RMLApril 10

Many people have livestock.

Leonardo Ronquillo and his cows (1958)

Silvestre Cuevas

Poor people plant one hectare of sesame, and rich people plant double that.

Camilo Jiménez

A father frequently leaves livestock, money, etc. to his son. When his parents die, a boy does not think about the work, the suffering the money implies. So he walks around all puffed up, with his pockets full, selling the livestock and everything else. It is later, when the money has flown, that he starts “to think” (“a pensar”).

Ruperto JiménezApril 25

With three or four castrated pigs—each one @ $ -- so and so is rich.

There is no one who does not have his own property (i.e. no one rents either houses or land). Arcadio Diego, the richest one, is good to people and has many friends. He told his son that he wasn’t going to give him a cent when he dies because his son is already rich. Arcadio saves his money and buys little except for weapons “to protect his daughters” (“para proteger a sus hijas”).

Aurelio Torres

A “very poor” (“muy pobre”) person would have half a hectare, one pig, and eleven chickens. “A medium poor (person)” (“un pobre mediano”) would have one hectare, two pigs, and twenty chickens. “The majority” (“La mayoría”) would have two lots (24 hectares) and four pigs. Arcadio Diego has more land, with 13 lots.

Ambrosio JiménezApril 27

Leonardo is one of the rich, and so is “Little Rabbit” (“El Conejito”), though no that much—he has 10 cattle in his pasture. A “very poor” person works three to four jobs and has no pigs.

Leonardo Ronquillo

Arcadio Diego drinks with the people, but only once in awhile. He buys his things in Ixcatlán.

Silvestre CuevasApril 28

Arcadio Diego earned his fortune with rice. He economized. He did not buy thread to sew; he used maguey fiber. Poor people don’t have the respect of others, nor are working people respected by others, who they [in fact] envy. Nor is a person who saves his money respected, because money is for spending during one’s life. There are some people who save money for their children, but there are also those who say, “I had to suffer because my father left me nothing. Now my children are going to suffer just the same.” (“Yo tuve que sufrir porque mi papá no me dejó nada. Ahora mis hijos van a tener que sufrir igual.”)

When one dies the house goes to the eldest son, the animals are shared equally before death because he does not wish his children to fight. There is no written agreement. When at home the wife takes care of the money, but when traveling the man has the money so he is not continually asking his wife for money.

Tomás JiménezMay 3

Camilo Jiménez doesn’t like that his nephew, Leonardo Roquillo, is earning so much money because he hears drunks saying that they are going to murder Leonardo. People who spend all their money on drink speak badly of those who save something.

Tierra Blanca; Panchito Lopez, Dr. Armando Aguirre (Torres)