Lagunas De Estabilización

T h i s t h e s i s seeks t o u n d e r s t a n d why t h e hua ra ch e s e c t o r i n Sahuayo had e nd ured and why i t c o n t i n u e d t o be so s u c c e s s f u l . D rawi ng upon S c o t t and S m i t h ' s c r i t i q u e s o f p e t t y commodi ty p r o d u c t i o n t h e o r i e s , t h e t h e s i s a r g ue s t h a t t h e c o n t e m p o r a r y s t r u c t u r e o f h ua ra ch e m a n u f a c t u r e c o u l d n o t be u n d e r s t o o d w i t h o u t r e f e r e n c e t o h i s t o r i c a l p r o c e s s e s and e v e n t s w hi c h had shaped t h e r e g i o n a l and urban economy as a w h o l e . W h i l e t h e b e s t s t u d i e s o f i n f o r m a l p r o d u c t i o n have i n c l u d e d a c a r e f u l h i s t o r i c a l c o n t e x t u a l i z a t i o n such s t u d i e s have n e v e r t h e l e s s t en d ed t o f o c u s upon t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f p r o d u c t i ve o r i n d u s t r i a l d e v e l o p m e n t w i t h i n a r e g i o n o r l o c a l i t y . They have t h u s p r e c l u d e d i n v e s t i g a t i o n o f o t h e r a s p e c t s o f p o l i t i c a l , c u l t u r a l and economic l i f e w h i c h may be

f u n d a m e n t a l t o an u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f what i s h ap p en i ng i n t h e p r o d u c t i v e s p h e r e . As t h e f o l l o w i n g c h a p t e r s w i l l d e m o n s t r a t e , t h e s t r a t e g i e s and p r a c t i c e s o f b ot h e n t r e p r e n e u r s and p r o d u c e r s a l i k e had been shaped by p o l i t i c a l and economic e v e n t s w hi ch had a f f e c t e d n o t j u s t t h e h ua r ac h e s e c t o r , b u t t h e urban economy o f Sahuayo as a w h o l e .

C h a p t e r two c o n t a i n s an o v e r v i e w o f t h e h i s t o r y o f Sahuayo and i t s r e g i o n . P o l i t i c a l t r a n s f o r m a t i o n s d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d o f a g r a r i a n r e f o r m

(1920 t o 1940) and t h e c o n s o l i d a t i o n o f t h e Mexican n a t i o n a l s t a t e , were e s p e c i a l l y s i g n i f i c a n t i n t e r m s o f t h e d ev e lo p me nt o f t h e ur ban economy o f Sahuayo and a t t e n t i o n i s p a i d t o t h e v a r i o u s ways i n w h i c h a

l a n d o w n i n g and m e r c a n t i l e l o c a l b o u r g e o i s i e r e a c t e d t o t h e p o l i t i c a l and economi c t r a n s f o r m a t i o n s wh ic h c o n f r o n t e d i t . In t h e r e g i o n o f t h e

C i é ne ga , t h e emergence o f a new a g r a r i a n b o u r g e o i s i e - w h i c h among o t h e r t h i n g s , s o u g ht t o i n c o r p o r a t e p r o d u c t i v e a c t i v i t y i n t o t h e s p h e re o f s t a t e c o n t r o l , t h r e a t e n e d t o undermi ne economi c domains u n t i l t h e n c o n t r o l l e d by e l i t e f a m i l i e s i n t h e t ow n. The i n t e r v e n t i o n i s t p r a c t i c e s o f t h e new b o u r g e o i s i e , wh i c h was backed by t h e i n s t i t u t i o n a l a p p a r a t u s o f t h e p o s t - r e v o l u t i o n a r y s t a t e , a c t e d t o r e i n f o r c e a p r e f e r e n c e f o r comme rc ia l r a t h e r t h a n p r o d u c t i v e i n v e s t m e n t and t o p romot e s t r a t e g i e s d e s i g n e d t o co nc e al and p r o t e c t l o c a l l y - c o n t r o l l e d economic a c t i v i t y f r o m t h e p r e d a t i o n s o f t h e n a t i o n a l s t a t e and i t s r e g i o n a l r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s . C h a p t e r t h r e e d e s c r i b e s t h e h i s t o r y o f m a n u f a c t u r e i n Sahuayo and i n c l u d e s a d e t a i l e d d i s c u s s i o n o f t h e e v o l u t i o n o f t h e sombrero and h ua ra ch e i n d u s t r i e s . I t examines t h e p o l i t i c a l s i g n i f i c a n c e o f s t a t e i n t e r v e n t i o n , t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n o f l a b o u r w i t h i n t h e s ombrero i n d u s t r y and t h e i m p a c t t h e s e e v e n t s had on t h e s o c i a l and economi c o r g a n i z a t i o n o f hua ra ch e p r o d u c t i o n i n c o n t e m p o r a r y Sahuayo. These i n t r o d u c t o r y c h a p t e r s show how t h e m e r c a n t i l e o r i e n t a t i o n o f l o c a l e l i t e s a f f e c t e d d ev e l o p m e n t s i n t h e m a n u f a c t u r i n g s p h e r e , a c t i n g t o p romot e f o r m s o f p r o d u c t i o n based upon t r a d e m o n o p o l i e s and s u b c o n t r a c t e d l a b o u r . L i k e w i s e , t h e memory o f a d i s a s t r o u s a t t e m p t a t u n i o n o r g a n i z a t i o n w i t h i n t h e sombrero i n d u s t r y d u r i n g t h e 1950s had c o n s o l i d a t e d w o r k i n g p e o p l e ' s o p p o s i t i o n t o s t a t e i n t e r f e r e n c e . The l a t t e r had re ma in ed

s t a u n c h l y i n d e p e n d e n t , c l i n g i n g t o o w n e r s h i p o f t h e means o f p r o d u c t i o n , and p r e f e r r i n g t o depend upon r e l a t i o n s o f p a t r o n a g e w i t h t h e

e c o n o m i c a l l y p o w e r f u l o f t h e t ow n, r a t h e r t h a n e n g a gi n g i n more c o l l e c t i v e f or ms o f p o l i t i c a l s t r u g g l e .

The f o l l o w i n g t h r e e c h a p t e r s d e s c r i b e t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n o f t h e hua r ac h e s e c t o r i n 1985, p r o v i d i n g an a c c o u n t o f t h r e e d i f f e r e n t k i n d s o r l e v e l s o f p r o d u c t i v e o r g a n i z a t i o n - t h e h ou s e h o l d w o r k s h o p , t h e h o u s e h o l d e n t e r p r i s e and t h e huarache f a c t o r y . C h a p t e r s 4 and 5 examine t h e ways i n wh ic h h o u s e h o l d workshops and e n t e r p r i s e s were e s t a b l i s h e d and t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f f a c t o r s such as m i g r a t i o n , r e l a t i o n s o f c r e d i t and d e b t and t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n o f l a b o u r , f o r t h e i r s u r v i v a l . S p e c i a l

a t t e n t i o n i s payed t o t h e s o c i a l and c u l t u r a l o r g a n i z a t i o n o f p r o d u c t i o n and t o t h e r o l e p l a y e d by p a t r o n a g e , k i n s h i p o r o t h e r s o c i a l

r e l a t i o n s h i p s such as compadrazqo w i t h i n t h e s e p r o d u c t i v e u n i t s . C h a p t e r s i x c h a r t s t h e h i s t o r y o f t h e h uarache f a c t o r i e s , w h i c h had emerged d u r i n g t h e 1970s t o c a t e r f o r l a r g e l y e x p o r t m a r k e t s . W h i l e t h e f a c t o r i e s s t r o v e t o c r e a t e an image o f m o d e r n i t y and e f f i c i e n c y , and had b e n e f i t e d f r o m s i g n i f i c a n t c a p i t a l i n v e s t m e n t and t h e p r o v i s i o n o f