ABSTRACT
The differences in clothing of men and women are as pronounced in El Nopal as they are in most pre-industrial societies. This fact, in conjunction with the lack of participation by women in public life, suggests great status inequalities. Men of El Nopal treat their women with a profound respect, and women, treat their men with similar respect. All the domestic work—cooking, cleaning, sewing, and caring for the children is done in El Nopal by women. The pattern of replaceability possibly was established in El Nopal during the colonial period, "the days of hacienda/' when, according to the Mazahuas from El Nopal, "men and women alike had to work for the Spaniard in the fields which were often situated far away from their homes". The historical data on hired women in Spanish haciendas is not sufficiently specific to trace objectively the patterns of replaceability.
