1. Mexican Sexual Standards 1870-1920 Antonia, Henry, Kam, Sophia, Jace, Pierre

2. Rape: A type of sexual assault involving sexual penetration perpetrated against a person without that person’s consent Rape was very hard to prove, as it could create a poor reputation for the woman premarital sex - religion “The state’s maintenance of sexual difference informed this perceptions of men’s ‘natural urges’ and the need of the families’ to protect their young daughters from such predatory behavior. Women who claimed they were raped had to establish their honorability while the legal process in many ways stripped them of dignity, respect, and honor.” -Dangerous Women and Macho Men, Preserving Sexual Difference in Orizaba, Mexico, 1920-1940, by Gregory Swedberg “That night, when she got to the house, a group of bandits attacked the ranch. They raped Chencha. Mama Elena, trying to defend her honor, suffered a strong blow to her spine and was left paraplegic, paralyzed from the waist down. She was in no condition to hear this type of news, nor was Chencha in any condition to give it.” (page 129) Rape (Antonia)

3. Pregnancy and Childbirth (Henry) ● Sexual intercourse was supposed to be just for the sake of getting pregnant ○ Part of culture and Catholicism ● Doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyed ○ Wedding sheet thing largely a myth ● Many reasons to have lots of kids ○ More help with work ○ Care when elderly ○ Bring money in for family ● Birth rate was very high ● Fairly successful in births ○ Will always be complications but Mexico was fairly developed

4. Pre-marital sex (Kameron) Teen marriages were prevalent in Mexican families in the early 1900’s. Premarital chastity was expected for young mexican girls. The main religion in Mexico is Catholicism this religion bans the use of birth control. Pre-Marital sex opposes the ideals of the Catholic church 85% of the Mexican population is Catholic, Because of this, pre- marital sex can often lead to unwanted pregnancies.

5. Prostitution (Jace) ● Prostitution has been regulated since 1895. ● In 1908, economic concerns were the main reason for 15-30% of Mexico City’s young female population were in the sex trade. ● The 1895 census found 190,413 women who worked as domestics, they received little pay and many were vulnerable to sexual abuse. ● The White Slave Traffic Act of 1910 (Mann Act) prohibited the transportation of women from Mexico to the U.S., “for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery”. Many prostitutes were still smuggled into the U.S. ● After the Mexican Revolution, many saloons and gambling halls opened in mexican towns. During prohibition, lots of tourism from the U.S. because alcohol was easily acceptable in Mexico. ○ Business was very good for prostitutes during this time.

6. Infidelity (Sophia) Infidelity: the action or state of being unfaithful to a spouse or other sexual partner. -Infidel: means someone who has betrayed or been unfaithful to their religion. Religion- Not permitted to divorce as long as the marriage is sacramental. Physical and emotional infidelity. Believes root of infidelity is a lack of understanding of marriage and a lack of commitment to marriage. It’s not about convenience. It was rare for the women to ever cheat on their husbands. But due to machismo, the men were able to get away with it, although never able to divorce due to their Catholic upbringing. Machismo: Strong or aggressive masculine pride.

7. Research http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Le-Pa/Mexican-Americans.html (Section: Childbearing and Courtship) https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=arEA4sVO0V8C&oi=fnd&pg=PR10&dq=mexican+sexual+ standards+in+early+20th+century&ots=fWeeBsAQe0&sig=ysfpg6BRP22fhByTjmVgP3YtAIo#v=onepage& q=mexican%20sexual%20standards%20in%20early%2020th%20century&f=false https://www.solidarity-us.org/node/3035 http://revista.drclas.harvard.edu/book/mexican-women http://www.emayzine.com/index.php/history-104/history-104-week-3/158-the-modernization-of-mexico-1850- 1900 http://www.e-ir.info/2013/07/14/building-sexual-boundaries-the-u-s-mexico-border-in-the-early-20th-century/