5. Social Structure Print

Author: Marianna Mastrostamati


5. Social structure

Factors that contributed to the formation of informal groups that were breaking the cohesion of the social body were: the specific origin of immigrants who settled in Alatsata, The family history (noble birth), the professional activity that characterizes the economic situation, and finally the education.

Already in the early 19th century observed the first conflicts between the intra-layer controlled the administration of the community and the emerging urban character of commercial layers. The latter had the support of the working classes, who were mostly laborers and farmers. The representatives of the traditionally large families lived close to the three parish churches or temples were built near the homes of large families as the temple was the center of social and religious life of the place.

In ''Middle Village'' (Parish of Virgin Mary’s church) which were built later time, resident merchants and businessmen who had financial standing, but lacked social prestige. The benefaction was social prestige acquisition strategy, while consistently worked for the social body, and therefore benefactors as local heroes and role models. The neighborhoods that have adopted the surname of a family were streets or blocks in an adjacent neighborhood where they built their houses members of the same big family.

Finally, the district of "Arvanitιko" indicated the origin of the inhabitants of Epirus, the "Tzoumagias" one the Slavic, and the "Ntamakia" one the neighborhood with small properties. The architecture of the houses kept putting the building on the street and the yard behind it with a tall fence and with closed balconies (in the local dialect called ‘’sachnisia’’) which were based on elaborate cornices on the top floor and ground floor shops were suggestive of those homes belonged to a robust economy class. The large doors in the stable, which leading to the street and were used to pass a horse-drawn carriage, was also a normal feature of these houses. The single-storey, low houses with small courtyard at the rear of the properties were suggestive of weaker economic groups.

The arbitrariness in the layout is typical in parts of city properties that appear to exploit a public place. This continues to the present city of aggravating the situation.

Narrow alleys, dead-end, and homes that do not follow the building line, seem to be chasing the "first position" in view of a main road, where what is going on there be for everyone regardless of social class.