Crossing the Valley

The map above illustrates Liliana's migration journey.Image taken from maps.live.com.

As I began this project it never occurred to me to interview my mother. It was not until we began a casual conversation of her childhood experiences that I realized I was oblivious to my mother’s past and nevertheless her journey to the United States. For the first time not only did I recognize my mother as the wonderful individual that she is, but also as an individual that contains a past worth sharing. In order to better embrace her past and journey I decided to conduct the interview in her native language, Spanish, since I believe this was the only method that allowed me to convey her voice. Liliana Betancourt was born in Nueva Rosita, Coahuila, Mexico. As a child she moved with her father, mother, and younger siblings to Sonoyta, Sonora a small town that shares a border with Arizona. It was in this small border town that Liliana spent most of her childhood that is until the age of fifteen certain events led her to migrate to the United States.