Obituary: Consuelo Odilia Oxlaj Sacche
Consuelo Odilia Oxlaj Sacche, 22, sadly departed on August 2nd, 2008, in Pima, Arizona, following blunt force injuries. She is survived by unknown family members who are most likely uncertain of her tragic death. When Consuelo illegally crossed the Mexico-United States border, she had hopes of better living conditions. She dreamed of financial stability and a husband and family of her own, but more than anything, she dreamed of a peaceful life in which she did not have to worry about constant violence. An escape from Mexico’s atrocious organized crime, corruption, lack of human rights, and poverty, was important for Consuelo. She lived alone and could barely support her basic needs. She woke early every morning and carpooled to a tourist hotel one hour from her house where she worked for the house cleaning crew. Despite breaking her back to make ends meet, she was underpaid, but Consuelo believed in the American dream, and she was ready to sacrifice in the hopes of grasping a thriving future.
Before coming to Pima, America, Consuelo knew the dangers of her decision, such as the possibility of being abducted, raped, kidnapped, robbed, or killed during the long trip she was about to begin, yet she left alone on a Monday morning and took five buses to travel from her native city, Mérida, in southern Mexico, to Agua Prieta, where she knew a few people. Most of the passengers on each bus were males, which made the trip uncomfortable. Fortunately, she became good friends with two women she met on the bus who were going to the same place. This journey was not a continuous drive; there were many stop sites and many days between bus connections. The trip took the three women more than a week to reach the American border, but Consuelo had plenty of time to get to know her two new friends and develop attachments. These connections helped her battle loneliness during this stressful and life-changing process.
When the women reached Agua Prieta, they realized that altogether they had almost no money left. Fortunately, they still managed to find a reputable coyote, promising him money they did not possess. Consuelo, brimming with hope, simply looked forward to the future and put all her trust in the coyote and convinced her friends to do the same. Not long after joining the coyote, the women started to march in the desert along with many other people who had also hired him. Little did they know he was the best coyote in all of Mexico. He made the trip go relatively smoothly since he stashed jugs of water in hidden places along the border of the United States. The water kept most of the immigrants hydrated, but the arduous physical effort needed to hike through the suffocating heat proved to be a difficult obstacle. Consuelo’s body felt permanently on the edge of collapse, but her firm belief in her goal kept her from breaking down. Not everyone had that determination though, over sixty people died from heat exhaustion after a few days of traveling.
After a little more than a week, the dwindling group of believers reached Mount Graham, a couple of miles away from Pima, Arizona. At this point, Consuelo said to herself, “I made it.” She was overwhelmed by the feeling of accomplishment and euphoria, which allowed her to forget about the unbearable heat for a few moments. She prayed and thanked her gods for this opportunity promising to be forever grateful to them.
Yet, this trance of infinite joy disappeared rapidly as they tried to circle Mount Graham on the last day of July 2008. The Border Patrol had been tracking Consuelo and her groups’ footprints for days and had finally caught up to them. The Border Patrol’s assault was brutal when they arrived; they killed one of her “bus friends” when she tried to escape. Everything happened quickly, but Consuelo was able to narrowly escape the attack and arrive in Pima, Arizona, safely.
Without the coyote, she was alone in a strange land and didn’t know where to go. She hid in someone’s garage for two days where she stayed at night and went out during the day to eat, drink, and go to the bathroom undetected. Sadly, it did not take long for the owner to notice that his possessions were being moved around. One day, he searched the house armed with a hammer and killed her when she came out of hiding and started running.
While Consuelo did reach the Unted States, she didn’t reach her goal of benefiting from the opportunities that America offers. Instead, she died alone in a strange land and by the hand of a stranger. A funeral service will be held in her honor at 2 PM on August 8th, 2008, at Vining Funeral Home in Safford, Arizona. Since she has no relatives or friends in America, no one will be attending her funeral. Her body will be sent to her native city, Mérida, where the locals will arrange for a proper burial.
