coyote, finding a place for the arriving migrant to live, and facilitating job contacts. The person

who "helps" is solely responsible for lending the Quetzales to pay the first coyote in Guatemala.

 The "receiver" pays the coyote in the United States and provides the migrant with lodging

and employment. Since receiving involves a substantial amount of effort and commitment, the

receiver is usually a close relative. In some cases, households of young men pool their money to

bring over a close friend or relative and provide lodging and employment. Occasionally, the

"receiving" person lends the dollars on the U.S. side but does not provide lodging or job

contacts. In such cases, migrants said these people had "received" them but not "helped" them.

Ladinos "helping" Ladinos

 The first wave of migration (1960s to late 1970s) from San Pedro Pinula consisted

exclusively of Ladinos who easily obtained tourist visas because of their financial resources and

light skin color (also see Margolis 1994). Light skin color indicates their status as Ladinos.

According to American embassy workers, even proper papers are not necessarily as important as

a person's appearance in securing a tourist visa, since many official looking documents can be

forgeries. Many of these Embassy employees discriminate against people who are short and who

have dark skin, qualities they associate with the low status of the Maya. Accordingly, the first

wave of Ladino migrants were given tourist visas and allowed to migrate to the United States

without paying for the assistance of a coyote.

 Further, many upper-class Ladinos also have family members in the capital city who work

as professionals and provide them with a place to stay and financial and social support. It is also

easier for Ladinos to prove to the American Embassy that they have "permanent ties" in

Guatemala. In order to obtain a tourist visa, one has to demonstrate the financial capacity and

permanent ties that would make them more likely to return to Guatemala after a short stay in the

United States (under six months). A prospective migrant can prove he has permanent ties by