adobe buildings
dry and durable
bright and cool
El Paso Del Norte
Two mountain ranges
A chasm in between
Glued together
by natural meandering borders
El Paso del Norte
Punctured into two
Rigid borders
Connective railroads
Movement
Porous
Two worlds
Patched into one
one cannot exist without the other
Split into two
Juárez, El Paso
Iron bars & grilles
Adobe buildings
dry and durable
bright and cool
El Paso Del Norte
Two mountain ranges
A chasm in between
Glued together
by natural meandering borders
El Paso del Norte
Punctured into two
Rigid borders
Connective railroads
Movement
Porous
Two worlds
Patched into one
one cannot exist without the other