An illegal U.S. border crossing simulation—as both a deterrent and for some hair-raising thrills—is the number one attraction at an amusement park in the central Mexican town of Ixmiquilpan.
By Raul Dias
The stillness of the night, that has for the last half an hour or so, been interrupted only by the drowsy hum of cicadas and the occasional sharp intake of breath is suddenly punctured by the shrill, polyphonic blaring of sirens. An enormous hummer, all lit up in flashing blue and red lights comes to a screeching halt. Four armored men wearing bullet-proof vests emblazoned with the words ‘U.S. Border Patrol’ spill out of the vehicle. Their 9mm handguns trained on our motley bunch of eight.
One of the Mexican guys in our group attempts an escape as he runs towards the river. “No van a cruzar el rio!”, a stocky border patrol agent yells at him in Spanish while firing a blank at the ground. “None of you are going to cross the river tonight,” he repeats, this time in accented English for the benefit of a few of us non-Mexicans.
We had been warned that this would most likely happen. And just like that we soon come to the grim realisation that our game is up. Quite literally.
The Night Walk
First things first. Everything mentioned in the above reimagination of that freezing cold night in September did take place. And no, it isn’t a fragment of some dystopian dream. Nor was I, contrary to what it might seem, attempting to illegally enter the United States of America.
Our ‘capture’ was, in fact, the culmination of a weekly four hour-long border crossing simulation activity offered by the Parque Eco Alberto, an amusement park in the central Mexican town of Ixmiquilpan. Earlier that day I had paid 350 Mexican pesos (Rs 1,320) to experience a ‘lite’ version of what thousands of people go through every single night of the year. All in the hope of making it to the ‘promised land’ on the other side, the United States of America.
Known as La Camina Nocturna or The Night Walk, the simulation has been taking place at the park every Saturday night since July 31, 2004. The walks are stewarded by locals, many of whom have tried to illegally cross into the U.S. themselves. And although the park is some 700 miles away from the actual Mexico-U.S. border, the experience can get alarmingly real as it creates conditions increasingly difficult to deal with.
Perilous Beginnings
Just like an actual illegal crossing deal, we are first introduced to our ski mask-clad guide, Macario Simon Reyes. The 38-year-old plays the role of el coyote as the human smugglers are known as in this part of the world. We assemble for prayers and a briefing in an abandoned white stucco Catholic church. It is here that we are warned about everything from the threat of kidnap at the hands of narco-traffickers to the possibility of dying from desert condition extremes such as heatstroke and hypothermia and even being eaten by wild animals.
“And if this seems extreme, reality is a whole other deal,” says Macario. “Many think that the simulation serves as a sort of training for illegal border crossings. But what we are doing couldn’t be more opposite. Our mission is to help stop the emigration by acting as a deterrent to those who might be thinking of doing so. It’s very difficult in reality. It’s very ugly”
For close to five hours one is expected to belly crawl through tunnels, march through mud and ford the Tula River that stands in for the infamous Rio Grande at the border. All this, while trying to avoid getting caught by la migra, as the border patrol agents are nicknamed.
Nunca Más
The park itself, I’m told, is partly funded by the government and communally owned by the indigenous Hñahñu tribe who live on 3,000 acres of land scattered across the state of Hidalgo. Interestingly, Macario tells me that at one point over 80% of Hidalgo’s population was lost to emigration, leaving Ixmiquilpan almost a ghost town. But not today. The population has increased over the years by almost an eighth. This he attributes not just to the deterrent message that the simulation conveys to the town’s youth, but also to the many jobs that it has created for the community. So much so that a recent report by U.S. Customs and Border Protection suggest that illegal crossings along the southern border are down by 72% in December 2019 compared to May 2019.
As we silently cross a barren field that we’ve been told might have rattlesnakes slithering around, I get talking with 19-year-old Pilar and her twin brother, who ironically shares my name, Raúl. “We left Mexico with our parents and illegally crossed the border into the U.S. when we were 10. But after being deported five years ago and to warn us of not attempting it on our own, our dad sent us here as an important reminder of what we went through.”
As we get debriefed by Macario after being ‘released’ by the faux border patrol agents, I ask the twins if the simulation was what they had expected. “We thought that it would be a lot easier. But it isn’t,” says an exhausted Raúl. “Since we’ve been back from the U.S., our whole family has come to cherish the liberty we have here in Mexico. No more running and being chased anymore. Never again. Nunca más!”
Travel log
Getting There
As there are no direct flights linking India with Mexico, one can get into Mexico City via connecting flights from most major US airports. From Mexico City, Ixmiquilpan is a pleasant three-hour bus journey away. Travel within Ixmiquilpan and to the Parque Eco Alberto is relatively easy with plenty of transport options including inexpensive taxis and public buses. Indians require a Mexican visa to visit the country that can be procured from the Mexican Embassy in New Delhi. However, the visa requirement is waived off for those in possession of a valid multiple entry US visa.
Stay
Being a relatively small town, accommodation options are limited in Ixmiquilpan, but there are a few decent, if a tad basic, hotels and guesthouses to spend a night or two in. One such option is the super low-key, but spotlessly clean Hotel Avenida Ixmiquilpan (www.hotelavenidaixmiquilpan.com.mx) with rooms overlooking a garden on the Avenue Insurgentes. Here, one can expect to pay around Rs 1,882 for a double room without breakfast. One for the few three star properties in town and one with an outdoor pool, Hotel Posada Centenario (www.posadacentenario.com) in the heart of the city has some really nice double rooms for around Rs 2,447 without breakfast.
Tip
* Besides being a hot springs town that is full of places where you can enjoy a soothing outdoor mineral bath, Ixmiquilpan also has a strong cultural side to it. The convent of San Miguel Archangel is famous for its blend of decorative styles. While the church’s wings on either side have murals in the Spanish style brought in by the Augustinian priests, its central nave has on its walls and ceiling frescoes by the indigenous Otomi Tlacuilos tribe.
(An edited version of this article first appeared in the 8th February 2020 issue of The Hindu Business Line newspaper's BLink section on page 20 https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/takeaway/simulated-illegal-border-crossing-in-a-mexican-amusement-park/article30751969.ece)
By Raul Dias
The stillness of the night, that has for the last half an hour or so, been interrupted only by the drowsy hum of cicadas and the occasional sharp intake of breath is suddenly punctured by the shrill, polyphonic blaring of sirens. An enormous hummer, all lit up in flashing blue and red lights comes to a screeching halt. Four armored men wearing bullet-proof vests emblazoned with the words ‘U.S. Border Patrol’ spill out of the vehicle. Their 9mm handguns trained on our motley bunch of eight.
One of the Mexican guys in our group attempts an escape as he runs towards the river. “No van a cruzar el rio!”, a stocky border patrol agent yells at him in Spanish while firing a blank at the ground. “None of you are going to cross the river tonight,” he repeats, this time in accented English for the benefit of a few of us non-Mexicans.
We had been warned that this would most likely happen. And just like that we soon come to the grim realisation that our game is up. Quite literally.
The Night Walk
First things first. Everything mentioned in the above reimagination of that freezing cold night in September did take place. And no, it isn’t a fragment of some dystopian dream. Nor was I, contrary to what it might seem, attempting to illegally enter the United States of America.
Our ‘capture’ was, in fact, the culmination of a weekly four hour-long border crossing simulation activity offered by the Parque Eco Alberto, an amusement park in the central Mexican town of Ixmiquilpan. Earlier that day I had paid 350 Mexican pesos (Rs 1,320) to experience a ‘lite’ version of what thousands of people go through every single night of the year. All in the hope of making it to the ‘promised land’ on the other side, the United States of America.
Known as La Camina Nocturna or The Night Walk, the simulation has been taking place at the park every Saturday night since July 31, 2004. The walks are stewarded by locals, many of whom have tried to illegally cross into the U.S. themselves. And although the park is some 700 miles away from the actual Mexico-U.S. border, the experience can get alarmingly real as it creates conditions increasingly difficult to deal with.
Perilous Beginnings
Just like an actual illegal crossing deal, we are first introduced to our ski mask-clad guide, Macario Simon Reyes. The 38-year-old plays the role of el coyote as the human smugglers are known as in this part of the world. We assemble for prayers and a briefing in an abandoned white stucco Catholic church. It is here that we are warned about everything from the threat of kidnap at the hands of narco-traffickers to the possibility of dying from desert condition extremes such as heatstroke and hypothermia and even being eaten by wild animals.
“And if this seems extreme, reality is a whole other deal,” says Macario. “Many think that the simulation serves as a sort of training for illegal border crossings. But what we are doing couldn’t be more opposite. Our mission is to help stop the emigration by acting as a deterrent to those who might be thinking of doing so. It’s very difficult in reality. It’s very ugly”
For close to five hours one is expected to belly crawl through tunnels, march through mud and ford the Tula River that stands in for the infamous Rio Grande at the border. All this, while trying to avoid getting caught by la migra, as the border patrol agents are nicknamed.
Nunca Más
The park itself, I’m told, is partly funded by the government and communally owned by the indigenous Hñahñu tribe who live on 3,000 acres of land scattered across the state of Hidalgo. Interestingly, Macario tells me that at one point over 80% of Hidalgo’s population was lost to emigration, leaving Ixmiquilpan almost a ghost town. But not today. The population has increased over the years by almost an eighth. This he attributes not just to the deterrent message that the simulation conveys to the town’s youth, but also to the many jobs that it has created for the community. So much so that a recent report by U.S. Customs and Border Protection suggest that illegal crossings along the southern border are down by 72% in December 2019 compared to May 2019.
As we silently cross a barren field that we’ve been told might have rattlesnakes slithering around, I get talking with 19-year-old Pilar and her twin brother, who ironically shares my name, Raúl. “We left Mexico with our parents and illegally crossed the border into the U.S. when we were 10. But after being deported five years ago and to warn us of not attempting it on our own, our dad sent us here as an important reminder of what we went through.”
As we get debriefed by Macario after being ‘released’ by the faux border patrol agents, I ask the twins if the simulation was what they had expected. “We thought that it would be a lot easier. But it isn’t,” says an exhausted Raúl. “Since we’ve been back from the U.S., our whole family has come to cherish the liberty we have here in Mexico. No more running and being chased anymore. Never again. Nunca más!”
Travel log
Getting There
As there are no direct flights linking India with Mexico, one can get into Mexico City via connecting flights from most major US airports. From Mexico City, Ixmiquilpan is a pleasant three-hour bus journey away. Travel within Ixmiquilpan and to the Parque Eco Alberto is relatively easy with plenty of transport options including inexpensive taxis and public buses. Indians require a Mexican visa to visit the country that can be procured from the Mexican Embassy in New Delhi. However, the visa requirement is waived off for those in possession of a valid multiple entry US visa.
Stay
Being a relatively small town, accommodation options are limited in Ixmiquilpan, but there are a few decent, if a tad basic, hotels and guesthouses to spend a night or two in. One such option is the super low-key, but spotlessly clean Hotel Avenida Ixmiquilpan (www.hotelavenidaixmiquilpan.com.mx) with rooms overlooking a garden on the Avenue Insurgentes. Here, one can expect to pay around Rs 1,882 for a double room without breakfast. One for the few three star properties in town and one with an outdoor pool, Hotel Posada Centenario (www.posadacentenario.com) in the heart of the city has some really nice double rooms for around Rs 2,447 without breakfast.
Tip
* Besides being a hot springs town that is full of places where you can enjoy a soothing outdoor mineral bath, Ixmiquilpan also has a strong cultural side to it. The convent of San Miguel Archangel is famous for its blend of decorative styles. While the church’s wings on either side have murals in the Spanish style brought in by the Augustinian priests, its central nave has on its walls and ceiling frescoes by the indigenous Otomi Tlacuilos tribe.
(An edited version of this article first appeared in the 8th February 2020 issue of The Hindu Business Line newspaper's BLink section on page 20 https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/takeaway/simulated-illegal-border-crossing-in-a-mexican-amusement-park/article30751969.ece)
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