I wrote some short stories long ago with a similiar treatment
One was about a Latin American country going thru their regular insanity of upheavals and violence
Read it today and you see Nuevo Laredo or Caracas
Things have changed there - but for the worse -
The market places in Laredo are not close to the border. You have to finagle your way on in to find them and they are like rabbit warrens.
Used to go there a lot. Now it would be too dangerous.
Yes, I knew about your story writing, too bad you didn't get it printed way back then!