In creating the Albuquerque Historical and Cultural Timeline, I was struck with the many layers of interactions between Mexico, New Mexico, the Southwest and the U.S.
Trade and immigration between “Mexico” and “New Mexico” has ebbed and flowed for more than a thousand years and most certainly will continue into the future.
The thought arose that it might be interesting and perhaps timely to use the Timeline to explore the history of Mexican immigration into/through New Mexico and the U.S. in the next video.
The Timeline could focus and correlate events taking place over time and geography and through politics – economics – cultures.
At a first look, I began noticing patterns of human and economic behavior of push-pull and supply-demand that seemed to emerge and persist right up into today’s news:
- Borders are arbitrary lines drawn on a map and then arbitrarily agreed upon
- People, nature and commerce do not necessarily adhere to these lines
- Cheap(er) labor can be seductively important to business profitability
- Cheap(er) labor consists mainly of needier than average individuals
- “Needier than average” can arise from strong financial need or desire, weak education, weak political awareness, shaky legal status, drought-flood-disease-war; the pool is large and constant
- Globalizing and internationalizing production and trade has usually sought access to untapped resources, such as: needier than average labor, cheaper than average minerals and materials, weaker than average laws, more available than average land
- Economic profit can be a stronger incentive than laws or penalties
- Enforcement of laws can vary widely for many different reasons and to many different advantages (and disadvantages)
Exploring the Timeline this way should be interesting; plus, by posting this I’ll create the incentive to really get the thing done!