The author Piccato uses crime reports and news articles to explain that honor was often the cause for many violent incidents in Mexico where both wealthy and poor men and women reverted to guns, knives, and swords to dissolve these disputes. These fights could be over a small amount of money, name calling, and many other reasons. Many of these fights were between people who were well acquainted and often friends.
The justice system viewed these incidents differently depending on if they were between poor citizens or the wealthy. Piccato explains that when these incidents occurred between the wealthy the justice system focus more on how these incidents were a matter of honor between the participants and many of these people were acquitted because it was found that they had been dishonored or a family members of theirs was dishonored. When these incidents happened between poor citizens it was often understood by the justice system that these fights were wreck less and senseless violence committed by drunk people who were born criminals incapable of understanding the meanings of honor. “The lower classes were so utterly devoid of honor and rationality that trying to prevent further crimes by means of incarceration was futile”. (Piccato, Pablo. City of Suspects Crime in Mexico City, 1900-1931. Durham, NC: Duke Univ. Press, 2001. pg86).
Piccato explained that the wealthy often dueled with pistols and swords. The wealthy could rely on the justice system to find that they were legitimately protecting the honor. The courts often found that their claim of being dishonored was corrected and they would be dissolved of the responsibility of the other person’s death.
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Piccato explained that guns and swords were too expensive for the poor so they would resort to knife and fist fights to resolve their honor disputes. The poor would want to keep these disputes away from the police and court systems because going to court rarely help either person and many bystanders would be brought in because police did not know who was truly involved. “Police intervention did not guarantee that responsibilities were sorted out in a fair manner…it often meant that victims and offenders were equally punished'(Piccato, Pablo. City of Suspects Crime in Mexico City, 1900-1931. Durham, NC: Duke Univ. Press, 2001. Pg87).
Piccato showed that for the Mexican citizens the idea of protecting ones honor was a right a citizen needed to protect their honor for the purposes of respect for themselves and their family. Defending their honor showed to the rest of their society that they deserved to be treated with respect as an equal and that if their honor was attacked they would defend it no matter what the cost were “Honor therefore, has to be considered as a right: the right to be respected and recognized as a member of a group of equals. A challenge conferred honor and a fight demonstrated the ability to defend it, regardless of the result” (Piccato, Pablo. City of Suspects Crime in Mexico City, 1900-1931. Durham, NC: Duke Univ. Press, 2001. Pg81).
Piccato explained that violence was high in poorer areas; this was a result of close living quarters and difficult living conditions. The poor Mexicans faced more circumstances where their honor would be attacked than the wealthy would. The poor citizens needed to maintain the respect of the people around them because they would be living next to them. “In lower-class neighborhoods, where life was marked by job instability and deprivation, one had to rely on the same neighbors and co-workers who were the audience for confrontations” (Piccato, Pablo. City of Suspects Crime in Mexico City, 1900-1931. Durham, NC: Duke Univ. Press, 2001. Pg81).
Piccato explained th fightat of honor were expected to be fought on equal terms. Combatants were expected to use equal weapons and to fight in an honorable way. Under handed tactics would be considered dishonorable. “One-on one fights were acceptable, while numerical superiority was judged unfair” (Piccato, Pablo. City of Suspects Crime in Mexico City, 1900-1931. Durham, NC: Duke Univ. Press, 2001. Pg 88-89).
Piccato explains that wound placements had specific meanings. Attacks aimed at the stomach were meant to kill while a face wound was an attack against the honor of the victim. Piccato explains that like in many society the face was a symbol of personal honor and having a scar on the face marked a person as a violent individual. ( Piccato, Pablo. City of Suspects Crime in Mexico City, 1900-1931. Durham, NC: Duke Univ. Press, 2001.Pg 91).
I believe that Piccato did a good job showing the readers why the levels of violence in Mexico were high, especially amongst the poorer classes. Piccato shows that protection of a person’s honor in a society where the majority of people lived a hard life in a congested area was a constant challenge. The idea of honor mixed with the forces of modernization and growth and an absence of a monarch system where there were clear lines of status lead to a perfect environment for the elevated levels of violence. Piccato use of crime helps show an aspect of society that would not be possible otherwise. With these writing Piccato shows readers that in Mexican society there was a misunderstanding on the part of the wealthy and the government about why crime and violence was so high in poorer areas.
