Relations with Mestizos

Silvestre says that Servín is [one of the] “bad people” (“mala gente”). His wife is [one of the] “good people” (“buena gente”), but under his influence. His son, Arcadio is almost “an orphan” (“un huerfano”), one hundred percent dominated by his father. Servín never mixes with the people. People hardly ever buy goods from his store. They steal his animals. Servín is not permitting his son to marry one of the townspeople. When Arcadio and a local woman gave birth to a child, Arcadio had to flee to New Ixcatlán. He wanted to marry the young girl. Servín married off his daughter to a local person because he is rich. Servín owes him $1000.

RML

The family of Servín shows a great deal of insecurity. The daughter and the granddaughter took part in religious processions, but they don’t identify with the people. They talk about “peasants” (“paisanos”), even though Arcadio seems to be a peasant and admits as much. Arcadio and his father speak Mazatec, and their children hardly at all. They accept an orphan peasant in their house, but would not considered attending a wake with the people. According to Arcadio, they don’t sing at a wake, they “shout” (“gritan”).