We came to the field this year equipped with a GoPro camera, hoping to get some great action shots of our work and how we do things. Justin has been wearing it on his hat quite a bit, and we’ve all been passing it around to get some interesting shots. So I’ve finally put a little bit of the footage together to give our readers an idea of what it looks like through the eyes of Team UIndy at Sacred Heart Cemetery!
As always, thanks for reading and watching!
As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, one of my favorite moments from last year was dinner at the constable’s home. Constable Arturo Garcia once again invited us into his home for an authentic Mexican home-cooked meal as a thank you for all of UIndy and Baylor’s hard work. It is such an honor for him to invite all of us (30+ people) into his home and go out of his way to make so much amazing food! We became part of the family for an evening and enjoyed sitting together and having a group dinner with Arturo’s friends and family. This year we were very happy to be able to talk with Arturo’s wife. Last summer she was at the cemetery tending to a grave and was bit by a brown recluse spider and had to spend the evening with her foot propped up. We are so appreciative that they would have us over and make us part of the family.
We arrived at the constable’s home to see several tables and chairs placed around the yard along with a PA system that he used to play music all evening. This quickly led to some dancing and karaoke later…
We were very excited for a home-cooked meal and we were definitely looking forward to some more cowboy bread this season. This year the Garcias prepared for us some amazing brisket, beans, rice, sausage, and cowboy bread (our favorite!).
After dinner Arturo started playing music and opened up the dance floor. Arturo and his wife shared a dance. This was soon followed by Dr. Lori Baker with Ryan, Jim “Sarge” Huggins with Jessica, and Dr. Krista Latham with Arturo, two-stepping to George Strait.
As I mentioned, the PA system quickly became a karaoke system. Arturo was singing some and then the Baylor students hooked up an iPhone to the system and started giving some awesome performances. Xavier, a Baylor University student, started us off with an acappella version of Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing’. Then Helen, another Baylor University student, joined Arturo in singing texano music.
The constable and his family are always so inviting and kind to us. We were so happy to be able to spend time with them again this field season and are very thankful for his hospitality and a night of relaxing fun.
Here’s to another full day in Falfurrias. Last year we learned to expect the unexpected and that rings true for this year as well. The UIndy team spent more time mentoring the Baylor undergraduates today than working on their own area of the cemetery. Forensic archeology is a slow and complex process. The lesson of the day was slow down and strive for success. In this particular situation, success is making sure we investigate every centimeter of this area in which burials could be located. Success and progress are not only measured by the number of individuals we exhume each day, but by knowing that we are systematically investigating this plot of land so that all burials are detected and none are left behind.
As we were nearing our usual stopping point in the day (when the sun is so strong that just standing in direct sunlight can bring you down in minutes) we got a call that a skeleton had been located on a ranch. We were privileged to accompany Chief Benny and Border Patrol to the ranch to do the recovery of the individual. We spent several hours in the baking sun working the case.
Once we finished on the ranch we headed to the station with Chief Benny. The individuals exhumed from the cemetery are temporarily being stored in a refrigerated trailer at the station. We went to see the station and take a quick inventory on the recoveries to date. As you can see, there is never a dull day in Falfurrias. We came to work and we are working hard.
Over the past few days we have had the pleasure to meet and spend time with freelance writer Ananda Rose (http://anandarose.org/home.html). Ananda has been investigating and writing about immigration issues since her graduate school years at Harvard. Her dissertation work was compiled into a very powerful book called “Showdown in the Sonoran Desert: Religion, Law, and the Immigration Controversy.” I was first contacted by Ananda a few months ago because she wanted to write a piece on what we are doing surrounding issues of migrant death in South Texas for Scientific American. After many phone calls and email exchanges over the past few months we finally got to meet in person. The UIndy team and I got to share several meals, laughs and stories with Ananda over the three days she was in town. I am so happy to have met such an amazing person who is working so hard to bring awareness to this issue! Not only is she an incredible author, but an incredible person as well. We miss you Ananda!
~KEL