I this time travel in 3D? The look of Elizabeth Taylor/Leslie Benedict as she catches a glimpse of Texas from the train comes to mind. Chaparral, mountain, and asphalt, highway 10 borders, literally, from El Paso to El Porvenir (next to Pilares) and La Esperanza, the Río Grande (Bravo). Arid yet grandiose and in a very desolate way… so plain!
Is Marfa forever trapped in the movie Giant? Suddenly, the transgressor is the rain that pours a little green on these lands of bush and power lines. The first idea that crosses the traveler is that this is the middle of nowhere; high desert framed by Davis Mountains to the north, and by Chihuahua practically surrounding the county of Presidio, to the south.
A Russian railroad worker named Marfa, after a character of Dostoyevsky. Other towns located in the same county, Presidio, have similar stories as their sole attraction. In 1918, for instance, El Porvenir was infamously marked by the drive by Rangers to eliminate “outlaws”, resulting in 15 polemic deaths. Many travel to Valentine -a community of the neighboring county of Jeff Davis founded on the 14th of February- to send postcards from there on Saint Valentine’s day, only to have the famed postmarks on their cards. Marfa? Marfa shines, as it owns the secret of the lights believed to be extraterrestrial occurrences, or the intense artistic life epitomized in the installation of Prada, a peculiar sculpture by Elmgreen and Dragset. The postmodern landmark was unveiled in October of 2005 with the commercial slogan “Opening Soon Prada Marfa”. Of course, when I saw the T-junction with route 90, called California Avenue as it passes through Marfa, the first thought that crossed my mind was “I must be in the middle of nowhere”.
I was at that fabulous crossroad I will certainly revisit another time, when my goal is not to get to Big Bend, before nightfall…. In any case… not all paths lead to Rome, some may take you to Marfa.
Is Marfa forever trapped in the movie Giant? Suddenly, the transgressor is the rain that pours a little green on these lands of bush and power lines. The first idea that crosses the traveler is that this is the middle of nowhere; high desert framed by Davis Mountains to the north, and by Chihuahua practically surrounding the county of Presidio, to the south.
A Russian railroad worker named Marfa, after a character of Dostoyevsky. Other towns located in the same county, Presidio, have similar stories as their sole attraction. In 1918, for instance, El Porvenir was infamously marked by the drive by Rangers to eliminate “outlaws”, resulting in 15 polemic deaths. Many travel to Valentine -a community of the neighboring county of Jeff Davis founded on the 14th of February- to send postcards from there on Saint Valentine’s day, only to have the famed postmarks on their cards. Marfa? Marfa shines, as it owns the secret of the lights believed to be extraterrestrial occurrences, or the intense artistic life epitomized in the installation of Prada, a peculiar sculpture by Elmgreen and Dragset. The postmodern landmark was unveiled in October of 2005 with the commercial slogan “Opening Soon Prada Marfa”. Of course, when I saw the T-junction with route 90, called California Avenue as it passes through Marfa, the first thought that crossed my mind was “I must be in the middle of nowhere”.
I was at that fabulous crossroad I will certainly revisit another time, when my goal is not to get to Big Bend, before nightfall…. In any case… not all paths lead to Rome, some may take you to Marfa.
¿Vive Marfa atrapada en la película Giant? El elemento transgresor para mí es la lluvia de junio que agrega pinceladas de verde a esas planicies de matorral, pobladas de descomunales torres eléctricas. Parecería que uno se encuentra en medio de la nada, en esa zona desértica delimitada, al norte, por la cadena montañosa de Davis y al sur por Chihuahua que prácticamente rodea al condado de Presidio.
Marfa, orgullosamente bautizada por un trabajador ferroviario ruso, aficionado de Dostoyevsky, está ubicada en Presidio. Cada uno de estos poblados tiene su historia y su atractivo. El Porvenir lleva la infamante marca de la masacre perpetrada por los Rangers tejanos en contra de los “outlaws” (forajidos), resultando en 15 polémicas muertes. Muchos viajan a Valentine para enviar postales en el día de los enamorados, con los ya célebres sellos de su oficina postal. ¿Y Marfa? Marfa brilla, poseedora del secreto de las luces que aparecen en su cielo, cuyo misterio extraterrestre queda por resolver. Difícilmente podría uno dejar de hallar interesante la vida artística intensa de Marfa epitomizada más recientemente en el edificio Prada, escultura de Elmgreen y Dragset, un hito del arte posmoderno inaugurado en Octubre de 2005 bajo el anuncio "Opening Soon" (Próximamente), Prada Marfa. Claro que cuando vi la T que forma la carretera 10 con la 90, llamada en Marfa Avenida California pensé, sin más… “I must be in the middle of nowhere”.
Pero no… me hallaba en un crucero fabuloso y lleno de cosas que seguiré con más detalle en otra ocasión cuando mi meta sea esa y no la llegada a Big Bend, antes del anochecer… En todo caso digo que no todos los caminos conducen a Roma, algunos llevan a Marfa.
