Maria Alvarez’s home was abuzz with activity.
Generations of family members milled around the front yard of her Guadalupe house one breezy February day, drinking sodas and picking at a Little Caesars pizza on a folding table. In the driveway, toddlers rollicked, driving miniature electric cars and intermittently howling. These were Maria’s great-grandchildren, and whenever they got out of hand, the 73-year-old reined them in with a great-grandmotherly admonishment.
“Go talk to Tata Sergio,” she said in a stern but loving voice. “He don’t like you behaving that way.”…