household finances. They earn money primarily through commerce and have the right to use this income as they wish, regardless of what their husbands or other family members say. Men dominate municipal politics, however, in Tehuantepec and other areas in the southern Isthmus. Women may participate in strikes, protests and other political movements but do not generally hold positions of power such as municipal president or council member. Even when they do, they hold less powerful portfolios usually related to education and health. The role model for Tehuana women was a woman by the name of Juana Cata Romero who lived in the late 19th and early 20th century. She began as a humble candy seller, but rose to become a local power broker and one of the most revered figures in the city. Romero rose to prominence by befriending a young soldier, then Lieutenant Colonel Porfirio Díaz. Díaz was charged with guarding the town against plots and rebellions by Conservatives during the Reform War. Juana Cata allied herself with Díaz's cause by signaling opportune times to attack Conservative forces. Juana became head of Díaz's intelligence service as well as his lover for four decades, although both married others. The alliance made Juana the richest and most powerful woman in Tehuantepec, owning various sugar and coconut plantations and even the Isthmus of Tehuantepec railroad was built to pass by her house. Romero's house remains in Tehuantepec, which was the only two-story structure in the town when it was built. It was designed to look like a French chalet with north and west wings that come off of a circular entryway. The structure stands out from the surrounding 18th-century Spanish architecture around it. The city constructed a bronze statue of Romero but it is controversial. The statue depicts a stern, conservatively dressed woman holding an open book. Many claim the statue is a misrepresentation. The plinth notes her works of charity in her later years, but the real reason she is admired is that she amassed her wealth and power using her looks and shrewdness, considered a Tehuana trait. Velas The rest of the city is divided into fifteen neighborhoods called barrios, each of which has its own church. Each of these churches have their own patron saint, which is celebrated each year during an event called a "vela." Velas are celebrations of pre Hispanic origin which occur in each neighborhood