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Smuggling across the U.S.-Mexico border is a professional, often violent, criminal activity. It is a major chapter in a history of illicit business dealings that stretches all the way back to 1848, when attempts by Mexico and the United States to tax commerce across the Rio Grande upset local trade and caused popular resentment since the United States’ and Mexico’s trade concerns focused primarily on tariff collection. Rather than acquiesce to what they regarded as arbitrary trade regulations, upcoming smugglers continued to cross goods and accepted many forms of the act as just. The Rio Grande border, long a central character in numerous historic accounts of smugglers and revolutionaries, remains a focus for contemporary concerns about security. Fronterizos (person who lives on a national border) negotiated the rules and regulations imposed on them by distant capitals and subsequent events, both worldwide and in the United States, which led to a new emphasis on smuggling guns, drugs, and alcohol. These smugglers, called Enganchadores (literally translated to “hooker”), were labor recruiters who convinced Mexican peasants to make the trip north into the United States on the newly completed Mexican-American railways, guaranteeing jobs once in the U.S. Despite the fact that the border was not well guarded, the enganchadores were still breaking U.S. law. An 1891 law “prohibited the importation of alien laborers by the use of advertisements circulated in foreign countries which promised employment.” In light of this comes the term Coyotaje, which is the Mexican cultural practice of hiring an intermediary, known as a coyote, to get around an inconvenient or burdensome government regulation. Same time, the term also refers to the brokerage of commodities. In both these senses, coyotaje has played a fundamental role in facilitating mass Mexican smuggling and migration to the U.S.A. since passage of the Chinese exclusion and contract labor laws of the 1880s. El diccionario breve de mexicanismos defines a coyote as un intermediario ilegítimo de trámites burocráticos [an illegitimate facilitator of bureaucratic procedures]. Whereas according to El diccionario breve de mexicanismos, the term coyotaje refers to the “ocupación y actividad del coyote” [the occupation and activity of the coyote]. With regard to border-crossing, coyotaje may be thought of as the set of strategies and practices engaged in by coyotes to facilitate migrants’ and unauthorized goods entry into the United States. Coyotajes act much like enganchadores in that they are middlemen between Mexico and the United States for hopeful immigrants and traders. Though while coyotaje weren't directly recruiters for specific American companies like the enganchadores were, their existence is undoubtedly a continuation of the enganchadores’s legacy throughout Mexico and America.

Brief History of Grave Robberies In the early days of the United States, grave robbing wasn’t as scandalous as it sounds. Though the practice of robbing graves and stealing bodies sounds gruesome by today’s standards, the taking of corpses and digging up of graves wasn’t actually illegal everywhere in the 18th and 19th century. Because these corpses and their possessions weren’t technically “owned” by anyone, grave robbing wasn't much of a concern among the general public or authorities. Though most considered the practice as morally and ethically wrong, many institutions looked the other way because they needed bodies for medical research or they appreciated the value brought by selling jewels and fine clothing. The practice of body snatching and robbing graves was highly lucrative. To do their work, these robbers would frequent graveyards at night typically soon after the death to avoid bodies that were too far decomposed. It was as simple as avoiding detection, digging into the earth, and taking what they wanted. One of the biggest questions involves the practicality of grave robbing; "How did robbers manage to excavate them by themselves without causing a huge scene with those giant caskets?" To start, they worked in teams. They targeted graves that were covered roughly, like those found in poor cemeteries. This made their work hard to detect. Most importantly, instead of digging up the entire coffin, they dug a vertical tunnel down to the head of the coffin. Once they reach the head, they break this part of the casket only. This was just enough space to access the body, jewelry, and any other valuables, usually by the top of the head. It’s also important to note that most body snatchers did not take the possessions of the deceased, and vice versa. 1. Getting Started Start your grave robbing journey by visiting any General Store marked on the map. Look for the shovel in the menu and purchase it for 5.5 dollars. The shovel will become an essential tool for unearthing hidden valuables. 2. Heading Over to a Cemetery Navigate to a location marked with a cross, indicating potential dig sites. Note that not every grave is able to be dug up. Most spots are located near populated towns, so be vary, and use your own instincts. The map is dotted with various grave sites, some marked, some not, so use your own knowledge and skills to find the right spots. 3. Digging Up Valuables Find a grave with the prompt to dig. This is done by standing in the correct spot and then pressing the arrow down on your keyboard. The animation should play and takes some time before your character finishes the animation and digs up the item. Remember to roleplay your actions, as the animation sequence is long enough to do so. NOTE: You are able to rob the same spot once every twelve hours with global cool down, so other players may have robbed the site before you did. 4. Acquired Items Great! You've gained something from the grave. These items can vary from junk items such as old boot, a pen, a rusty gun to more valuable items such as rings, necklaces or bracelets. Now you've got two options; 1. Head to a fence that you know. Establish an in-character connection for better prices. 2. Keep the valuables to yourself. You may negotiate a price with other players, but be aware that the acquired items are purely for roleplay purposes, e.g a character wouldn't be able to wear a ring you've dug up, for example. With this in mind, if you are looking for a steady, sure profit, your best course of action would be heading to a fence. Important Notes It is important to have a good taste of roleplay and respect the other, potential grave robbers. This means that as a grave robber, your goal should be to do one to three grave sites at most in a day, and not loot the entire map. Also, even if you bump into a cemetery, it may not have any spots that can be dug up. Roleplay Elements: Grave robbery is against the in-character penal code, so be vary of this. Getting caught by the Sheriff's office may result in very dire consequences, even in the death of your character. Make sure that robbing graves fits the story of your character. A trapper from Ambarino would not necessarily rob graves, but a shady treasure hunter would. As a grave robber, do not expect to jump straight from rags to riches, as the randomness factor of the grave robberies varies greatly; you may end up with a bunch of junk from one site, while the other sites hold more valuable items, or not. The most optimal time for a grave robber would be at night time, or locations that are not-so-populated, the best scenario having both.