Ajo was synonymous with copper mining until the Phelps Dodge Company pulled out in the 1980s. Reeling after the shutdown of the mine, Ajo recast its identity as a destination for part-time winter residents and tourists. The hardening of the U.S.-Mexico border during the 1990s, however, funneled undocumented border crossers from Mexico into the desert surrounding Ajo. The town found itself in the middle of a vast border enforcement zone surrounded by immigration checkpoints and under constant surveillance by the Border Patrol. Contemporary Ajo sits on the cusp of this historical moment, with a past identity tied to the mining industry, a present dominated by the border security industry, and a fledgling community development and environmental movement that may be antithetical to both.

 

 

Title: The Border, and the Transformation of Ajo, Arizona, Act I
Description: For full HD quality watch this clip through the Vimeo site (Load the video, but then click the Vimeo link on the player to be redirected to the site).
Date: 5/2011
Location: Ajo

 

Title: The Border, and the Transformation of Ajo, Arizona, Act II
Description: For full HD quality watch this clip through the Vimeo site (Load the video, but then click the Vimeo link on the player to be redirected to the site).
Date: 5/2011
Location: Ajo