34 INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY—PUBLICATION NO, 4 
Vera Paz lacked cacao (Anon., Ms. 1574 b, p. 6, f. 
94), and that the Indians in order to get it had to go 
to the coasts of Sonsonate (modern El Salvador), 
Soconusco, Chiquimula, and Zapotitlan, all on the 
Pacific versant, where they worked on cacao planta- 
tions. Evidently, the climate was too humid and the 
rainfall too prolonged on the Atlantic side for suc- 
cessful cultivation; there was also the element of 
flood hazard. 
The linguistic map (Sapper, 1897, map 5) indicates 
how Highlanders have colonized the Pacific pied- 
mont. The southwestern areas of Mam, Quiché, 
Zutuhil, and Cakchiquel speech all extend into the 
Lowlands. Though much Spanish is spoken here by 
the Indians, many of them still retain their native di- 
alects. In 1936 Quiché was being spoken by a num- 
ber of Indian residents of Santo Domingo Suchitepe- 
quez, which is at about the lower limit of indigenous 
culture. In the Vera Paz area, on the other hand, 
it may be seen that the higher and lower areas are 
characterized by different tongues of the Mayan 
language speech-group (Pokonchi and Kekchi, re- 
spectively, south and north of Coban). The former 
language is virtually all above the elevation limit of 
cacao; only Kekchi includes much territory both 
above and below this limit. It is evident from the 
16th-century report (Anon., Ms. 1574 b, p. 10, f. 
96) that yet another entirely unintelligible language 
(probably Carib) was spoken in the low coastal 
region around the Golfo Dulce, with which the High- 
landers had ‘‘no communication.” 
The expansion of railroads as a result of increased 
coffee production in the late 19th century had directly 
detrimental effects upon cacao growth, because of 
the clearing of forests for construction timber. At 
Santo Domingo Suchitepequez, it was said that not 
only this cutting out of construction woods, includ- 
ing several trees especially valued also as cacao 
shade, but the thinning of shade trees in order to 
suit the needs of the coffee interplanted with cacao, 
had resulted in excessive light conditions for the 
latter, with a consequent decline in yield. The shade 
and wind shelter requirements of cacao are much 
stricter than those of coffee. 
Cacao is today a retrograde product of the Pacific 
Lowlands, not only insofar as quantity is concerned, 
but grade and quality as well. For flavor, natives 
invariably prefer criollo. My chief informant in this 
matter, Don Zenon Posadas, pointed out that the 
superior criollo variety, probably native to the re- 
gion, had nearly all disappeared, having been re- 
- inches high. 
placed primarily by two inferior introduced types. 
These were “Costa Rica,” with a broader pod, and 
“Nicaragua,” having a longer, narrower one, as 
compared with the criollo. The pod of the latter 
is said to be reddish when ripe, and that of the 
others, light green, ripeness being determined by the 
feel of the pod and the sound made by tapping it. 
The preference for planting the inferior cacaos was 
explained by the same informant as resulting from the 
quicker yield (3 years after planting) as compared 
with the criollo, which requires 7 to 8 years, even 9 
for a good harvest. Also, the later cacaos*® bear a 
much heavier annual crop, it was said, and have far 
less exacting shade requirements. There are two 
crops annually, one on the limbs (said in the region 
of San Bernardino to be the heavier of the two, and 
to be harvested from February to April), and the 
other on the trunk (November—January ). 
The planting, as explained at San Bernardino, in- 
volves first the seed, then the seedling, which is 
transplanted at from 1 to 1% years, when it is 
usually about 2 feet high. At San Pedro Cutzan the 
presprouted seeds were planted at a shallow depth 
(not over %4 to 1 in.), separated from each other 
by an interval of about a foot. Transplanting took 
place at 1 year, when the seedlings were about 15 
Shade trees included pataxte (Theo- 
broma bicolor), cuxin (Inga sp.); and madra de 
cacao (Gliricidia sepium). 
COFFEE 
Whereas cacao is generally grown in small plots, 
coffee is planted over a large territory, the whole 
monsoon versant between elevations of about 500 and 
1,400 m. (1,640 and 4,593 ft.) being nearly covered 
with fincas (pl. 5, b, c,d). Aside from varietal dif- 
ferences, coffee quality is largely a matter of eleva- 
tion, that from the highest regions, as with most 
cultivated plants, being of the best grade. The two 
commonest varieties grown are Arabigo (or Arabica) 
Comun (Coffea arabica var. comun) in higher eleva- 
tions and Bourbon (C. arabica var. Bourbon; see 
Salvador, Ministerio de Instruccién Publica, 1926, 
vol. 1, pp. 90, 91), an earlier maturing variety, at 
lower levels, where Maragogip is another common 
type. 
The shade required, particularly for the seedlings, 
is prepared from brushwood and shade plants 
(pl19; 0). 
49 Said by Posadas to have been introduced at San Antonio Suchitepe- 
quez about 1917. 
