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government, industry, NGO, and community and commercial press realms, as well as the
scores of neighbors and citizens I met and worked with. Any errors, misrepresentations
or other flaws in this dissertation are of course my own responsibility.
Finally, I return to my family. Though not a blood relative, Isabel Mendietta has
always been an “adoptive” mother to me. Her nurturing, companionship, masterful
cooking, and general help have always made my home special. I simply cannot conceive
of having accomplished what I did without her. This project in general was a deeply
personal endeavor, and guided in part by the desire to contribute something of value to
my country of origin. My late grandmother Manacha was perhaps my biggest
inspiration. I lived in my abuela’s house during my fieldwork, and even in death, she
provided a calming and centering presence as I regularly visited her grave at our family’s
tomb in the La Teja cemetery on the way to or from my interviews and field activities in
La Teja. It was through the memory of her boundless love, strength, and sacrifice that I
found greatest purpose.
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