This gallery explores the various factors that made Ciudad Juárez one of the most pivotal cities during the Mexican Revolution. Its location on the border and the construction of the Mexican Central Railway at the end of the 19th century—establishing the main channel of trade with the United States—fueled the growth of the Mexican population on both sides of the border.

Economic crisis, widespread discrimination against Mexicans in the U.S., and the urgency for political and social change in Mexico turned Ciudad Juárez into fertile ground for the emergence of liberal and Maderista groups whose ideas influenced large segments of the population. Amid this crisis, Mexicans who managed to settle in El Paso carried with them their language, culture, and traditions. In doing so, they began a process of identity-building as a strategy for cultural survival—a phenomenon now known as Mexican nationalism on the border.

Throughout this gallery, visitors will encounter objects and photographs that bear witness to the era and the motivations that drove thousands of compatriots to attempt to cross the border.