demeanor-coupled with her inability or refusal to quit her job as a local baker-is testimony to

some resistance to change.

 For Maya villagers, cell phones have been a blessing. In the villages dotting the

mountainsides, an array of cell phone antennas poke out from beneath thatched and tin roofs, and

when the reception is not particularly good, people simply climb up on their roofs to strengthen

the signal. Villagers no longer have to spend an entire day traveling to the main town to make a

(possibly unsuccessful) call to the United States. Migrants in the United States send money so

their family members can purchase cell phones, and cell phone companies have made it easier

for migrants to purchase their products abroad. The newfound ease with which migrant families

can communicate with each other helps keep relationships strong, and possibly increases the

degree to which home community wives are involved in decision-making.

Positive and Negative Impacts of Cell Phones

 Maya of both sexes and Ladina women report that cell phones have had both positive and

negative impacts on their lives. For the Maya, cell phones eliminate the need to travel to the

main town to make calls, which often results in missing a full day of work. Now if a Maya

doesn't have his/her own cell phones he/she can borrow one from their neighbors in the village.

For women, cell phones help facilitate regular, honest communication with their husbands. Rosa,

a Maya woman in her late twenties, lives across the street from her in-laws but can now receive

phone calls from her husband in the privacy of her own home. She feels that this enables her to

speak to him about whatever she likes and to discuss all matters relating to their lives, from the

design of their new home, to how much money she is receiving, to the decisions she makes. She

believes that talking to him regularly on the cell phone keeps their relationship strong, which

makes it more likely that he will eventually return Many home community women are afraid

that their migrant husbands will abandon them, and regular phone conversations help somewhat