Why Camp Naco Matters
Camp Naco is a rare historic site where multiple, overlapping stories converge—Buffalo Soldiers, borderland conflict, migration, military segregation, labor movements, and the enduring legacies of U.S. and Mexican empire. Located at the crossroads of revolution and resistance, it offers an unparalleled lens into the complexities of race, power, and identity in the American Southwest.
As a public historian and documentarian, I don’t approach Camp Naco to tell its story—I aim to help the community tell its own. Through audiovisual work on the Camp Naco Story Map and ongoing documentary collaboration, I’ve worked alongside local leaders, historians, and residents to preserve and elevate narratives that are often overlooked. This is not just about a forgotten military outpost—it’s about how a small, often-dismissed border town holds the key to understanding national myths, contested sovereignties, and what it truly means to be “American” or “Mexican.”
Camp Naco is a living archive—one that demands we listen carefully, and look closely.
Explore Camp Naco's history: https://camp-naco-agic.hub.arcgis.com/