Colonias–Sweet 15

David Butow

Corbis/Saba / U.S. News & World Report

Colonias-Sweet 15 A young girl readies herself for her quinceanera, a 'sweet 15' party common in the Hispanic-American community. For decades a number of colonias, impoverished settlements along the Texas-Mexico border, have been called America's Third World or the new Appalachia. They often lack basic necessities such as water, paved roads, and sewers. But what they lack in modern comforts the people make up for in pride. They own the dusty land on which they settle.

David Butow, "Colonias–Sweet 15," in POYi Archive, Item #32658, http://archive.poy.org/items/show/32658 (accessed November 23, 2024).