Luis Valdez's Los Vendidos

In the short story, “Los Vendidos” by Luis Valdez stereotypes and racism take the main stage. The story takes place in a shop called “Honest Sancho’s Used Mexican Lot” where Mexicans are sold very much like used cars, implying they are property. A woman named Miss. Jimenez, a secretary from Governor Reagan’s office comes to the shop to buy a Mexican for the administration. Honest Sancho, the shops owner proceeds to walk Miss. Jimenez around the shop showing her different “models” of Mexican he had to offer. The individual “models” appear to have their own identities within the Mexican race and each identity stands for a stereotype society generally holds of Mexicans. For example, the farm worker respects his “masters," picks cotton and melons
The revolucionario was romantic, rode horses, and started revolutions, like Mexicans portrayed in movies. The Mexican American was educated and "Mexican but American.” He did not practice his culture daily but could eat a Mexican meal at social events. In the end, however, the characters were stripped of stereotypical features and seemed to be of one people, all speaking Spanish and working together. The characters wait until Miss. Jimenez has paid for the Mexican-American to turn disrespectful and run her out of the shop, keeping her money. Miss. Jimenez is portrayed in the story as cheap, judgmental, and hypocritical. Throughout the story Honest Sancho shows Miss. Jimenez four “models” and her main question she never forgets to ask is referring to the cost of the Mexicans. Miss. Jimenez seems to want to pay little to nothing for the Mexicans, implying that they are worth very little. After seeing the first “model”, the farmer, Miss. Jimenez says, “Wonderful. But is he economical?” to which Sancho replies, “Economical? Señorita, you are looking at the Volkswagen of Mexicans. Pennies a day is all it takes.” The “cost” of a Mexican is implying how much money it would take to