Resultados de la encuesta aplicada a los docentes de la I.E.P Nº

The Gudi ho b r o t h e r s , who o c c u p i e d s p a c i o u s and f u l l y m o d e r n i z e d t w o - s t o r y houses i n t h e same s t r e e t , p r o v i d e d per ha ps t h e c l e a r e s t

i l l u s t r a t i o n o f how bonds o f p a t r o n a g e c o u l d p e r m i t a h o u s e h o l d t a l 1e r t o i n c r e a s e p r o f i t s . D e s p i t e an appear ance o f l o w - l e v e l p r o d u c t i o n i n s ma ll w o r k s h o p s , b ot h A l f o n s o and S a n t i a g o were a c t u a l l y p r o d u c i n g some 250 p a i r s o f s a n d a l s each p e r week. Both owned t h e i r own v e h i c l e s and o b v i o u s l y e n j o y e d a h i g h e r s t a n d a r d o f l i v i n g t h a n many o f t h e i r f e l l o w

p r o d u c e r s .

The f a t h e r o f A l f o n s o and S a n t i a g o had been a p e s p u n t a d o r . sewi ng shoes f o r t h e p e l e t e r o . Jesus T r u j i l l o . The two sons had been b r o u g h t up i n t h e v a r i o u s t a l 1e r e s i n wh ic h t h e i r f a t h e r had w o r k e d . Both began w o r k i n g a t t h e age o f seven o r e i g h t ( i n 1959 t o 1960) f o r a l o c a l h u a r a c h e r o and r e g i o n a l t r a d e r , where t h e y re ma in ed f o r a b o u t f i v e y e a r s . A l f o n s o a t t e n d e d a l o c a l s e m i n a r y f o r a t i m e b u t l e f t when t h e

f e e s became t o o g r e a t a f i n a n c i a l bur den f o r t h e f a m i l y . Between 1960 and 1970 b o t h boys worked i n a p r o s p e r o u s h o u s e h o l d e n t e r p r i s e , owned by a man named T r i n o F l o r e s . A l f o n s o e v e n t u a l l y t o o k o v e r t h e

a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f t h e e n t e r p r i s e .

I n 1970 A l f o n s o and S a n t i a g o s e t up t h e i r own workshop t o g e t h e r and worked as m a q u i 1e r o s f o r t h e i r f o r m e r e m p l o y e r . An u n c l e a l s o l e n t them some money t o buy b a s i c m a t e r i a l s . Soon a f t e r t h i s , t h e b r o t h e r s began p r o d u c i n g f o r Jesus T r u j i l l o , and i n 1974 t h e y became e c o n o m i c a l l y i n d e p e n d e n t o f one a n o t h e r , a l t h o u g h t h e y s t i l l s h ar ed p r e m i s e s .

S a n t i a g o c o n t i n u e d t o work f o r Don Jesus f o r a t i m e , b u t r e c a l l e d t h a t t h i s p ro v ed u n p r o f i t a b l e . A f t e r a s h o r t p e r i o d S a n t i a g o became

i n d e p e n d e n t o f Don Jesus and s e cur ed h i s own c l i e n t s , t r a v e l l i n g by bus t o Mexi co C i t y and M o r e l i a t o s e l l h i s h u a r a c h e s . He a l s o s t a r t e d making d e c o r a t e d and v a r n i s h e d women's s a n d a l s , and by 1977, when he m a r r i e d , he was a b l e t o buy some m a c h i n e r y . In 1980 Don Jesus s o l d him t h e house he was s t i l l o c c u p y i n g i n 1985.

By 1985 S a n t i a g o was p r o d u c i n g 280 p a i r s o f women's s a n d a l s p e r week. He had two permanent employees and two z o r r a s w o r k i n g f o r h im. Hi s n e t w e e k l y income v a r i e d between a minimum o f 2 5 , 0 0 0 pesos ( £ 6 2 . 5 0 ) and a maximum o f 5 0, 000 (£125) o r even 6 0 , 0 00 pesos ( £ 1 5 0 ) . A l f o n s o was i n a s i m i l a r s i t u a t i o n a l t h o u g h h i s c i r c u m s t a n c e s were more compl ex owing t o t h e f a c t t h a t he had become s e c r e t a r y o f an eme rg en t h u a r a c h e - p r o d u c i n g c o o p e r a t i v e (see C h a p t e r 8 ) . A l f o n s o had a l s o b r o u g h t h i s house f r o m Don J e s u s . The workshops were f u l l y s e p a r a t e d f r o m t h e h ou s e h o l d s and n e i t h e r t h e i r w i v e s n o r t h e i r c h i l d r e n were employed p r o d u c i n g t h e s a n d a l s .

The good f o r t u n e s o f t h e Gudiho b r o t h e r s were n o t i m m e d i a t e l y e x p l i c a b l e . On t h e f a c e o f i t p r o d u c t i v e o r g a n i z a t i o n and c l i e n t e l e were i d e n t i c a l t o t h o s e o f many o t h e r h u a r a c h e r o s who n e v e r t h e l e s s r emai ned u n a b l e t o a c c um u l a t e s i m i l a r amounts o f c a p i t a l o r t o expand p r o d u c t i o n . C l o s e r i n s p e c t i o n r e v e a l e d , however, t h a t b o t h b r o t h e r s had e s t a b l i s h e d c l o s e and l o n g - t e r m bonds w i t h t h e i r f o r m e r e m p l o y e r and w i t h Jesus T r u j i l l o . T r i n o F l o r e s , compadre. t o S a n t i a g o , had p r o v i d e d s u b s t a n t i a l i n i t i a l c r e d i t and m a t e r i a l s f o r t h e two b r o t h e r s t o e s t a b l i s h t h e i r own wo rk s hop s i n 1970. More i m p o r t a n t , was t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p between t h e Gudi hos and Jesus T r u j i l l o , who had been a compadre o f t h e i r f a t h e r . Through t h i s l a t t e r c o n n e c t i o n , A l f o n s o and S a n t i a g o had b e n e f i t e d f r o m a c o n t i n u o u s s t r e a m o f c r e d i t , and t h e p r o v i s i o n o f o t h e r f a c i l i t i e s such as i n t e r e s t - f r e e l o a n s , e n a b l i n g b o t h t o buy and r e n o v a t e t h e i r houses and t o expand t h e a c t i v i t i e s o f t h e i r w o r k s h o p s . The s t r e n g t h and e n d u r i n g n a t u r e o f t h e G u d i h o s ' bond w i t h Don J esus was a t t r i b u t e d by t h e b r o t h e r s t o t h e f a c t t h a t as a young man Don Jesus had f a l l e n i n l o v e w i t h t h e i r m o t h e r and as a consequence had f e l t s e n t i m e n t a l l y a t t a c h e d t o h e r c h i l d r e n .