Domciono Rocha is from San Luis, Mexico. About 18 years ago, he walked and hitched rides to a small town in southwest Texas called Sonora. He said it took him eight days, and he laughed. Now, he lives in an area of Sonora called Barrio, which is two predominantly Mexican neighborhoods on the outskirts of town. Occasionally friends let him stay in their house, but he usually sleeps in a broken-down car.

The most valuable thing he owns is his bicycle. It’s a road bike from the 1980s and it’s in extremely good condition. The tires are kept in good condition and the gears run smooth. It only cost him $15, but bikes are not in very high demand in a land where everybody drives huge diesel pickup trucks. He rides it everywhere.

He works odd jobs around Sonora and in the neighboring town of Ozona. Rocha mostly works with concrete but says he’ll do anything, as long as it’s temporary. He’s a U.S. citizen and has been for many years.

“I like it here,” he said. “It is different than Mexico but it is good.”

Christian Hansen was in Sonora, Texas over spring break with a group of Western students who were pioneering an on-going documentary project called the American Diversity Project. Every year, for one week, the workshop will be held in one of the many small colorful towns that are scattered throughout the country, and the photographers will produce a visual, audible and interactive history of that town. The workshop website is www.ADPWorkshop.org.

Christian Hansen is a sophomore photojournalism major from Louisville. He can be reached at christian.hansen@wku.edu.