delta
delta del río colorado
The Colorado River is disappearing. Which is to say, the river is dying. The Colorado River is the most endangered river in the United States. The river begins in the Colorado Mountains and wends southward, weaving an emerald green thread, braiding seven states and two countries together, eventually flowing into the sea at the Colorado River Delta in Sonora, Mexico. By the time the river reaches Mexico, the United States has diverted 90% of the water for agriculture, robbing Indigenous tribes in both the United States and Mexico of their rights and relationship to the river. At the river’s nadir, a vast delta birthed from the fusion of river and sea gives life to mineral-rich wetlands and tributaries, wildlife, and human life. The river and the Delta hold sacred meaning for Cucapah, Mojave, Tohono O’odham, Kumayay tribes who cherish the river as a living being. Extraction, diversion, and displacement instigated by the United States threaten the health of the river and Delta, as well as the culture and bodies of Indigenous communities.
Border/Arte's program, Delta, focuses on issues of water, land, and borders between the US and Mexico. We work with leaders of the Cucapah Nation, Tohono O'odham Nation, and nature conservationists to facilitate artistic exchanges, research trips, art installations, and dialogues focused on water, land, and borders in the region. We explore narratives of the past to layer our understanding the Delta de Río Colorado, and build future scenarios for human, nature, river interaction in the region.
The Colorado River is disappearing. Which is to say, the river is dying. The Colorado River is the most endangered river in the United States. The river begins in the Colorado Mountains and wends southward, weaving an emerald green thread, braiding seven states and two countries together, eventually flowing into the sea at the Colorado River Delta in Sonora, Mexico. By the time the river reaches Mexico, the United States has diverted 90% of the water for agriculture, robbing Indigenous tribes in both the United States and Mexico of their rights and relationship to the river. At the river’s nadir, a vast delta birthed from the fusion of river and sea gives life to mineral-rich wetlands and tributaries, wildlife, and human life. The river and the Delta hold sacred meaning for Cucapah, Mojave, Tohono O’odham, Kumayay tribes who cherish the river as a living being. Extraction, diversion, and displacement instigated by the United States threaten the health of the river and Delta, as well as the culture and bodies of Indigenous communities.
Border/Arte's program, Delta, focuses on issues of water, land, and borders between the US and Mexico. We work with leaders of the Cucapah Nation, Tohono O'odham Nation, and nature conservationists to facilitate artistic exchanges, research trips, art installations, and dialogues focused on water, land, and borders in the region. We explore narratives of the past to layer our understanding the Delta de Río Colorado, and build future scenarios for human, nature, river interaction in the region.