From “Camilo Ontiveros", 2012 Made in LA catalog, by Cesar Garcia:

Soil, according to the U.S.. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, is a mixture of inorganic and organic materials that makes up the loose surface of the earth to support biological activity. For this reason, federal regulations strictly control the substance under quarantine procedures, as its introduction into the United States from any foreign territory “can create a pathway for the entry of dangerous organisms across national borders.” Soil is also the point of departure for Camilo Ontiveros’ project El Pedón (2012). (Pedon is a technical term for the smallest unit of soil taken from a place that still contains all the soil layers of that particular region, usually having a surface area of 10.76 square feet, or approximately one square meter, and extending from the ground surface down to bedrock.)

El Pedón, Ontiveros’ most ambitious sculptural installation to date, will mark the culmination of a research-intensive project that he began years ago when visiting his brother Hermes Ontiveros, an agricultural scientist in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico. Witnessing the process through which soil is tested for salinity levels in order to determine whether it is viable for the production of crops for export, Ontiveros commenced an inquiry into the trade regulations that establish these procedures and came across the statutes that prohibit the transfer of soil into the United States. Considering the deregulation created by NAFTA and the increased demand for Mexican produce, Ontiveros began to probe the possibility of transporting a large landmass from Mexico’s southern terrain to the United States. His research unveiled the restrictions and an exception clause that allows for the transport of soil for “research, analytical, religious, ceremonial, patriotic, or similar purposes,” prompting him to attempt to expand this clause to include “art” and thus allowing him to create a work sculpted by juridical implications. Link.