TITLE:
From Southern Russia to the Americas: Cultural Practices Examined through Genealogical and Archival Research
AUTHORS:
Ivan Enrique Carroll-Janer
KEYWORDS:
Mennonites, Old Colony Mennonites, Kinship, Endogamy, Genealogy, Sibling Exchange, Strabismus, Nystagmus, Mexico, Belice, Alvaro Obregón
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.14 No.1,
January
26,
2026
ABSTRACT: This study investigates the persistence of kinship-based social structures and endogamy among Old Colony Mennonites in Ejido Salamanca, Mexico. Using genealogical reconstruction, census data, and archival research, the author analyzes marriage patterns (including levirate and sibling exchange) and leadership lineages. The research also assesses the prevalence of strabismus and nystagmus through photographic analysis, concluding that these conditions are not directly linked to close consanguinity in this community.