The Children of Sanchez Read Online Free PDF

energetic man, with Indian features, dressed in blue denim overalls and a straw hat, a cross between a peasant and a factory worker. He left the sack with Marta, spoke a few words of greeting to Marta and Consuelo, and turned suspiciously to ask what I wanted. He answered my questions in short order, stating that country life was far superior to city life because the young became corrupt in the city, especially when they did not know how to take advantage of what the city offered. He then said he was in a hurry and left as abruptly as he had entered.
    At my next interview in the Sánchez household, I met Roberto, the second son. He was taller and a shade darker than the other members of the family and had the physique of a trained athlete. He was pleasant and soft-spoken and gave me the impression of being unusually polite and respectful. He was always polite to me, even when he was drunk. I did not meet Manuel, the elder brother, until many months later because he was out of the country at the time.
    In the weeks and months that followed, I continued my work with the other sample families in the
vecindad
. I had completed the data I needed on the Sánchez family after four interviews, but I would frequently stop at the Sánchez house to chat casually with Consuelo or Marta or Roberto, all of whom were friendly and offered useful information on
vecindad
life. As I began to learn something about each member of the family, I became aware that this single family seemed to illustrate many of the social and psychological problems of lower-class Mexican life. At this point I decided to try a study in depth. First Consuelo, then Roberto and Marta agreed to tell me their life stories, stories which were taped with their knowledge and permission. When Manuel returned, he also co-operated. My workwith Jesús began after I had been studying his children for six months. It was difficult to gain his confidence, but when he finally agreed to allow me to record his life story, this further enhanced my relationship with his children.
    Because of the need for privacy in obtaining an independent version of each life history, most of the recording was done in my office and home. Most of the sessions were recorded individually, but on my return visits to Mexico in 1957, 1958, and 1959, I managed to have group discussions with two or three family members at a time. Occasionally, I recorded at their home in the Casa Grande. However, they talked more freely when they were away from their
vecindad
. I also found it helpful to keep the microphone out of their sight by attaching it to their clothing; in this way we could carry on our conversations as if it weren’t there.
    In obtaining the detailed and intimate data of these life stories, I used no secret techniques, no truth drugs, no psychoanalytic couch. The most effective tools of the anthropologist are sympathy and compassion for the people he studies. What began as a professional interest in their lives turned into warm and lasting friendships. I became deeply involved in their problems and often felt as though I had two families to look after, the Sánchez family and my own. I have spent hundreds of hours with members of the family; I have eaten in their homes, have attended their dances and festive occasions, have accompanied them to their places of work, have met their relatives and friends, have gone with them on pilgrimages, to church, to the movies, and to sports events.
    The Sánchez family learned to trust and confide in me. They would call upon me and my wife in times of need or crisis, and we helped them through illness, drunkenness, trouble with the police, unemployment and family quarrels. I did not follow the common anthropological practice of paying them as informants (not informers!), and I was struck by the absence of monetary motivation in their relationship with me. Basically, it was their sense of friendship that led them to tell me their life stories. The reader should not