American Borders Americanas Summary

In Guillermo Verdecchia’s play, American Borders/Fronteras Americanas, he talks about the postcolonial effect on the world. Verdecchia talks about the use of lenses to see the different view points of society. For example, in the play he says, “I check into the Hotel de Don Tito, listed on page 302 of your Fodor’s as a moderate, small hotel with six suites, eight twins, eight singles, bar, homey atmosphere, and it’s located on one of the main streets in Santiago on Huérfanos at Huérfanos 578” (38-39). He shows how his Fodor, a well known and renounced travel guide, talks about how homey and ‘safe’ Hotel Don Tito is. However, in reality, this so called in depth perception of a culture and country by a travel magazine is not as important or relevant as how it is seen to be first hand.
I reach for my camera and begin to take photographs”(38-39). As he is taking the pictures of the man that is dying he sees the police just stand there and not help him. He begins to change his lenses and cameras. “I take photographs with a 135 mm. telephoto and then change lenses […]. I take photographs with a Pentax MX and a 35 mm. F 2.8 lens. […] I take photographs, 64 ASA Kodachromes […]” (38-39). He goes from a high-tech DSLR to a low profile vintage SLR. By doing so he shows the different perspectives that people may have on a different culture. For example the high end DSLR represents the perspective of the Global North, for they can afford the higher end camera. As you move down lower and lower the cameras begin to change, they become cheaper and cheaper because those are the ones poorer people can afford, the simple SLR or plastic film