Dos Norteños - Juarez, Mexico [Two Northerners - Juarez, Mexico], from the series Pasatiempos de la Frontera [Pastimes of the Border]

Panoramic photographer Chuy Benitez highlights his binational experience in the borderlands between El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico. As part of his Pasatiempos series, he documented landmarks and social events near the U.S./ Mexico border. In Dos Norteños, the artist commemorates two musicians performing Conjunto Norteño music, a common form of Mexican regional music from Northern Mexico sung in Spanish and played with regional stringed instruments and accordions. Musicians typically dress in Western wear, such as cowboy hats and pearl snap shirts, resembling the farming and ranching communities’ attire of the Northern Mexican region. Benitez’s documentary photographic style encapsulates the lively nature of Norteño’s practice of performing in taverns and restaurants.