Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1982. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / Bibliography: p. 69-71. / In Mexico today there is an accelerated migration of skilled organized labor from urban centers to rural settlements. This is primarily due to the increased exploitation of natural resources in rural regions and the establishment of new highway networks required to transport the goods. This thesis deals with the growth problems of the settlements resulting from the additional population and new functional demands. The major thrust of this work concentrates on a feasible proposal for a dwelling type that accommodates the new expansion and insures the architectural character of the existing village is preserved. The design decisions are based on information obtained through my on-site research and documentation of the physical form of a specific village, Ixpantepec Nieves, Oaxaca, Mexico. Constancy and change elements of the physical environment were major concerns in providing the design alternative. How can a place adapt to changing needs of public and private life and still retain its identity? My investigation of this question resulted in the ensuing alternative, having generic potential as it interprets the character of the settlement, brings about meaningful change and relates to local values. After studying the context of an existing village, projected physical growth assumptions were applied and architectural design principles were implemented to produce a design integrating the theme and variation of the repetitive rectangular building form found throughout the settlement allowing for individual identity and conservation of the "spirit of the place." / by Rafael G. Olguin. / M. Arch.

Thesis. 1977. M.C.P.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / No leaf 54; 2 leaves numbered 56. / Bibliography : leaves 106-108. / by Ernesto E. Rodriguez. / M.C.P.

Using a mixed methods, interdisciplinary case study approach, this research project explores the benefits, risks, and challenges of male migration for women who reside in San Juan Guelavía, Oaxaca, Mexico. In a unique approach in the field of migration studies, this project considers not only women whose husbands have migrated--absent husbands--but also the impact of male migration on women whose husbands have returned as well as women whose husbands have never left--anchored husbands. Women with returned husbands and even women with anchored husbands feel the threat, worry, and fear that male migration could, at an unknown point in the future, fragment their family. This case study approach looks at how women's work responses are differentiated by husbands' migration status, by age, and by husband's control over women's activities. Women with absent husbands tend be income-producing women as well as women ages 35 to 50 far more than women 35 and under and 50 and over. With motherhood as a cultured priority of rural Mexican women, women's income-producing opportunities are primarily limited to options within the home or in venues that can accommodate their children until the children enter school. Although this case study showed little or no connection between male migration and educational attainment, substantial policy-worthy findings suggest that the lack of value that residents of San Juan Guelavía place on the local public high school curriculum negatively impacts educational attainment of children beyond middle school. Women's traditional and cultural emphasis of marriage for their daughters as well as their reluctance to expose daughters to the negative influences of the city sway the decisions that women make for their daughters.