borderland

On the borderlands of early civilizations, people who considered one another alien met in moments of trade, warfare or simple human curiosity.

“I always wanted to find places that reminded me of home,” the comedian and actor, originally from the Texas borderlands, says of her affinity for the family-run restaurant.

Born in San Antonio, the son and grandson of accordionists became famous as the face of Tex-Mex music and as a favorite session player whenever rock and country gods needed some borderlands flair.

These borderlands surrounding El Paso were long a place of risk but also opportunity.

The People Over Papers map, for example, reflects an older lineage: the resistance tactics of Black Maroons — enslaved Africans who fled to swamps and borderlands, forming secret networks to evade capture and warn others.