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From the signature of a bilateral agreement in 1974, Mexico sends temporary agricultural workers in Canadian farms. The gradual hardening of the rules to select rural workers at the request of the Canadian government, combined to the application of the same by the Secretary of Work in Mexico and its discretionary interpretation in each office of recruitment in the states of the Republic, converge towards the constitution of a biopanoptism of the candidates to the emigration. This institutional network of monitoring, control and submission of the body of the workers extends during all their labor stay abroad and follows until its return in Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Mexico, the "in-charge" system has historically been represented by men. However, when the men emigrate towards the United States, the responsibility can fall on the women of the family. The aim of this paper is to identify changes in the gender relations between women and men in charge of organizing the festivity of the Virgin of Guadalupe on December 12 in La Laja, Queretaro, Mexico, in a context of international masculine migration. It is an ethnographic study on this festivity through direct participant observation and in-depth interviews. In the absence of their husbands, women make individual and group decisions in order to fulfill their religious duties. Because of these new responsibilities, there would seem to be some elements that empower women. Nevertheless, the traditional gender relations keep on being reproduced, undermining the advances made towards the women's autonomy. The women's compulsory participation in the "in-charge" system subjects them to further feminization of gender inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the research was to study the role of traditional wells in water supply for the rural population, vis a vis drinking water networks in five rural low-income villages in the west of the State of Mexico. The information was obtained through field trips and interviews with key informants and users. It was found that in most of the villages, wells are the main source of water for domestic use and they greatly help to solve the serious crisis of lack of water arising from the dysfunctional drinking water networks. While wells are a family heritage, they play a wider social role because they are shared with neighbors free of charge. In addition, the costs of the construction of wells, their operation, and the required technology are within reach of the poor rural families. In conclusion, wells are decisively contributing in the area to provide security in the water supply during the year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on Amartya Sen's theoretical insights, this paper analyzes indigenous women's poverty in the Sierra Negra, Puebla, as well as their development capacity resulting from their participation in the "Sociedad de Productores Indígenas Ecológicos Sierra Negra Sociedad Civil" (SPIESN, S. C.). Data was collected using a quanti-qualitative approach: a survey, eight in-depth interviews, three participatory workshops and field participant observation were conducted. Results indicate that women value literacy, own-income generation, and land ownership. However, they also face structural limitations when attempting to develop capacities in these areas. Their participation in the organization has given positive results to this effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]