La Bestia (The Beast) And A Migrants Journey

In 2003 Don Bartletti chronicled the 1500 mile migration route through Mexico, known as "The Beast" for it's life threatening hazards made by Hondurans trying to reach The United States.

To avoid authorities , migrants hide until the picks up speed, risking the chance of slipping on the gravel or falling under the wheels. Others like, Santo Antonio Gamay risk falling form the fatigue of having held on for fifteen hours.

 Santo Antonio Gamay

Experts estimate that almost , children make this journey every year without either parent. As photographer Don Bartletti notes, "Only the brave and the lucky reach their goal."

But Bartletti also describes how in the Chiapas countryside he photographed a boy and a girl race their horse alongside the train. "The fleeting scene brought a few moments of joy to young Honduran stowaways who have learned to fear the worst from people along the rails."