OUR NEIGHBOR, MEXICO 



479 



YOUNG MENS CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION BUILD1JNG, CITY OF MEXICO: COST, $100,000 



It is equipped with library, reading-room, class-rooms, gymnasium, swimming-pool, 



restaurant, and some 90 dormitory-rooms 



THE INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY 



The melting snows from the San Juan 

 and Sangre de Christo ranges of the 

 Rocky Mountains in southern Colorado 

 form the genesis of the Rio Grande, 

 which, after flowing south through New 

 Mexico, bends southeast at the western 

 extremity of Texas, courses between it 

 and Mexico for a distance equal to that 

 of Saint Louis from New York, and de- 

 scends in 1,100 miles from an elevation 

 of 4,500 feet to sea-level at the Gulf of 

 Mexico. 



Except when in flood, the Rio Grande 

 is apparently an unimportant stream and 

 readily crossed, for the normal flow is 

 well utilized for irrigation in both coun- 

 tries ; but it has carved in a part of its 

 course canyons difficult of exploration. 

 The changes wrought by freshets, which 

 shift the channel, demand the attention 

 of an international commission, whose 

 function is to adjust the boundary along 

 the Rio Grande to meet the varying 



conditions. The uncertainty of this is 

 illustrated by a claim under investigation 

 that a portion of the important city of 

 El Paso, Texas, is Mexican soil. The 

 remaining 700 miles of the international 

 boundary to the west separating our 

 neighbor Republic from New Mexico, 

 Arizona, and California is through an 

 arid desert section, much of which is 

 mountainous. This is not a direct line, 

 but has five changes in alignment, which 

 have been accurately surveyed and estab- 

 lished by 258 permanent monuments 

 easily distinguishable. 



Allowing for impassable canyons, 

 mountain barriers, etc., probably 1,400 

 miles of boundary must be under sur- 

 veillance to prevent smuggling, the pas- 

 sage of contraband articles, or violations 

 of neutrality in emergencies. 



Railways in Texas, New Mexico, and 

 Arizona are close to the border, and 

 these transportation avenues unite the 

 two nations at seven points. 



