The way in which people use social space reflects their social relationships and their ethnic identity. Early immigrants to America from Europe brought with them a collective style of living, which they retained until late in the 18th century. Historical records document a group-oriented existence, in which one room was used for eating, entertaining guests, and sleeping. People ate soups from a communal pot, shared drinking cups, and used a common pit toilet. With the development of ideas about individualism, people soon began to shift to the use of individual cups and plates; the eating of meals that included meat, bread, and vegetables served on separate plates; and the use of private toilets. They began to build their houses with separate rooms to entertain guests — living rooms, separate bedrooms for sleeping, separate work areas — kitchen, laundry room, and separate bathrooms. In Mexico, the meaning and organization of domestic space is strikingly different. Houses are organized around a patio , or courtyard. Rooms open onto the patio, where all kinds of domestic activities take place. Individuals do not have separate bedrooms. Children often sleep with parents, and brothers or sisters share a bed, emphasizing familial interdependence. Rooms in Mexican houses are locations for multiple activities that, in contrast, are rigidly separated in the United States.