This is Part One of Borderly, a limited series by Immigrantly exploring life on the U.S.–Mexico border through history, memory, and lived experience. Before walls, patrols, or policy debates, there was a river. In this opening episode, host Mario Carrillo returns to El Paso to examine how the border came into existence and what was lost when a line was drawn through land, families, and identity. The episode traces the border’s origins from the Rio Grande as a shared lifeline for Indigenous communities, through colonization, war, and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Mario reflects on growing up crossing the border freely, leaving El Paso, and what it meant to come back. The episode also features historian Yolanda Chávez Leyva, who shares her border story and decades of research on the El Paso–Juárez region. Her work reveals how revolution, migration, labor, and racial hierarchies shaped the area, and how cruelty and generosity have coexisted here for generations. This episode lays the foundation for the series: the border not as a country's edge, but as a place with its own center, history, and meaning. New episodes follow weekly in January. Join us in creating new intellectual engagement for our audience. You can find more information at http://immigrantlypod.com. Please share the love and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify to help more people find us! You can connect with Saadia on IG @itssaadiak Email:saadia@immigrantlypod.com Host: Mario Carrillo I Producer: Saadia Khan I Editorial review: Shei Yu I Sound Designer & Editor and Borderly Theme Music: Lou Raskin I Other Music: Epidemic Sound Immigrantly Podcast is an Immigrantly Media Production. For advertising inquiries, contact us at info@immigrantlypod.com Want to go deeper into your own identity? Download Belong on Your Own Terms, the app helping first-gen, second-gen, and third-culture kids reclaim belonging on their own terms. link below http://studio.com/saadia Don't forget to subscribe to Immigrantly Uninterrupted for insightful podcasts. Follow us on social media for updates and behind-the-scenes content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
