Piedras Negras is a small border city in Coahuila opposite the nearly equally-sized town of Eagle Pass in Texas. Piedras Negras has a long history and offers a surprisingly vibrant cultural and artistic scene. With about 200,000 permanent residents, the town is centered around the historic center and the giant Macro Plazas I & II, The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe and a safe walkable urban core that couldn't be found on the other side of the border.

The Northern Border Museum, the Chapulín Childrens' Museum and the José Vasconcelos Auditorium are all on the Gran Plaza, at the end of the Piedras Negras International Bridge. But this is just an introduction to the city, and for many, an introduction to the great democracy that is the Mexico of today.

Piedras Negras extends to the Plaza de las Culturas and the Calle 11 Tourist Walk. Here the restaurants, shops, and food trucks offer meals, desserts, and all kinds of food. The Paseo del Rio is a pedestrian corridor along the riverfront.

Piedras Negras annually hosts the Nachos Festival, a key event celebrated likely on the other side of the border, where nachos are considered something of a delicacy. During the second week of each August, the Feri-Expo brings together livestock, industrial, and artisan works from all over the region.

Piedras Negras is an important medical provider for people shut out of services to the north. This is a great testimony to the open and free spirit of the people who make up the community of the town, and those visiting from near and far.