ABSTRACT
As a system of relationships the compadrazgo is not corporate in the sense of having group continuity over generations. The bonds are freshly formed for every individual, and each person may build around himself a distinctive compadrazgo network. However, these relationships, buttressed by a religious legitimation, last for a lifetime, and having an enduring justification, they may be elaborated beyond their original sacred purposes and be put to secular uses. What are of interest, then, are the patterning and tasks which characterize the bonds.
