and avocados. 



Thousands of years before the coming 

 of the Spaniards, the ancient Indians of 

 Central America had learned to culti- 

 vate maize and beans, and to vary their 

 diet with tomatoes and avocados. Could 

 it have been here, millenia ago, in the 

 fertile, volcanic soils surrounding La An- 

 tigua, that the progenitors of today's 

 Guatemalans made the initial adven- 

 tures in the cultivation of plants which 

 laid the agricultural basis for what was 

 to become one of America's most ad- 

 vanced native civilizations? 



Those Indians of ancient times must 

 have developed a system of markets to 

 supply food from the countryside to their 

 centers of population. This system was 

 maintained, and doubtless extended, 

 through the 300 years of Spanish occu- 

 pation, on into the period of independ- 

 ence and down to the present time. 



Today, the market is many things to 

 many people — not the least of which, 

 and never to be overlooked or under- 

 estimated, is its importance as a meeting 

 place for the country people. Here the 

 news of a vast region may be passed from 

 person to person. The Indians who 

 twice a week bring in their produce from 

 the valleys, mountains, and plains — or 

 even from the slopes of the Volcan de 

 Agua itself — linger long in the congenial 

 atmosphere of the market to talk with 

 friends and to exchange gossip. Amidst 

 the ruins of the old Jesuit monastery, one 

 hears the languages of proud races that 



Right: Where once Jes- 

 uit fathers lived and 

 meditated, today maize 

 is weighed and sold. 



Spanish domination for more than four 

 hundred years has not succeeded in 

 eradicating. 



Moreover, it is not only food that may 

 be purchased, sold, or bartered, for the 

 market is the distribution center for 

 many other necessities of the simple life. 

 Hand-woven textiles of both wool and 

 cotton are to be found in great variety. 

 Blankets, shoes, hats, a new hoe, pottery 

 designed for many uses — these and many 

 more are here. 



Food remains, however, the most im- 

 portant commodity. Maize and beans 

 are still the basis of the Guatemalan diet, 

 and these two staples are found in every 

 market. Without them, the ancient 

 American civilizations could never have 

 developed, for they supplied then, as 



they do for the Indians today, the carbo- 

 hydrates and proteins vital to a balanced 

 diet. 



The selection of foods in Antigua's 

 market is greater now, however, than it 

 was in pre-conquest times. Vegetables 

 and fruits of old world origin are sold 

 side by side with those native to the new 

 world. Among the latter are tomatoes, 

 potatoes, peppers, and avocados. To 

 these, there have now been added cab- 

 bages, bananas, peas, oranges, carrots, 

 apples, beets, pears, and many more 

 that flourish in Guatemala's fertile soils 

 and varied climates. It is this great 

 variety of produce that makes the mar- 

 kets of Guatemala a revelation to one 

 accustomed to markets in more temper- 

 ate climes. 



Opposite page: Among the 

 ruins of its former grandeur, 

 Antigua holds its pig market. 



Left: Colorful costumes indi- 

 cate the wear ■er 's native village. 



Photographs by the author. 



Page 7 



