Historical precedent[ edit ] The origins of the Boy's Town concept along the U. Pershing 's forces were pursuing General Pancho Villa in Chihuahua. Eventually, General Pershing ordered that the prostitutes be restricted to the southern end of the camp where they would be inspected and certified by the military medical officers. A flat rate for sexual intercourse was also established. The government of Ciudad Victoria , Mexico, has considered establishing a similar zone. The current enclave in Nuevo Laredo was constructed in the s, during the municipal administration of Ernesto Ferrara Ferrara, to concentrate prostitution activities within a controlled zone.
Description[ edit ] Map of Boy's Town The commercial activities can be differentiated into a number of broad categories, and their spatial organization is outlined in the map.
The categories include: 1 primary or major brothels, 2 secondary brothels, 3 "cribs" of freelance prostitutes, 4 cantinas and bars catering to local patrons, 5 transvestite bars, 6 other commercial services, and 7 residences. Furthermore, Boy's Town is protected by a substation of the municipal police complete with jail, and there is a health clinic that performs blood tests and weekly screenings of sex workers for venereal diseases. Establishments and services exhibit a typical distance decay pattern.
All but one of the primary brothels are located near the entrance, secondary brothels and cantinas are located farther from the entrance, and the transvestite bars are concentrated at the far end of the compound.
Even the cribs exhibit a distance-decay pattern in that the younger more attractive prostitutes occupy cribs on the central lane Cleopatra Street , whereas older, or less attractive women rent cribs on the south most lane or in the back near the transvestite bars. This pattern is primarily a function of rental rates for the cribs; being less expensive in the southwest corner of the compound.
