Program
Study Tour Description

The new political and economic realities carved out by migration and remittances, as experienced from a community point of view, are the central focus of the Transnational Assembly's study tour. It is an amazing opportunity to visit with 2 towns that exemplify the hardships caused by massive migration, as well as the pioneering spirit - allegiance to both home and kin - and the grassroots organization of the transnational experience.

We will begin our study tour by visiting Piaxtla, in the state of Puebla, east of Mexico City, where we will meet the mayor and his newly appointed director of migration services to discuss the detrimental effects of emigration, and the town’s dwindling population. Their governmental perspective should provide insight into the complexities of migration and globalization.

Further down the road lies Boquerón. The town and its émigrés have been instrumental in instituting a model of remittance-based development. As was chronicled in the documentary The Sixth Section, migrants in upstate New York formed a hometown association called “Grupo Unión,” and collectivized their remittances to fund electricity, a school cafeteria, an ambulance, and a 2000-seat baseball stadium.

Beyond the current generation’s efforts, Boquerón has more than forty years of migration history. On the tour, we will be joined by Eduardo Merino, current resident of Newburgh, NY, in the USA and member of Grupo Union, as well as some of the town’s residents that traveled to Mexico City in the 1960s in search of work. Together with members of their home community in Boqueron, they will discuss with us the distinct eras of emigration, and how their personal experiences of migration and community development have evolved over the years.

Dates

Tour capacity: 40 participants

Cost: $75, includes transportation, meals and lodging in Acatlán, which is renowned for its ceramics and artisans.