ImportError: No module named '_struct' when installing setuptools

I've installed separate Python versions on Centos 6.7 using the instructions listed here , using a local install (not my package manager). When I tried to install [setuptools] (e.g. python3.5 ez_setup.py) to my new Python versions, I got the titular error message ("No module named '_struct'"). I can't install versions of Python more recent than 2.6 using the package manager (a suggested solution to similar post ) due to priority protections. Does anybody know a simpler solution that does not require messing with the package manager? Or, alternately, is there some obvious way to work around the priority protections that doesn't involve any risk to other programs? Update: I avoided using setuptools entirely by installing [Anaconda], which worked like a dream.