Mexico In The 70s: A City Family (1970s)

I am a computer technician. My name is Gilberto Matolongo. I work and live in Mexico City. In the last few years to grow, our standard of living has improved. Although many changes have taken place, our values and our traditions have remained. The family is still the most important part of our lives. I'm a fortunate man. I have a good paying job and a loving family. Manuel, my oldest is 16. He's very good at soccer. Javier is 12 years old and is a very good student. He reads all the time. I feel he is too serious for a boy his age. My daughter Carmen is 15. She has a sharp mind and would like to be a physicist. >> [laughter] >> My wife Eva worked very hard to give us a happy home all those years we were poor. She helped me to save every penny to buy this apartment a few years ago. I am glad we have a bigger place now because of Carlos, our baby. >> [laughter] >> We always have breakfast together. It gives us a good feeling to start the day. I enjoy the drive to work. It seems only the statues are the same. And that new buildings appear every day. The new buildings are getting taller all the time. Like the building my office is in. It is called the Latin American Tower. The tallest building in Latin America. I started in the stock room 13 years ago. My company sent me to school at night to learn about computers. It was difficult to work and study at the same time. But now I'm a supervisor in charge of 10 people. I know the value of schooling. And I want my children to have the best education. I'm in the sixth grade. We study Spanish, literature, science, math, geography, and history. We're in school 6 hours a day. And we have a lot of homework besides. I like most the field trips, like the one we took to the Mexican Museum of History. History is my favorite subject. >> [music] >> The museum shows Mexico's history in paintings. How my people fought against the Spanish. And about our long struggle to become an independent nation. It all seems a bit far away for me though. I have grown up in modern times. I like to shop at the supermarket. Although the prices are higher than at the open markets, it is more convenient. I can walk here and it is open every day of the week. Fruits are delivered fresh daily. I use more prepared foods. Even chili comes in cans now. Mexico. With all the modern conveniences, women don't need to spend as much time at home. Within the past 15 years, women have moved out of the kitchen. You see many more women working. I am now hiring more women for skilled jobs. At first, I was doubtful about women in the office. But I find they are hard working and efficient. I come to this restaurant because it is close to my office. The food is good and the service is fast. This was a private home in Spanish times. It was built hundreds of years ago. The menu offers a great variety of foods, sandwiches, hot dogs, and many Mexican dishes. Today, I will have a cheese enchilada. It is one of their specialties. Not so long ago, lunch time in Mexico lasted two or three hours. It was a time to be with friends or family. But now, we work harder. And have to squeeze lunch and conversation into less than an hour. We still manage to have time to discuss politics, bull fights, or argue about the Sunday soccer game. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] >> There is nothing better than a taco after a soccer game. Almost every afternoon, my brother and I play in a club. I am a good player, but Manuel is much better. He has already made the Mexico City team. >> [music] [music] [music] >> Going home on the metro is fun. When the metro opened for the 1968 Olympics, we used to spend hours riding it. It cost only a few pennies. The metro is very fast. In 15-20 minutes, you can ride from one end of town to the other. And Mexico City is very big. >> [music] [music] [music] >> This past summer, Dad took the whole family to Acapulco for a vacation. We stayed in a big, >> [music] >> fancy hotel. I even got a new bathing suit. Every day, all of us went to the beach. We had lots of fun. Lettuce soup is one of my husband's favorites. Tonight, we'll have pork chops with chili sauce and fresh avocados, too. I am baking a cake for the Sunday family picnic. Of course, it takes less time now that I have all the modern appliances. But I remember the years when we lived in the old section of town called the Garita. The people in the Garita work mostly in factories and are poor, but kind and friendly. I used to shop at the open market, bargaining for everything. In those days, a penny meant a lot. >> [music] >> We lived in tenements called Vecindad. Each family had a one-room apartment. There are no kitchens or bathrooms. I cooked on a small hot plate. This was before Carlos was born. My in-laws still live there. My husband, Gildardo, and my sons visit them every Saturday. >> [music] >> I moved to Mexico City 35 years ago, so my children could have a better life. For the same reason my father had migrated from the hacienda to the north. Three of my children live here. Pedro, with his wife and their baby. Pedro works with me as a carpenter. Luis, who is still at college, and Hermina, my daughter, who is unmarried and helps with the housework. Providing a home for my children is a small way I can help them to get ahead in life. It is crowded here, but all the hardship is forgotten when I hear them laugh and talk. >> [laughter] >> Now, my son, Gildardo, is providing for me. He is buying a new house. Whenever we have a chance, we go to see how the new construction is coming along. The house is out in the country, outside of the city. I will enjoy the quiet life now that I will soon retire on my social security. I think my parents will be happy here. Everyone will have his own separate room. There will be a garden outside and a modern kitchen for my mother. Ever since I was a little boy, I can remember coming to Chapultepec Park. It is a huge and beautiful oasis in the middle of the city. We spent many pleasant Sundays enjoying the fresh air. It was a change from the narrow courtyards of the Vecindad. I used to be very good at soccer, but now my sons beat me at my own game. >> [laughter] >> Food is plentiful. Everyone brings his favorite dish. These Sundays, the whole family is together. In-laws, grandparents, cousins, and aunts. We like each other, and we are good friends. We are still close, even though we need our own separate lives now. We each have our own responsibilities. I have a good life. It took a lot of sacrifice from my parents and a lot of hard work from me and my wife. Life is easier for me than it was for my parents and grandparents. And my children will have an even better future. >> [music] [music]