Boquillas del Carmen
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Boquillas del Carmen, frequently known simply as Boquillas (), is a village in northern
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
on the banks of the
Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...
. It is the northernmost populated place in the municipality of Ocampo, which lies within the
Mexican state The states of Mexico are first-level administrative territorial entities of the country of Mexico, which is officially named Mexico, United Mexican States. There are 32 federal entities in Mexico (31 states and the capital, Mexico City, as a sepa ...
of
Coahuila Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico. Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...
. The village lies immediately west of the northern part of the
Sierra del Carmen The Sierra del Carmen, also called the Sierra Maderas del Carmen, is a northern finger of the Sierra Madre Oriental in the state of Coahuila, Mexico. The Sierra begins at the Rio Grande at Big Bend National Park and extends southeast for about , r ...
mountain range and at the south-west end of the Rio Grande's
Boquillas Canyon Boquillas Canyon is a canyon in the Big Bend National Park. The canyon walls are 1,500 ft high and carved out of thick layers of limestone. The canyon length is a matter of some debate, with estimates ranging from 5 miles to 17 miles, dep ...
. Boquillas del Carmen was founded as a mining town in the late 19th-century, after valuable minerals were found in the nearby mountains. Mining ceased in 1919 and the population rapidly declined. Boquillas del Carmen lies adjacent to the
Mexico–United States border The Mexico–United States border ( es, frontera Estados Unidos–México) is an international border separating Mexico and the United States, extending from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border traver ...
and visitors on foot from the United States can enter the village via the Boquillas Port of Entry. Situated just next to
Big Bend National Park Big Bend National Park is an American national park located in West Texas, bordering Mexico. The park has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States, and was named after ...
, tourism is the principal industry in Boquillas. After the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
, the United States closed the border and the economy of Boquillas was severely affected and the population fell by nearly 50%. In 2013, the border was re-opened and the economy and population subsequently rebounded. From 2020 to 2021, the crossing was closed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.


History


19th century

Silver was discovered in the
Sierra del Carmen The Sierra del Carmen, also called the Sierra Maderas del Carmen, is a northern finger of the Sierra Madre Oriental in the state of Coahuila, Mexico. The Sierra begins at the Rio Grande at Big Bend National Park and extends southeast for about , r ...
in the early 1890s. The arrival of miners led to the establishment of two border camps either side of the Rio Grande: Boquillas in Texas (now Rio Grande Village) and Boquillas del Carmen. In addition to the silver, lead and zinc were also discovered. The mined ore containing these metals was smelted in a small furnace by the banks of the river near Boquillas del Carmen before being transported by road to
El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...
where it was further processed. The local mining company operated a cable car across the Rio Grande between the two Boquillas. At the height of mining operations, there were between 2,000 and 4,000 people living in Boquillas del Carmen.


20th century

Around the turn of the 20th century up to 2000 people lived in Boquillas. The principal employment came from industries relating to the production of lead, silver and fluorite ore from nearby mines. Mining ceased in 1919 and the town's population rapidly declined. Efforts began in the 1930s to create a United States-Mexico International Peace Park in the area, joining
Big Bend National Park Big Bend National Park is an American national park located in West Texas, bordering Mexico. The park has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States, and was named after ...
with the
Maderas del Carmen Maderas del Carmen is a biosphere reserve in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila. Maderas del Carmen encompasses part of the Sierra del Carmen, a northern finger of the Sierra Madre Oriental range. The reserve includes both dry Chihuahuan De ...
in Coahuila. Boquillas del Carmen would have been at the center of this proposed international peace park, but these efforts have not been realized. Despite this, Boquillas del Carmen interacted with Big Bend in other ways. Tourism from across the Rio Grande became the main trade. Country music star
Robert Earl Keen Robert Earl Keen (born January 11, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter and entertainer. Debuting with 1984's ''No Kinda Dancer'', the Houston native has recorded 20 full-length albums for both independent and major record labels. His songs ha ...
was known to have frequented Boquillas and released an album in 1994 entitled ''
Gringo Honeymoon ''Gringo Honeymoon'' is an album by Texas-based country and folk singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen released in the United States in August 1994 on Sugar Hill Records. The title track tells of the singer and his wife crossing the Rio Grande in ...
'' whose title track is said to be about a day he and a female companion visited the village. During the 2000 census, the town's population was calculated as comprising 191 people.


21st century

The events of
September 11, 2001 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerc ...
, dramatically affected Boquillas del Carmen's 20th-century way of life. In May 2002, the border crossing from Big Bend National Park to Boquillas was closed indefinitely. By October 2006, only 19 families comprising around 90 to 100 residents remained in Boquillas. Most of the town's residents had been forced to move away by the closure of the tourist crossing and destruction of the town's traditional economy. At the time of the 2010 census, the town's population was recorded as comprising only 110 people. On January 7, 2011, the US
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
announced plans to reopen the crossing using a ferry and a passport control center planned to open in the spring of 2012. After multiple delays, the new Boquillas Port of Entry was finally officially opened on 10 April 2013. The then
US Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natural ...
,
Ken Salazar Kenneth Lee Salazar (born March 2, 1955) is an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat who is the United States ambassador to Mexico. He previously served as the 50th United States Secretary of the Interior in the administration of President Ba ...
, played an instrumental role in getting the border crossing re-opened. The hours of operation currently are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, subject to seasonal changes. Since opening of the border crossing, the town of Boquillas del Carmen has seen substantial growth with the addition of electricity (from solar panels), a new medical care office, and enhancements at the public elementary school. Visitors are allowed to bring one bottle of alcohol back to the U.S. via this entry point. One may not bring tobacco back to the U.S. via this entry point. In response to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, the US authorities closed the Boquillas Port of Entry on March 17, 2020. It was reopened in November 2021.


Economy

After the end of the mining industry, tourism developed in Boquillas in the 20th century with Jose Falcon's restaurant opening in 1973. In the late 1990s, Boquillas was a small town of around 300 residents primarily dependent on the Big Bend
tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...
trade with visitors crossing the Rio Grande to visit the village's bar, restaurant, and
taco stand A taco stand or taquería is a food stall, food cart or restaurant that specializes in tacos and other Mexican dishes. The food is typically prepared quickly and tends to be inexpensive. Many various ingredients may be used, and various taco s ...
s. Children posted adjacent to the village's
Christian mission A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such ...
sold
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
s collected in the
desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...
or from nearby caves. Tourism options included
pony A pony is a type of small horse ('' Equus ferus caballus''). Depending on the context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. Compared ...
and donkey rentals, drinks at Park Bar and overnight stays at a local
bed and breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...
known as the Buzzard's Roost (since renamed as La Zappolita). The village continues to generate its income from tourists visiting on foot and in 2018 over 11,000 entered Boquillas from the United States. Local guides offer walking tours of the small village and locally produced handicrafts are on sale. Tours to the Boquillas Canyon, hot springs, archaeological sites and caves in the surrounding area by foot, truck, horse/burro, and canoe are also available. There are at least two restaurants/bars in the village and several curio shops selling mostly bead craft work. ''Los Diablos'', a firefighting team, lives in Boquillas. They work in the national park where they fight wildfires and sometimes support firefighting efforts in the United States.


Infrastructure

In 2015 a solar farm was brought into operation, providing electricity throughout the village. Apart from the river crossing to Big Bend, Boquillas can be reached by road along
Mexican Federal Highway 53 Federal Highway 53 (''Carretera Federal 53'') (Fed. 53) is part of the free (libre) part of the federal highways corridors (los corredores carreteros federales) of Mexico, and connects metropolitan Monterrey, Nuevo León to Boquillas del ...
. The nearest settlement of any size is
Santa Rosa de Múzquiz Melchor Múzquiz (also: Ciudad Melchor Múzquiz, Ciudad Múzquiz, or simply Múzquiz) is a city and seat of the municipality of Múzquiz, in the north-eastern Mexican state of Coahuila Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially ...
which is away with a journey time of at least 4 hours on account of the poor road condition. In 2013, it was noted that there was no mobile phone coverage or internet provision in Boquillas. A single telephone line now comes into the village. When one calls that line, the operator states a specific time at which the caller should call back, promising that the operator will find the person being telephoned and ensure that he/she is at the phone in order to receive the call at the appointed time.


Demographics

From 1990 to 2010, the population has never been officially recorded as over 200 and it suffered over a 40% drop over the period. By 2017 the population was estimated to have grown to around 300 people although the 2020 official census recorded a more modest growth to a population of 202 people. The village has a Roman Catholic church and a small Baptist church (''Boquillas Bautista Iglesia''). In 2010 the religious breakdown of Boquillas del Carmen was:Censo de Población y Vivienda 2010 - Microdatos
/ref> *Roman Catholic - 59 (53.6%) *Protestant/Evangelical/Biblical Christians - 44 (40.0%) *No religion/Atheist - 6 (5.4%) In 2020 the religious breakdown of was: *Roman Catholic - 74 (37%) *Protestant/Evangelical - 84 (42%) *Other religion - 0 (0%) *No religion/No religious affiliation - 42 (21%)


Climate


References


External links


Visit Boquillas Information and ToursMexican towns slowly recovering from closed bordersUS to leave Mexican border crossing to rangers
{{Authority control Coahuila populated places on the Rio Grande Populated places established in the 1890s Mining communities in Mexico