Rural Villages
Nearly every village in the Mexican countryside has a church and a
market. At the center of most villages is a plaza . Farm families grow
their own food. If they have extra food, they sell it at the market in the
plaza. Rural people buy nearly everything they need—clothing, food,
toys, and housewares—at the market rather than in stores.
Farm Work
Ramiro Avila (rah MEE roh ah VEE lah) grew up in the state of
Guanajuato (gwah nuh HWAH toh), in central Mexico. In his small
village, Ramiro knew everyone and everyone knew him.
Ramiro’s family were campesinos who owned no land. Even as a
young child, Ramiro had to work to help support his family. He and his
father had jobs as farm laborers. They worked on someone else’s
farm. They made less than a dollar a day. When Ramiro was 13, his
parents decided to move to Mexico City. They joined many other
Mexicans who were making this move.