Palomas, Mexico by: Sam Conn
There
are only four states that can claim
to have Mexico next door and New
Mexico is one of them. For
those of us who live in southern New
Mexico, it is so close you can see
the mountains rising off Mexico's
desert floor from your porch.
That in itself is enough to make
folks want to take the short drive
to Palomas, Mexico. Less than
a half an hour from Deming, and just
3 minutes from
Columbus, you can be
in another country.
You are
more than welcome to drive your
vehicle into Mexico, but chances are
that your U.S. insurance won't pay
if something happens. Many
folks park on the U.S. side of the
border and walk. The parking
lot is right on the border--as is
Palomas. At this time, you
don't need a passport or special
papers to visit Palomas. You
can even take your dog.
Coming
back to the United States is a
different matter. If you don't
have a passport, you will need a
driver's license and a birth
certificate or some other
government-issued identification
with a photo to prove you are a U.S.
citizen. You may also be asked
to prove your pet has all its shots.
A U.S. Customs agent at the border
told me that a passport will be
required beginning in June 2009.
The rules are ever-changing so it is
a good idea to check with customs
before you cross the border. It is
also a good idea to check and see
what you may bring back, such as
alcohol and tobacco products.
Some items are prohibited.
Palomas,
with a population of only about
30,000, still maintains itself as a
small Mexican town, but make no
mistakes--it is still very much a
border town and everything that
implies.
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Columbus New Mexico -
Palomas Mexico Border
Crossing |
The
Mexican welcome wagon usually
consists of street vendors selling
bootleg copies of American-made
movies, "designer" sunglasses and
wallets. Beggars make up the
second wave and you can count on
both seeking you out during your
visit.
The
streets of Palomas are lined with
just about every type of shop
imaginable. Occasionally
someone will try to hand you a sale
flyer for a store further in town
that offers cheaper prices than
those shops on the border
--sometimes true, sometimes not.
It's
big, it's very pink and you
absolutely can not miss it. It
is called the Pink Store and it has
developed ;an almost cult following
of locals from Deming,
Columbus,
Lordsburg, Las Cruces and Silver
City.
Ivonne
and Sergio Romero have been serving
up old-time Mexican hospitality for
almost as long as I have been
reporting on Palomas. "This is
going to be our 20th year, holy
guacamole," exclaimed Ivonne.
"My grandparents had a similar
business for 54 years and I said I'd
never do it -- and here I am."
The
Pink Store and Restaurant is not the
typical Palomas establishment.
The wares for sale reflect a broad
cross section of Mexican artists.
"We don't sell seconds, we don't
take buyers. We hand pick all
of our own stuff and we have artists
that we have been buying from for
years," Ivonne said. "That
is why people drive here from
Tucson. One of our artists,
Mario Lopez, is featured in the
Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago."
"The
beauty here, everything is just so
beautiful," said Dolores Chaves of
Deming. "Just the things here
... they have a lot of stuff you
just don't see in a regular store." The
Pink Store does carry a number of
what you might consider traditional
Mexican souvenirs, such as hats and
paper flowers, just so "regular"
tourists won't be disappointed.
For
many, the authentic Mexican food is
the main draw to the Pink Store.
The cheese for the chile rellenos
and other Mexican favorites is
actually made by a nearby Mennonite
community. "What a great
place," said Bayard resident Mark
Richard. "It is so much fun.
We have been come here for years --
the guacamole is the best."
The
peoples you meet make Palomas an
interesting place. It is sort
of like one of the watering holes of
the Old West. "It's like a
melting pot," said Deming resident
Vicki Bellinger. "I meet
people from all over the world
here."
For
decades, U.S. residents have come to
Mexican border towns seeking more
affordable dental work, prescription
medication and eyeglasses.
Others come in search of cheaper
grocery and fuel prices; many just
for trinkets. There are still
bargains to be found, but as the
economy tightens on this side of the
order, just as in the U.S., the
bargains just are not as big as they
used to be.
Violence has taken a big toll on
Mexican border towns and Palomas is
no exception. The streets were
once much more crowded with locals
and tourists. Shootings over
the past year have left several
dead. Most of the
killings here have been blamed on
drug dealers. Many
U.S. residents who love to visit
Mexico have not been deterred from
crossing the border.
"The
Pink Store and Palomas is a getaway
from everything. This is the
resort of southern New Mexico" said
Linda Bilant of Silver City.
"there are two to four deaths in
Albuquerque every weekend and I
still go there. This
(violence) is not meant for or
affecting the tourist." " I
think it is just the drug dealers
and I don't think it is dangerous,"
said Richard. "It would just
be bad luck to get caught in the
crossfire."
Mexico
and its people are beautiful, but
gone are the days when I used to
work cattle on the U.S. side and was
able to ride my horse across the Rio
Grande, have a burrito and a soda
pop...visit with friends, then ride
back. I used to love to ride
the border and was in awe of the
beauty of the land. Now,
I have to look through the slats of
a metal fence on the ranches I
cowboy on in New Mexico and Texas.
It is truly sad that the actions of
a few can ruin the good for so many.
Other
area attractions include
Columbus,
three miles north of Palomas.
It was here that Gen. Francisco "Pancho"
Villa made his raid on U.S. soil on
March 9, 1916. He even has a
state park named after him.
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