The primary purpose of this book is to present a synthetic account of the sociocultural system of the Spanish Americans in New Mexico. Historical as well as contemporary materials have been used to describe previously existing structures and to illustrate the processes of change. The background study consisted primarily of a systematic review of the literature dealing especially with the social, economic, and cultural characteristics of this population. Some original research of an exploratory nature was conducted concerning topics which seemed to be lacking or under-represented in the available resources. In the document, an attempt is made to describe this culture both as a functioning subsystem and in relation to the broader society of which it is an integral part. A related document is ED 015 815. (BO)