at family socialization takes root in the economic and political forces of society, the history of the Mexican American family must be anchored in the context of the American economy. Mexican Americans are a highly heterogeneous population. An important factor accounting for this variability is history. Mexican groups in the US have different histories of immigration and settlement. Some trace their roots to the Spanish and Mexican settlers who first settled the Southwest before the arrival of the pilgrims, whereas others are immigrants or children of immigrants who begun to arrive in large numbers by the beginning of the twentieth century (Marteniz, 1995). Saragoza (1993) points out that this history supports the fundamental cultural variation and social differentiation among Mexican American families. Crucial factors are variability across region and changes over time. Mexican American families in different historical periods have adapted differently to economic and political forces, and family socialization patterns have responded differently to societal pressures (BacaZinn, 1993).The traditional structure of the Mexican family grew out of the socioeconomic needs dictated by the agrarian and craft economies of Mexico. For the traditional Mexican, the word family meant an extended, multi generational group of persons, among whom specific social roles were ascribed. By dividing functions and responsibilities among different generations of family members, the family was able to perform all the economic and social support chores necessary for survival in the relatively Spartan life circumstances of the rural Mexican environment. Mutual support, sustenance, and interaction among family members during both work and leisure hours dominated the lives of persons in these traditional Mexican families (Becerra, 1983)After the conquest of the Southwest, Mexican families who remained or moved to the US out of necessity tended to...
