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Residential practices amongst the middle classes in Mexico have been studied on the basis of the history of a multigenerational family, starting from the family’s arrival in the city in 1927 and continuing through three generations. This study examines the phases of rupture and continuity, which have marked each generation, replacing each phase in its socio-economic context, in terms of both location and opportunities of access to housing market. These two aspects are analysed in terms of urban integration cycles, covering a range of aspects including the matrimonial, professional, residential strategies of the different members of the urban family line. The author then examines the way these strategies are justified by the individuals, in relation to a practical logic, which embraces principles of honour and of tradition, material arguments and the capacity of the individual to adapt to new circumstances.