caliente (hot) and Ladina women asfria (cold). Pinula men emphasize that Ladina women are

reserved for marriage and the production of heirs, whereas Maya women are perceived as

sexually desirable because they have animalistic qualities. Both Ladino men and women say

Maya women produce so many children because their sexuality is uncontrollable and they

regularly "go into heat" (brama). While the community expects Ladino men to have affairs and

produce mixed children with Maya women, it never sanctions marriage or true commitment to

these women (Nelson 1999). Cohabitation between Ladino men and Maya women is rare. When

such arrangements do arise, they are considered to be outside the norms of the community and

the Ladino is regarded as a morally confused man who has been seduced by the pronounced

sexuality of the Maya woman.

 In the United States, the strict rules governing Ladino-Maya relations begin to break down

simply because of the scarcity of Pinula women. Pinula men prefer to unite with women from

their natal community, and when the occasional Pinula woman, whether Ladina or urban Maya,

arrives in Boston, she attracts many enamorados (courtiers). Affluent Ladino men usually win

the competition for these recently arrived Pinula women. Ladino men have always desired Maya

women, and, in fact, their culture encourages them in this regard. The Unites States provides a

venue in which Ladino men and Maya women can formalize this relationship with marriage,

which, in the eyes of Ladinos, allows them to finally "contain and control" the sexuality of

Maya women.

 While many inter-ethnic couples decide to remain in the United States, the few who return

have been successful in maintaining their committed relationships in Pinula. Once a couple

elopes or unites in the United States, this gives the community time to discuss, digest, and

eventually accept the union. While community and family pressure would typically prevent such