{"id":163,"date":"2025-03-13T00:50:42","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T00:50:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prudencekatze.net\/unalineafilm\/?p=163"},"modified":"2025-03-18T15:22:23","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T15:22:23","slug":"mapping-the-border-markers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prudencekatze.net\/unalineafilm\/2025\/03\/13\/mapping-the-border-markers\/","title":{"rendered":"Mapping the Border Markers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(This post is a bit herky-jerky… but, I’m trying to get better at just posting. Period)<\/p>\n\n\n

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From Report of the Boundary Commission Survey and Remarking of the Boundary Between the United States and Mexico West of the Rio Grande 1891 to 1896.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

West of the Rio Grande, the border divide between the United States and Mexico is somewhat regularly studded with old, crumbling obelisks. One side is the United States of America. The other side is belongs to Los<\/em> Estados Unidos Mexicanos <\/em>– the United Mexican States. The middle of the marker is the carefully plotted dividing line between the two countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How was the dividing line decided? Coordinates, at that time in the late 1800’s, were determined by locating and plotting the stars. Each country created their own astronomical observatory camp, a momentous exercise that took a lot of planning, delicate instruments, mules, and people. The plan was the countries to compare their respective calculated coordinates and then try to split any difference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mexican government was more organized and had a head start. As The Report of the Boundary Commission Survey and Remarking of the Boundary Between the United States and Mexico West of the Rio Grande 1891 to 1896<\/a> explained:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On the organization of the International Boundary Commission at Juarez, Mexico, November 17, 1891, the members of the Mexican section were present with a full outfit of instruments and observers ready for work.<\/em> 

These instruments had been purchased by the Mexican Government at the date of the first convention in 1892, and were used by them to determine the latitude and longitude of Juarez at that time while waiting for the United States Government to appoint a commission.<\/em>

The United States commissioners having reached El Paso without instruments, men, or transportation, it was necessary for them to return north to organize their party, engage assistants, procure instruments, and purchase animals, wagons, and camp equipage before they would be able to begin field operations.

The time between December 1, 1891, and January 20, 1892, was spent in securing assistants and in organizing the transportation for the field parties.<\/em><\/pre>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Border Marker 111 in Arizona’s San Rafael Valley.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
The monuments are testaments of cooperation between the USA and Mexico. But, I had no idea about their existence until I started to encounter them during my film making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The obelisks are often behind a USA-built border fence. Which is puzzling to me, since the fence is blocking off USA soil. Each country starts, from their respective sides of north or south, at the imaginary line dividing the middle of the monument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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MAPPING the BORDER MONUMENTS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I bump into the monuments, but could I seek them out? I wanted to have an easily accessible map.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The US side of the International Boundary and Water Commission has a GIS Portal<\/a>. Using python, I downloaded a geojson and converted it to a kml file. Here a qre the border monuments if you’d like to play around with them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n