“MALINCHES Y GUADALUPANAS”: REPRESENTATIONS OF THE MOTHERLY FIGURE AMONG THE STREET CHILDREN IN MEXICO CITY

Abstract

From the fieldwork with children in street situation carried out in Mexico DF, it is my aim in writing this article to reflect upon the representations that both boys and girls have of their mothers and how these are intimately related to the construction of female sexuality in Mexican culture, where there are two archetypes representative of women, i.e. "Malinche" and the “Virgen de Guadalupe”. These are symbols with diverse moral connotations which have configured the gender commandments in Mexican society. An analysis from a feminine perspective that aims at showing the current relationship between the sexual symbology of Mexican women, the motherly figure and the causes intervening in the decisions made by children when it comes to leaving home. An articulation in need to be unraveled if we understand that intervention in Social Work leads to the understanding of reality and our interlocutors look.