Tijuana is a city in flux. Since Mexican President Felipe Calderón declared war on the drug cartels that had besieged his nation in 2006, the city has been an epicenter of that violent and protracted conflict-among the cartels, the drug- and human-traffickers, the police, the federal agents, and the everyday citizens caught up in the mix. The poverty in neighborhoods throughout the city is nothing short of astounding, especially when juxtaposed with the wealth of its northern neighbor, San Diego, California; at no other walkable border crossing in the world is the transition from solvency to indigence so abrupt. It's bitterly ironic that, while the real market for the drugs moved by the cartels is north of the border, the illicit trade has hollistically bankrupted the city to the south.What follows is a selection of images from the award-winning photographer Rodrigo Cruz that moves, starkly and without apology, throughout the days and nights of Tijuana's conflict-beset neighborhoods.Click each image to enlarge.
Share on Facebook
