Mexican American extended family structure in the California towns of Santa Barbara, Santa Paula, and Oxnard was examined to assess the extent to which it fitted the "traditional" Mexican American family, and to compare Mexican American family structure with that of Anglo Americans. The effects of urbanization, acculturation, and socioeconomic status on extended family structure among Mexican Americans was also explored. Interviews with a stratified random sample of 666 Mexican Americans in 9 census tracts were conducted in the spring and summer of 1975, and with 340 Anglo Americans from the same census tracts in the spring of 1976. Most respondents were middle aged, female and married. Residential stability was much more characteristic of the Mexican Americans. The majority of the Mexican American heads of household were blue collar workers, mostly semi-skilled and unskilled, with an average of nine years of education; the majority of Anglos were white collar workers with one or more years of college. Of the Mexican Americans, 40% were first generation (born in Mexico), 35% second generation, and 19% third generation. It was found that Mexican Americans had more kin in town, more frequent interaction with nearby relatives, and more exchange of mutual aid with kin. There was no indication that the traditional Mexican American extended family broke down with urbanization, acculturation or socioeconomic mobility. It was suggested that discrimination by the Anglo majority reinforced kin ties among Mexican Americans. (NQ)