Members of El Alberto, a small town of four thousand Hñähñu speakers in the great canyon of the Mezquital Valley, in central Mexico, have been reenacting their border-crossing experiences as a touristic attraction for more than 15 years. This reenactment was conceived by older members of the community that had witnessed and suffered the increasing violence in the border, with the goal of preventing younger community members from fleeing.

During this reenactment, migrants are violently taken, at night and without lamplights, across the valley’s semi-desert scenery that, according to the ones who have crossed the border, very accurately resembles the Arizona landscape. Rinxui (‘Into the Night’, in Hñahñu) was shot in complete darkness with the help of night vision cameras and infrared lights, trying to be the least intrusive to the reenactment. Three-channel video installation in progress.