What happen to Ch’I’ibalil [family]?
Changing Family Structures in Ucí,
Yucatán
By: Anita María
Moo
Thesis (purpose)
This research consists of interviews with
individuals from Ucí, Yucatán to analyze how
immigration to the United States has
changed family structures in their
community.
Yucatán
South of
México
3 states
Population
LITERATURE REVIEW
Transnationalism
> Alder (2008)
Work
> Palomo (2005)
> Ramos & Quintanilla (2006)
LITERATURE REVIEW
Family
>Ramirez (2003)
>Mummert & Carrillo (1998)
>Adler (2008)
Theory
Borderland
Identity (1987)
Anzaldúa
Family
Borderland
Identity
METHODOLOGY
Interviews
Participants
Total: 10
Age: 37-76
Gender: Male and Female
Procedure
Data Collection: October 18-27, 2008
Language: Spanish (bilingual)
Questions: 29 open and closed ended
Strengths/Limitations
FINDINGS
Employment Opportunities
Women, 44
“Well here in Ucí since it is a small town the truth we don’t have, there are no means to find a job. Everyone here works by
what one desires to do to be able to move forward, make their own business to earn some savings, more so the work
here I think that we have to go out to be able to find work, the majority of people leave to Motul because there is how
do you say this, a factory of clothes in Motul there lots of employees, thousands of employees, that is how one goes to
the United States and go to Cancun the majority, my brother works, is employees how do you say, in construction he
has years living there. “
Man, 61
“Well right now many go out it is difficult to find a job because it is scarce. Here work is scarce there is none because the
primary work that there is in the construction everything that has construction they look for workers, look for
accountants, look for chapadores, if there is lots of heavy work but right now there is no base because the base of the
paper is the henequen but not it is finished the henequen by that hurricane that came Isadora he finished it all right
now there are some that that has it but little, not like before Isadora there is none there are times on the roads leaves
of henequen they take the henequen and the plant by a lot right now no, the ones with work are some like those who
are fermenting…”
FINDINGS
Defining Family
Women, 62
“Well, you think in your children, well, your friends, your relatives and persons who get along well with you,
almost treat them like family.”
Women, 44
“When I say my family, my husband, my children, and than comes your dad, your mom that is the family.”
FINDINGS
Immigration and family
Women, 60
“And I see my son with his child and see how hard it is buying her clothes, shoes, very demanded by the teachers,
they are very demanding it is not life before, I remember when I used to go to class without shoes it was hot
sun the ground that you walked on was hot even with difficulty you walked because there was no money just
enough for the food. Even the television haven’t existed just with your grandmas we went to watch television,
the first television there are two television we were proud, were going to go watch hurry we going to watch T.V.
over there with your grandma we would watch ..today there is plenty.”
FINDINGS
Immigration and family relationships
Women, 60
“I have a single man over there in Los Angeles he always sends me something but I don’t have the heart for me to
say send me money I don’t know how he lives over there, I don’t know how he is earning his money, if he has
job or doesn’t have a job someone told me something like this, because over there in Los Angeles they earn
lots of money green gold they send her money from over there but it is not true not everyone is the same, right
no everything is the same, I say where there is work there is money, but if there isn’t any jobs with difficulty
you live, where is he going to get to send me, that’s is why I feel bad that how I say. Meanwhile that I live I say I
am planting my garden of roses, there are times they come to ask me to sell them a plant of roses how much is
it, 20 pesos something for me, that way there is for food for my pigs, if I have turkeys and chickens they pay me
and buy, if I want to sell I sell, but if not I say poor animals I will not sell them. I am here fighting for them if I go
pray meanwhile I am alive I am looking how to fight that way I can make a little for us.”
FINDINGS
Immigration and family relationships
Women, 54
“yes, well, there are far, I can’t interact with them when morning come, there are not here to see them happy, I
feel sad because like poor C. the one that left first poor her, here her husband is undocumented over there,
well, she don’t have the documentation that is why she hardly can come over here, well, right now T. has
documentation to be able to visit us, the one, M. her sister well she called me to tell me that she has
documents well that is what I say Thank God she can come in other words she can come and go back, because
if you don’t have documents its hard.”
FINDINGS
Family in Ucí
Women, 37
“Well there are times when the husbands leaves, leaves his wife, forgets his wide and for their children there is no
financial assistance, sometimes, the wife leaves, and the husband is left, here at times they don’t send the
money, the other wife asks for the money, the one’s who suffer are the children, the family disintegrates.”
FINDINGS
Telephone-Communication
Women, 37
“Every two months, 15 days depending if they are working, we can’t get a hold of them, I call there not there.
Than, I leave them a message and than they call.”
Male, 61
“Right now yes what there is available. Well, every once in a while, if you want daily, daily you can talk to them,
thanks to that, it is good.”
FINDINGS
Family Unity
Male, 61
“Well I think its kind of difficult if they come how are they going to live there are no jobs, because they are
over there, they get use to the money what they earn , if they want to come we suffer again with them,
because there is no where, where they will earn lots of money. In Merida there is not a lot of work, it is
scarce, they give you work but you need an education in computers while you don’t have the education
they don’t give you work, if you only have a elementary education it is difficult, only if you go help as a
construction worker that is available in Merida, there are a lot of construction workers.”
Woman, 54
“Well the truth is yes I would like really that everyone be over here. Have everyone over here, I don’t know
how you say this but because of the jobs or where they go to look for work there isn’t any in Motul.
They have to go to Cancun, in all places there is danger like over there in Los Angeles of course I would
like that they be over here.”
DISCUSSION
“Us” and
“Them”
“Sacrifices”
“Distance”
Q&A