Caminos del Mojado

Known as a derogatory term in the United States, “mojados” (or “wetbacks”) carries a different tone within the Latine migrant community. It can act as a kind of “badge of bravery,” reflecting the immense courage required to make one of life’s hardest decisions: leaving behind family, community, culture, language, and home with hardly anything in hand, all for the chance at a better life and the ever-sought-after American Dream. This chamber piece invites listeners to put themselves in the migrants’ shoes and visualize the characters’ journeys. The work consists of three movements, each depicting a specific stage of that journey. “El Río” (The River) begins at the riverbank. The danger of sweeping currents and the migrant’s sense of panic transport them into a kind of déjà vu, sparking happier memories of home. Toward the end of the movement, they are jolted back to reality; the panic and rushing river subside as they reach safety. “El Tren” (The Train) depicts the journey aboard “La Bestia,” nicknamed the “Train of Death.” This network of cargo trains, running from the Guatemala–Mexico border toward the United States, was shut down in 2014, but not before becoming the setting for countless stories of danger and tragedy. This movement offers the listener an auditory window into that perilous trek. To conclude the piece, “El Desierto” (The Desert) explores the most common journey that surviving migrants live to tell. This final movement uses specific sounds drawn from nature—including rattlesnakes and sinking sand—to guide the listener through the landscape toward a contorted version of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” It illustrates that arrival in the United States is only the beginning of an even more difficult journey: cultural assimilation in a completely different country.