Literacy in the community: A study ofMexicanofamilies in Chicago

The study reported here is part of the Mexican‐origin Language and Literacy Project at the University of Illinois at Chicago. We gathered data for this study through long‐term participant observation; that is, as we participated in the lives of one social network of Mexican immigrant families over the course of several years, we learned how both Spanish and English literacy are used in the various domains of their lives. We illustrate here the embedded nature of these practices by describing those that occur within two institutions: the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) and the Catholic Church. Although many adult members of these families have relatively limited literacy skills due to restricted access to formal education, they nevertheless manage a variety of literacy practices that, to a greater extent than most people are aware, serve their specific literacy needs.