Migrants in the United States of America

Curated by Néstor García Canclini From the almost 5,000 images that Pedro Meyer accumulated from the early 1980s to 2006, curator Néstor García Canclini selected 50 scenes on “a variety of emblematic situations” revolving around Mexican migrants in the United States; he organized the material into five narratives. The points of access to reach California, Arizona, Texas, or New York are documented not only in photos of the desert paths, but also in those displaying “the means of legitimating or legalizing the presence of foreigners.” They include, for example, shots of storefronts offering “immediate marriage” or “amnesty.” And since access also implies being able to work and live, Meyer went into Mexican barrios to witness their existence.