vargas

Pictures by Jesús Vizcaya

In Boca de Aroa, a village on the coast of Yaracuy state, Yaritza and her husband Fernando await the arrival of tourists who, for the past twelve years, have stopped for breakfast at their food stand “La Bendición de Dios”. This business has been the family’s main source of income. However, after the earthquakes of June 24, almost no vehicles are going through the road to the beaches.

Fernando says that traffic decreased significantly after the earthquakes. The epicenter of the first quake was very close to them, to the south, and some houses in the area were damaged. “Before the earthquake, the flow of travelers was considerably high, but our sales are now only 25% of what they used to be. Now we live on daily earnings. What we earn each day, we use to buy what we need.”

Fernando and Yaritza are not alone. In Boca de Aroa, as in other coastal communities near Morrocoy National Park, a large part of the economy depends on the constant flow of visitors from different parts of the country. To reach its keys and beaches from Valencia, many travelers take Troncal 3, the road that runs through Boca de Aroa before reaching the most popular beaches. After the earthquakes, the road shows evident damage: several sections remained closed, and traffic had to be diverted along alternative routes, further hindering access to the region. Buses that once arrived full of travelers now carry only a handful of passengers, mostly locals who get off one by one as soon as they recognize their usual stops.

Along this route, tourists sustain an economic chain of restaurants, small businesses, and people who work in the sea. Local fishermen find their main customers in hotels, inns, and restaurants, while others depend directly on tourism, relying on the sale of food, coconut products, fish and shellfish to make a living.

Tulio, owner of La Negra, a family restaurant specializing in seafood supplied by local fishermen, says the drop in tourism has hit both the business and its employees hard. “We couldn’t open the restaurant for three weeks after the earthquake. There’s no tourism, and people aren’t coming to town anymore,” says Tulio, sitting at one of the tables. “My employees keep coming to work because I want to help them financially, but this situation is really difficult.”

There was a reason for the lack of customers. Structural damage to the bridge leading to Punta Brava Beach, within Morrocoy National Park, forced the closure of this land access for weeks. The bridge reopened to light vehicles on July 25, yet the flow of visitors remained far below normal levels. Tourists could still board boats from the Tucacas pier to reach the keys, but the weeks-long closure disrupted the economic chain that sustained Boca de Aroa and Tucacas.

The day before authorities allowed light vehicles to pass again, local beach workers protested on that same road, demanding the lifting of the measures that prevented access to the coast.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warns that small-scale fishing communities are among the most vulnerable to crises and natural disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean, due to their dependence on daily income and their limited capacity to absorb prolonged disruptions to their economic activity.

The Tierra Viva Foundation, a non-governmental organization dedicated to sustainable development, environmental conservation, and the strengthening of local communities, has been working for several years with coastal communities through its Costa Viva project. This sustained presence in the territory has allowed the organization to gain firsthand knowledge of the economic and social conditions that make these populations especially vulnerable to natural disasters. Just two weeks before the emergency, on June 9, the foundation announced a fundraising campaign—which had to be suspended after the earthquakes—to provide residents of the country’s main coastal communities with work tools and vocational training to strengthen their livelihoods. The initiative responded to a situation of vulnerability that these populations already faced before the earthquake.

This is also the conclusion of Alejandro Luy, the organization’s general manager. “Venezuela is going through a complex humanitarian situation, and the earthquake aggravated it by leaving people homeless, and the contraction of tourism in the area generated unemployment,” he says. “To support their activities, we implemented training programs to help improve the services many of them offer during 2025. If tourism decreases in these areas, their livelihoods are affected.”

But the vulnerability of these communities isn’t measured solely in economic figures. It’s also present in the stories of those who saw how the earthquake disrupted a way of life built over generations.

Jesús belongs to a family that has been connected to the sea for decades. For more than 60 years, his family has lived off fishing in Boca de Aroa, a way of life that Jesús continued and that for years allowed him to sell the fish he caught. For his family, this has been the most difficult situation caused by a natural disaster. 

“In 2022, the Aroa River rose and overflowed, flooding the entire Cayumar sector and the dock area where we boarded boats to go fishing, but the flooding only lasted a couple of days. But because of the earthquakes, we haven’t sold anything we catch from the sea for several weeks.”

On June 24, Jesús had decided to return home earlier than usual. At 11 a.m., he left the sea and returned to land. Hours later, his father advised him not to go fishing again, just a couple of minutes before the earthquakes.

“I went out to buy a Coca-Cola, and on my way back home, the shaking started. My wife was at home with my parents. They managed to get out when the wall of the garage collapsed,” he recalls.

The destroyed space wasn’t just part of the family home. It was also a workplace. There, his father prepared the fishing nets, and his mother prepared the food she sold to the community members and, on weekends, to the tourists who came to the area.

“We want to rebuild our garage because my dad uses it to prepare the nets.” “My mom sells food to people in the community, but on weekends she sells to tourists,” Jesús explains.

Now he’s trying to turn the loss into an opportunity. While he waits for the debris to be removed from his mother’s porch, he started planting coconuts with the idea of ​​selling them to visitors who return to Boca de Aroa and creating a small commercial area there, but it won’t be until five years from now that he’ll see the fruits of the barely sprouted coconut trees.

His story reflects a reality that is repeated in small-scale fishing communities around the world. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), this sector represents about 40% of the world’s fish catches and supports approximately 90% of fishery workers. However, those who depend on this activity often have limited capacity to absorb prolonged interruptions in their income, due to their reliance on daily work and local markets.

In Boca de Aroa, that phrase sums up the uncertainty of a community that for years lived at the pace of those who arrived seeking the sea. The absence of tourists not only left empty tables in restaurants and fewer customers for the fishermen; it also disrupted an economy built around small commercial exchanges with visitors, which sustained hundreds of families in Falcón state.

The most significant damage in the cluster of coastal towns within the country occurred in Tucacas and Boca de Aroa, unlike other tourist areas. The condition of the roads leading to these towns, along with the preventative closure of the region’s most important national park, were the main causes of the economic slowdown in these villages.

Just a few streets away from where Jesús planted the first coconuts, traces of what happened that June morning remain. Some houses are damaged, and families who lost their homes continue to wait for a solution while living in tents set up near their land.

The recovery of these fishing villages will not depend solely on removing the debris or repairing the access roads. It will also depend on those who live there being able to reconnect with an activity that for generations defined their relationship with the sea: the possibility of working, selling and supporting oneself on a coast where, after the earthquake, many are still waiting for people to return.

After the total failure that was Mexico’s participation in the Qatar 2022 World Cup, where they were eliminated in the group stage, the future looked very dire for “El Tri.” By 2024, the situation had worsened after another international failure at the Copa América. The 2026 World Cup co-hosts had even more pressure now. In a crisis-control move, the Mexico Football Federation opted to bring back its proven problem solver, head coach “El Vasco” Javier Aguirre, for a third stint.

In a short time, Aguirre was able to shape “El Tri” into a competitive squad by breaking from his usual approach. The man who shockingly demoted then-24-year-old goalkeeper Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa in favor of a more experienced player prior to the 2010 World Cup was now relying on upstarts.

Aguirre’s 26-man roster for the 2026 World Cup features 14 debutants on soccer’s grandest stage.The crown jewel of this nucleus is undoubtedly 17-year-old wonderkid Gilberto Mora, but there are also two American-born players who are also expected to become pillars of the team: Brian Gutiérrez, from Berwyn, Ill., and Obed Vargas, from Anchorage, Alaska.

Under Article 30, Section A, Part II of the Mexican Constitution, individuals born abroad are considered Mexican by birth if they are children of Mexican parents — a Mexican mother or a Mexican father. Gutiérrez’s parents are from San Juan de los Lagos, Jalisco, while Vargas’ father is a native of Morelia, Michoacán, and his mother was raised in Mexico City.

“Obviously, I’m taking it day by day and just trying to enjoy the experience,” said Gutiérrez about the opportunity to play for Mexico at the World Cup. “I talk about it a lot with my friends and family. Honestly, it’s amazing… I’m just living in the moment.”

Gutiérrez, 22, and Vargas, 20, are not the first players born in the United States to represent Mexico in a World Cup. That distinction belongs to Miguel Ponce and Isaac Brizuela, who were both born in California and part of the 2014 squad. But the comparisons largely end there.

Unlike Ponce and Brizuela, Gutiérrez and Vargas were fully raised in the United States and went through their entire soccer development on American fields. Ponce and Brizuela were also fringe contributors; they didn’t see any minutes in Brazil 2014.

Meanwhile, Gutiérrez and Vargas are already getting important playing time with the national team. Both were part of Mexico’s historic group stage where, for the first time in history, the team won all three of its games. Gutiérrez was a starter against South Africa and South Korea, while Vargas came off the bench to help preserve the 1-0 lead over South Korea.

Their protagonism in Aguirre’s squad could also signal another new era for the Mexican national team — one in which Mexican American players are just as vital as those born on Mexican soil.

“Brian and Obed are two young players of Mexican heritage. They are very talented players who have made great progress recently. We called them up, and they convinced us with their performances,” said Aguirre prior to the tournament. “I believe there are many Mexican American players who, in the future, will continue strengthening Mexico’s youth national teams, including the women’s side. That makes me happy because they were not born in Mexico, yet they have a deep love for the country and have shown it by choosing to represent us.”

Both Gutiérrez and Vargas are also products of MLS academies.

Gutiérrez, a skillful and dynamic attacking midfielder, rose through the ranks of Chicago Fire’s youth system and made his senior debut in 2020. In December, he moved to storied Liga MX club Chivas, his childhood team. It took time for Gutiérrez to establish himself as a starter for Gabriel Milito’s squad, but his game-changing talent was there — enough to catch the eye of “El Vasco.”

Vargas, a box-to-box midfielder, developed through the Seattle Sounders youth system and debuted with the senior team in 2021. A strong showing against Atlético de Madrid in the 2025 Club World Cup led to the Spanish club adding him to its roster this February. This move also put him in Aguirre’s World Cup plans.

“Playing for Mexico at the World Cup is a dream come true for all Mexican American kids,” said Vargas. “Obviously, with the World Cup being in both countries, it’s special to me. I have connections and ties to both countries.”

For so long, it was said Mexican American players just could not earn a place with Mexico at the international level. Players like Édgar Castillo and Alejandro Zendejas — born in Juárez but raised in El Paso — represented “El Tri” up to the U-23 level, then switched and played for the U.S. Jonathan González (Santa Rosa, Calif.) represented the U.S. at youth level and then chose Mexico, but after a few call-ups he fell out of the picture.

But in this World Cup cycle, Mexican American players have stood out more than ever.

Aguirre’s preliminary 55-man World Cup roster included six Mexican American players. Richard Ledezma (Phoenix), Efraín Álvarez (Los Angeles), Jorge Ruvalcaba (Rialto), and Julián Araujo (Lompoc, Calif.) ultimately missed the final cut. Of the four, Ledezma and Araujo came closest to making the team, but for different reasons fell short.

Vargas believes it was only a matter of time before the talent broke through.

“I think Mexican American players have always been there. The quality has always been there. Obviously, the growing passion for the sport in the United States has helped fuel the development of many of those players,” said Vargas. “I think it’s amazing to see so many Mexican Americans doing well with the national teams of both the United States and Mexico. Dreams come true for kids, and that continues to inspire the next generation of Mexican American players coming through in the U.S.”

Gutiérrez and Vargas, like many standout Mexican American players over the last 15 years, began their paths with “El Tri” amid a long-standing tug-of-war between their birth country and the country of their parents. The Mexico men’s national team and their U.S. counterparts have increasingly become rivals, both on the field and in recruiting dual-national players.

For Mexico, the United States now represents a prime area for scouting outside its territory. According to the Migration Policy Institute’s (MPI) tabulation of data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey, approximately 38.8 million U.S. residents were either born in Mexico or reported Mexican ancestry or origin.

Not only do Mexican American players expand the national team’s talent pool, but as some argue, they also bring a different element that can be a major advantage for the program.

Former Mexico youth coach and current Guatemala coach Luis Fernando Tena recently raised eyebrows in an interview with ESPN Deportes by stating that Mexican American players possess qualities that can set them apart from homegrown Mexican players.

“They have an American mindset. They grew up with that mentality and with good nutrition, and that makes them different,” said Tena, who led Mexico’s U-23 team to the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. “They are more disciplined, work harder, and are more focused — something that we sometimes don’t always find in many Mexican-born players.”

Gutiérrez and Vargas started their international careers representing Team USA at youth level, but FIFA’s one-time switch rule allowed them to change allegiances.

Vargas said he chose Mexico because he simply “followed his heart.” His love for his heritage and the Mexican national team outweighed everything else.

As for Gutiérrez, he was motivated to make the change because his time at Chivas convinced him. In Liga MX, the club has been at the forefront of tapping into the Mexican diaspora in the U.S. Their long-standing “Mexicans-only” policy limits the club’s talent pool when acquiring players. Because of this, Mexican American players are becoming a vital lifeline for Chivas.

“As soon as I arrived at Chivas, I knew my decision was to represent Mexico because we play with 100% Mexicans, that’s just how it is,” said Gutiérrez.

Opportunity may have also played a major role in Gutiérrez’s and Vargas’s “one-time switch” decisions. Both had no clear pathway into the U.S. senior squad, while Mexico offered a clearer route — and a chance at the 2026 World Cup.

In a 2023 interview, El Paso native Ricardo Pepi, who made the one-time switch from Mexico to the U.S., said on the Men in Blazers podcast that his decision was influenced by the fact that the U.S. had him in mind for the senior squad, while “El Tri” did not.

“It was just easy to decide. The U.S. wanted me to join them in World Cup qualifiers, which is a big deal,” said Pepi. “It’s a unique opportunity, being at a World Cup, and something I didn’t even have to think about because Mexico wanted me for the U-20s and eventually the first team. I was like, ‘I’m past that.’”

Although Gutiérrez and Vargas chose Mexico and embrace their parents’ culture, their duality is still present. They carry their communities with them.

A year ago, when aggressive ICE raids and mass deportations swept through many immigrant communities in the United States, particularly Mexican immigrant communities, a visibly frustrated Aguirre refused to comment on the situation, saying he was “apolitical” and not “a spokesperson” for the Mexican people.

This was not the case with Gutiérrez and Vargas, who both addressed questions about the ICE raids during Mexico’s World Cup media day in Pasadena, where they switched seamlessly between English and Spanish.

Gutiérrez answered without hesitation. His hometown of Berwyn is a suburb of Chicago, a city that in September was targeted by “Operation Midway Blitz,” a major federal immigration enforcement surge. According to the Chicago Tribune, between 3,800 and 4,500 individuals were detained or arrested during the operation.

Gutiérrez’s words reflected the strain felt throughout his community.

“It’s been a hard, hard year for us,” Gutiérrez said. “It’s affected a lot of families, and I take playing for Mexico with great pride and hope to show it on the field.”

It’s no secret that a large part of Mexico’s fanbase is composed of Mexican Americans. They are the ones who help fill massive NFL stadiums for “El Tri’s” annual MexTour, a slate of mostly inconsequential friendly matches that are often seen as a cash grab for the Mexican Football Federation. The presence of standout players like Gutiérrez and Vargas is a major development for this segment of the fanbase.

By featuring players with shared cultural experiences and struggles, the connection between the Mexican diaspora in the U.S. and “El Tri” can only strengthen. The ties now go beyond simply sharing the same roots; Mexican Americans can now gravitate toward a team with players who represent their dual identity. And this can bring a true sense of belonging.