The family dynamic and culture of Mexican Americans living in the barrios of Los Angeles is similar to other groups of Mexican Americans. This is particularly true when it comes to family structure and dynamics, one that closely resembles its traditional origins in Mexico. As Silverstein and Chen argue, “Mexican Americans are the immigrant group that has most successfully retained their culture and language in the U.S.” (188).
The Mexican American family in South Central Los Angeles that is the focus of my research hails from Mexico City, Mexico. The historical structure of the Mexican family was the outcome of socioeconomic requirements of an agrarian and craft economy in Mexico. Extended multi-generational groups of family members adopted social roles that were outlined for them by a male hierarchy dominating both society and family dynamics. Mutual support, sustenance and family member interaction were common both at work and at home. Discussing the influence of work on family dynamics and characteristics, Buriel claims, “Mexican immigrants are associated with such personality characteristics as independence, responsibility, and deferred gratification...characteristics well-suite to survival in an unfamiliar environment and probably encouraged by immigrant parents in their socialization practices” (997).
Once migrating to the U.S., Mexican families typically continued to maintain traditional familiar structures and dynamics as practiced in Mexico. This was achieved by living and working in areas populated by large groups of other Mexican immigrants. This also insulated the culture from mainstream culture, leaving traditional family structures in place with minimal assimilation. The male remained head of the household and the female continued in her role as mother and nurturer. In Mexico and in Los Angeles, there are three main components I have witnessed that makeup the structure and support the interacti...