What is the origin of the pachuco? How does that characterization prepare the reader for the rest of the book?

The pachuco originated in the Mexican youth who lived abroad, particularly those who lived in the United States. Those youth had a strong sense of Mexican identity, yet could not fully live that identity because they were in a different country. At the same time, they did not want to return to Mexico. They were caught between two countries, dissatisfied and unfulfilled in both. Their clothing, attitude, and actions all conveyed that sense of extreme emotion and confusion. This characterization prepares the reader for the rest of the book, because it is important that Paz begin with a Mexican extreme. The pachuco is one extreme at which a Mexican can arrive, and his place at the beginning of the book shows that he is by no means a minority among Mexican culture. The reader senses that the type of instability and unpredictability in the pachuco is manifested in more aspects of the Mexican character.