Mexican Lives Summary

The era of president Salinas de Gortari and the transition to free market have gone against the ideologies and goals of the Mexican Revolution. By reading “Mexican Lives” by Judith Hellman we see how Neoliberal policies affected Mexicans from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds. President Salinas goals went against the values of the Mexican revolution by liberalizing the economy of Mexico and selling state owned land to private capital which went against provision Article 27 in the constitution which places strict ownership of land in the hands of the Mexicans. We see in Hellman’s stories how wealthy business owners like Sergio Espinoza and Ruben Ergas in Mexico were negatively affected by the liberalization of the economy. Prior to

Rosario has very little hope that NAFTA would benefit her or people from her social class “the NAFTA treaty isn’t meant to rescue people like us , its meant to help the rich.” (Hellman157). President Salinas also went against Article 123 of the constitution, which gave the right for workers to organize a strike and unionize. In Roberto Martinez and Alicia Perez story we see how the government suppressed the unionization of teachers, a system of patronage, political conformity and loyalty to the PRI had been created out of the National Union of Workers Education SNTE. “in 1949, it was taken over by the political boss named Jesus Martinez, from that point on, the teachers were manipulated through patronage appointments dealt out to their leaders in return for the leaderships political conformity, loyal to the ruling party, and efforts to get out the vote for the PRI at election time.” (Hellman186). The pattern of patronage, clientelism and party loyalty had been perpetuated ever since, it wasn’t until 1972 where activists had challenged the pattern of political control. Unfortunately the new leaders perpetuated the cycle of political corruption. Roberto believes that the SNTE has become a center for corruption and patronage headed by officers selling second jobs to desperate teachers