Writer-producer-director Gregory Nava fashioned the screenplay from the many interviews with people he interviewed regarding the film's subject matter as he had done with his earlier film El Norte (1983).
A "maquiladora" or "maquila" is a Mexican term for a factory operating in a free trade zone which import raw materials and equipment under tariff-free and duty-free conditions then export back to the country which they imported from. The factories are involved in a number of commercial activities including assembly, processing and manufacturing.