On March 17, 1957 a horse from Agua Prieta, Mexico named Relampago, Lightening in English, but also known as El Zaino, for his chestnut color, was the winner of a very important race against a horse named El Moro, from the town of Cumpas, to become the champion of Sonora. El Moro was a famous horse in the region—he had won many races, but moreover, El Moro was seen as the horse of the people, representing the rural and poor. Relapago, however, was perceived as the horse of the rich city folk. His owner, Rafael Romero, was the proprietor of the Copacabana nightclub in Agua Prieta and Relampago was born in California—“the other side”.

The dichotomies between rich and poor and the U.S. and Mexico gave this race much more importance. So much so, that the race inspired one of the most well known corridos of all time, El Moro de Cumpas by Leonardo Yañez, but made famous by Vicente Fernandez. Later, in 1977, a film, also titled El Moro de Cumpas (directed by Mario Hernández), was made about the race between El Moro and Relampago and starred the famous musician Antonio Aguilar.

Having won the race, Relampago became very well known and many challenges to his speed were issued on both sides of the border. One challenger, a fiery horse named Chiltepin, named after a wild chile that grows in the region (the ancestor of the domesticated chile pequín), was set to race Relampago. Chiltepin was a very seasoned horse and had run the Kentuky Derby. But Chiltepin was from Pirtleville, Arizona, just outside of Douglas. While the two owners wanted to race, a hoof-and-mouth epidemic made it impossible for either horse to cross into the other’s country to race. Therefore, an ingenious solution was reached: A bi-national race that would take place parallel to the border with each horse running along side the boundary! On September 14, 1958, marking the 200th anniversary of the city of Douglas, Arizona, the race was set.[1] Hundereds of people lined up on both sides of the border, cheering and betting. Relampago came off the starting line late—Chiltepin in the lead. Within meters, Relampago soon caught Chiltepin—the winner after the quarter mile race? Relampago![2]

This elevated Relampago’s status from the horse that represented the rich, beating the horse that represented the poor (El Moro) to the Mexican horse that defeated the horse from the U.S. Like the wall itself, the perceptual divide between the two countries had become more solidified by the race and Relampago became a beloved horse in Agua Prieta, yet his legacy remains in the shadow of El Moro. Today, a statue of El Moro de Cumpas can be found in the city of Sonora and while El Moro is well known throughout Mexico, outside the region little is known about Relampago.

However, 43 years after this infamous race between Relampago and Chilpetin, the event has been revived to celebrate the love of equestrian sports, but also to commemorate an event that brought people together across the divide, as well as an event that recognized the transfronterizmo nature of people (and horses) in the borderlands.

On May 5th, 2001, two miles of barbed wire dividing the U.S. from Mexico were taken down and replaced by thin, white plastic pipes. The 500 meters of pipes marked the division between the U.S. and Mexico, but also the centerline for another horserace—the Cinco de Mayo International Border Horse Race—perhaps the only horserace in the world to take place simultaneously in two countries (Agua Prieta, Mexico and Douglas, Arizona). Grandstands were set up on both sides of the border for spectators and nearly 20,000 people lined the track shouting to the competition across the border with jeers, cheers and bets on who would win. The horses reached speeds of 50mph in races that lasted between 13 to 20 seconds.[3] These races have continued to take place despite the increased security along the border. No longer can the fence be taken down, but the horses still run beside the X-foot-tall barbed wire topped borderwall.

And what became of Relampago and El Moro? In XXXX, Relampago’s owner offered a re-match to El Moro’s owner. The 30-some-year-old horses were far along in age and El Moro’s owner declined to race El Moro, but offered another horse instead to race Relampago. Relampago’s owner accepted the offer, despite the challenger being a spry 3 years old. Old Relampago was slow off the starting line again this time, but perhaps due to age. He was behind much of the race, but slowly caught up to the challenger and at the finish line, RELAMPAGO!

This solidified Relampago’s respect in the region. In 1975 Relampago was diagnosed with cancer, and was given lethal injection and given a hero’s burial. In some strange way, Relampago’s life was very much a reflection of the wall. His birth in the U.S. and migration to Mexico, and the perception of the socio-economic status tied to the perception of the horse by race fans. Also, his rise to a hero, after racing along the fence and claiming a title of a horse of the people, after winning from the original horse of the people, El Moro. Strangely, his relationship with the wall as an architectural element that divides continues today. As a “gift to the Mexican people”, his owner, Rafael Romero had Relampago’s head removed from his body and mounted where he graces the living room wall of the grandson of the original owner.[4]