Deming Headlight Article

UNM graduate students survey border villages

Author: Sylvia Brenner NM State Parks Staff Article ID: 6053602 Date: June 3, 2007 Publication: Deming Headlight (NM)

(Courtesy photo)

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COLUMBUS — Intensely combing the border villages of Columbus and Palomas, Mexico, six University of New Mexico graduate students recently spent an intensive two weeks compiling a detailed map of the area and a listing of each village's assets.

"It is unanimous that the people here are warm and welcoming and that's something we will take back with us," said UNM graduate student Nubia Collaros.

The post-graduate "Border Planning Studio" class, facilitated by Dr. David Hinkle, Jr., director of Community and Regional Planning Program at UNM School of Architecture and Planning, utilized Pancho Villa State Park's Camp Furlong Recreation Hall as a daytime classroom.

"All of the students are bilingual," Hinkle said, adding the class was held in a very compressed time frame — two weeks instead the usual sixteen weeks.

"But being here in Columbus day-to-day allowed us to get to know each other and the residents personally," Hinkle said. "Our focal point was to complete a detailed map of the villages and businesses and characterize the assets of both towns. This was accomplished and reflected back to both communities."

An open house was recently held at the Columbus Community Center, as well as a general presentation made at the Andrew Sanchez Memorial Youth Center.

"In Palomas, we held a strategy session with business leaders, government, education and environmental officials," Hinkle said. "From my perspective, there was a great deal of warm sharing and first class work by members of the team."

The international boundary physically divides Columbus and Palomas but the two communities share economics, education and history. Hundreds of children from Palomas attend Columbus Elementary School while U.S. residents vhead south for medical services and dining.

The two communities have a shared history since the early 20th century when Pancho Villa headed north and raided the village and Columbus military base.

As the two communities continue to grow, the cross-border connections strengthen and become more apparent, Hinkle added.

Columbus has about 2,000 residents and Palomas has a population of around 8,000.