The Mendozas in many ways are a typical Mexican family: large, extremely religious, jubilant in nature, and traditional in views. However, there is a certain and delightful warmth to the Mendozas that eludes definition. Perhaps it is something in the genes, passed from generation to generation.

Don Alfonso Mendoza is the head of the family and could very well be the originator of the family´s remarkable appeal. Raised in Chapala, Senor Mendoza comes from a line of farmers. He is simple in the best sense of the word; finding fullfilment in his passion for the outdoors, devotion to his family, faith in God, and his continual hard work. Every day he rises early and bicycles to his land to tend his crops. And every day he stays till dusk, only returning at mid-afternoon to share lunch with his family.

Usually draped in tattered and soiled work clothes, he is lean and brown from years of laboring in the sun. His face glows with quiet satisfaction and he´s always smiling, ready to break into easy laughter. His appearance is both noble and humble.

His happiness is centered in the family he has created with his wife, Guadalupe. She comes from San Luis Soyatalan and though she seems reserved, Senora Mendoza has a sweet and loving nature. She comes across as a shy, but curious young school girl even though she is the mother of six and the grand-mother of seven. Don Alfonso and she have three boys and three girls.

Living a few blocks away is the oldest, named after his father, but mostly refered to as Poncho. At twenty-nine, he is married and has three young chilren whom he supports by working as a waiter at Chapala Haciendas. Then comes Carmen, who looks very much like her mother, and is also married with three children. Her husband, Saul, works as a gardener. Carmen does seamtress work at home where they still live with don Alfonso and Guadalupe. Following Carmen is Jose, the second son. He studied to be a mechanic and now works for a road building company.

The gregarious and funny Sylvia is the second daughter. She and her sister Lupita attend preparatory school and work as a domestics. The baby of the group is Oscar, who at twenty has completed four years of seminary school in Guadalajara. Dedicated to his aspirations, he still has eight more years before becoming a priest.

Lupita comes to my uncle´s house once a week, and at our first meeting, we immediately hit it off. Despite the language barrier (she speaks no English and my Spanish is marked by stutters and frustrated hand gestures), our friendship has grown quite rapidly. She is a very bright and engaging girl.

After secondary school she and her sisters tried to open a little seamstress business out of their home. Unfortunately it did not work out, but in that time she had a chance to think about life and what she wanted from it. With the encouragement of her parents she decided to continue her education. In her words, that decision was to guard myself against the storms of life."

She hopes to go on to college and either become a teacher in physical education or teach kindergarten. Lupita is both full of young enthusiasm and precocious wisdom. Hard-working and deeply religious, she can be fun-loving and humorously silly at times.

I often go to the Mendoza house, always an amusing occasion. They have attempted to teach me Mexican dancing steps, I have eaten foods I didn´t know existed, been taught cheeky Spanish expressions. Most importantly I have witnessed their love for each other and life.

I will forever remember my initial encounter with the entire family. At the insistent invitation of Lupita, my uncle and I arrived at their house and were instantly bombarded with numerous dishes of food. It was a very lively meal; joke telling along with bouts of laughter, kids running after kittens, friendly demands that more food be consumed, and an atmosphere of joy and generosity.

After lunch we accompanied don Alfonso and Lupita to his land in order to walk off our food. Once there, however, they proceeded to pile plastic bags with produce for us to take home. We returned clutching bags with vegetables and fruit that could have been sold in the markets, but instead had been given to us. I came away wondering how people could be this generous? The Mendozas are a poor family and yet they are so giving of what little they have. They are incredibly rich with the type of wealth that money can never buy.