A study investigated the syntactic properties and functions of English-Spanish code-switching in literary, political, and news magazines in Mexico. It is proposed that oral code-switching in Chicano communities and written code-switching in the Mexican press differ both syntactically and pragmatically, with the latter more syntactically restricted. Spanish is found to be the matrix language in the Mexican press, while in Chicano code-switching the matrix language is not always discernable. Several possible explanations are offered. In addition, it is found that code-switching in the Mexican press has limited pragmatic functions because it involves a written channel, is addressed to an anonymous audience, and is constrained by negative attitudes toward the type of code-switching found in the United States' Chicano community and the ambivalent status of English in Mexico. Finally, it is noted that this ambivalence is reflected in the use of English in the Mexican press, where it is used both to evoke a more precise image or sophisticated tone than a Spanish word or phrase and to attack American politics and values. (MSE)