being assaulted or picked up by the authorities in Mexico, it is patently dangerous to carry a

significant amount of cash; accordingly, the migrant has to arrange for someone in the United

States to wire the money to the coyote upon arrival. When the coyote receives his payment, he

will "release" the migrant from the safe house. The time it takes to get through Mexico varies

widely (from one week to several months) and the "receiver" may be kept waiting for weeks

before hearing of the incoming migrant's arrival.

 Since it is often difficult to communicate with the migrant during the journey, the time

between the migrant's departure and arrival can be difficult for family and friends. In most cases,

the migrant's family must endure frequent rumors regarding the migrant's status. Often, such

rumors are a constant source of anxiety as the family may imagine that the migrant has

disappeared, been apprehended by border authorities, become lost in the desert, or drowned. One

family I interviewed lost their uncle when he attempted to migrate. Even though others from his

group had arrived safely in Boston, the uncle had been last seen in the Mexican desert near

Arizona. After two years, the family still held onto the hope that he had been taken by Mexican

authorities and, since he is illiterate, had been unable to make his way back home. Anecdotes of

this sort are uncommon, however, since most Pinultecos travel to the United States in groups

ranging in size from three to twenty people, which allows the friends/families of migrants to rely

on the accounts of other group members for some news of their relative.

Finding Someone to "Ayudar" (Help) and "Recibir" (Receive)

 As I studied migration from San Pedro Pinula to the United States, I focused on the

migrant networks and how the migration process functioned. When I asked return migrants who

had "helped" them get to the United States, I learned that migrants and community members

distinguish between the terms ayudar (help) and recibir (receive). To "receive" a migrant is to

assist him once he arrives in the United States. Such assistance means wiring the dollars to the