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from the disappearance of Mr. Santiago Gómez-Palomino and has educated her in
denial and in the family mythology. The grandmother always used to tell her that
the girl’s father “will soon be coming back with money, and that he’s at work.” This
has an impact on the girl Ana María, who gets all worked up when talking about her
father as if he were alive. The main problem here is the lack of adequate support for
the girl’s development. Ana María must comply with the ideal she is presented with,
and not having met her father, she has been nurtured on reminiscence shared with
her aunts, uncles and grandmother. The father figure is used as an extortion in her
upbringing. They tell her that she has to obey, for her father to come back home
and be happy. She then feels that her father’s return it is up to her, and thus she is
doomed to feel she is a “bad girl.”
Mrs. María Dolores Gómez-Palomino, sister of Mr. Santiago Gómez-Palomino, is 42
years old, married, has four children and is a housewife. She is the only sister of Mr.
Santiago Gómez-Palomino by the same father and mother. Before the forced
disappearance of her brother, she had already formed a family with her husband
and children. In spite of this, she was very close to her brother —she would usually
have him visit her to talk about their minor brothers and sisters. The forced
disappearance of Santiago did not affect her financially, as her husband had a
steady job and supported the family. Thus far, Mrs. María Dolores Gómez-Palomino
refuses to believe that her brother is dead. At present, she helps her mother,
brother and sisters financially.
Mrs. Luzmila Sotelo-Palomino, sister of Mr. Santiago Gómez-Palomino, is 37 years
old, married, has three children and is a housewife. She is the only one of all his
brothers and sisters who holds a high school degree. At the time of the forced
disappearance of her brother, she was enrolled in a vocational nursing program, of
which she dropped out after the events.
Mr. Emiliano Palomino-Buitrón, brother of Mr. Santiago Gómez-Palomino, is 32
years old, unmarried, and pursued high school studies until third year. At the time
of the forced disappearance of his brother he was 17 years old, and had been
drafted into mandatory military service. After the events, he could not go back to
his high school studies for financial reasons, as he had to help his mother support
the family home and provide for the education of his younger sisters. After the
disappearance of his brother, the figures of authority became a source of confusion
and distortion for him, due to his disillusion and distrust regarding State institutions,
which he previously looked up to and trusted. At present, he experiences feelings of
resentment and hostility. On losing his only bother, he lost a very important identity
figure, for he did not know his father. This has adversely affected his productivity
and his ability to support himself. He does not have a steady job.
Mrs. Mónica Palomino-Buitrón, sister of Mr. Santiago Gómez-Palomino, is 28 years
old, lives with her partner, has three children and is a housewife. When her brother
disappeared, Mrs. Mónica Palomino-Buitrón was fourteen years old. Owing to the
fact that her mother did not know how to read or write, she accompanied her
mother in the search for her missing brother in order to read the documents for her
mother, and also helped look after the girl Ana María Gómez-Guevara. She dropped
out of school and started to work at an early age. Thus, she suddenly grew out of
her role as daughter and younger sister to become the eldest sister, and devote her
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