Avocado Toast: A Natural History
This research project* explores the monocrop landscape of Persea americana and its ‘migratory paths’ from Michoacán in Mexico into North American territories.
It is estimated that the state of Michoacán grows about eight out of 10 avocados exported to the United States. The $4.8 Billion dollar industry expands through illegal logging by groups including drug cartels. The research investigates the history of this plant from its domestication origins to the current supply chains fueled by free-trade. It considers the land-use changes, the land tenure evolution, the certifications and conservation initiatives entangled in a recent massive deforestation process. This project explores the landscape systems in place and spatial implications of the growing demand in America for the Mexican so called “green gold.” It delaminates the ecological and political forces embeded in the possibility of an avocado toast in a restaurant in Manhattan.
*Originated from a broader group project supported by the Mexican Cities Initiative Fellowship.
This research project* explores the monocrop landscape of Persea americana and its ‘migratory paths’ from Michoacán in Mexico into North American territories.
It is estimated that the state of Michoacán grows about eight out of 10 avocados exported to the United States. The $4.8 Billion dollar industry expands through illegal logging by groups including drug cartels. The research investigates the history of this plant from its domestication origins to the current supply chains fueled by free-trade. It considers the land-use changes, the land tenure evolution, the certifications and conservation initiatives entangled in a recent massive deforestation process. This project explores the landscape systems in place and spatial implications of the growing demand in America for the Mexican so called “green gold.” It delaminates the ecological and political forces embeded in the possibility of an avocado toast in a restaurant in Manhattan.
*Originated from a broader group project supported by the Mexican Cities Initiative Fellowship.
2018-ongoing | Research
![Avocado farm near Uruapan]()
![Mature orchard in Tancítaro]()
![Young orchard in Tancítaro]()
![Orchard landscapes in Tancítaro]()
![Maintenance regimes]()
![New avocado sorting and packing plant in Tancítaro]()
![Avocados ready for harvest maturity test]()
![Container trucks heading toward the Mexico-U.S. border]()
