From the Texas Observer

Picture by Penny de Los Santos- from the Texas Observer
Taken at a colonia near Laredo along Hwy 359

Photographer Penny De Los Santos has been working on her "Tejanos Project" for a while now. Some of her work can be seen at http://www.pennydelossantos.com/. In a recent Texas Monthly issue, she writes:

“For years I have been photographing along the evolving Texas-Mexico border. Nowhere in this country is there a more diverse group of Latinos: Mexican-Americans, Mexican nationals and undocumented workers from many points of origin. Some can trace their roots to the land for more than seven generations. The entire southern border region of this country is a modern-day Ellis Island. But with border fences and the militarization of the region, this culture is precious, endangered and in some regards forgotten.”

It's funny how people from beyond the border many times seem facinated with the complex culture that we on the border experience most everyday.