Migrants resting in Escuintla, in the state of Chiapas, and on the move in Mapastepec.

A migrant packing her clothes as a caravan prepared to depart in Escuintla.

The news media rushed to cover the caravan, and a different picture was revealed: mothers with babies, older people, migrants trudging forward on foot, even when they had to use crutches.

A migrant wearing an American flag bandana, and Susan Gonzales with the Bible she carried from Peru.

Resting along a roadside in Chiapas.

Blisters and sores can affect migrants and their pets on the long walk.

Migrants in Tapachula waiting for a permit allowing them to travel to a U.S. port of entry.

Walking for hours in weather that can alternate between scorching heat and torrential downpours can leave people exhausted.

Enduanyerly Nazaret sitting next to her child as a caravan rested for a day in Escuintla.

Taking a break on a highway, and waiting by a police patrol in Huixtla.

Groups are often loosely organized around leaders who announce the day’s schedule. Caravans can be held back by disagreements, or when people faint or families need to rest in the shade. Sometimes, caravans are stopped and questioned by the police.

Migrants in a caravan waiting to regroup with others near a police patrol.

For all, a new stage of waiting had begun.