CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SOUTHWEST GUATEMALA—McBRYDE 37 
(Finea San Nicolas), where there is (1936) a grove 
of 70 trees. It has been planted only 10 years, and has 
been bearing during the last 3. The bark is marketed 
at Mazatenango; local production is insignificant, 
however, in comparison with the amount imported 
to meet the great native demand. 
Sesame seed is now being widely cultivated along 
the piedmont. It is produced in some quantity at 
Santo Domingo Suchitepequez, whence it is taken 
and sold in Mazatenango, especially to the “Florida” 
mill, where it is reportedly made into oil. 
DOMESTICATED ANIMALS 
Before the Conquest, the Indians of Central Amer- 
ica had no regular meat supply. Turkeys were raised 
mainly for feathers for decoration, and a mute dog is 
the only animal mentioned as a common domesticated 
source of meat. It was called “xulo” in Nicaragua, 
and was said to be raised on a very large scale for 
food. Oviedo wrote that the meat was very good 
and not unlike goat (Oviedo, 1851-55, vol. 1, p. 390). 
CATTLE 
The early introduction of cattle into the mainland 
of Central America is by now well known, mainly 
from the reference in Juarros’ history (1810, vol. 2, 
p. 354) to one of the earliest cattle ranches in Guate- 
mala, in the valley (just east of the present capital) 
called ‘‘Valle de las Vacas” to commemorate it. This 
reference is cited by Dollfus and Mont-Serrat and 
other later writers. The animals were brought from 
Cuba by Hector de la Barreda, apparently before 
1530. 
The drier eastern Departments are still the princi- 
pal regions of cattle breeding and raising (map 13). 
These include especially the Departments of Guate- 
mala (Vacas and Palencia), Jalapa, Jutiapa, and 
Santa Rosa, from all of which cattle (mainly young 
bulls) are driven by Atitecos to the Chicacao 
market. Not only from these provinces, but also 
from the dry valleys of the Baja Vera Paz, cattle 
are brought to the markets of southwestern Guate- 
mala. Cubulco seems to be the chief center, with 
Rabinal and Salama secondary. Quiché and Chinique 
Indians commonly are the middlemen, buying the 
cattle in the dry interior pastures and driving them 
to markets. The largest and most consistent sales 
of cattle in the southwestern region are made along 
the piedmont, especially in the Sunday plazas of Chi- 
cacao, San Antonio, Santo Tomas la Unidén, and on 
the lower fincas. The savanna lands of the Pacific 
Lowlands afford good grazing, so that it is common 
for inhabitants of the Coastal Plain to purchase half- 
grown cattle to raise and resell—bulls to butchers of 
the piedmont and Highlands, to which many of them 
are driven, and cows for milk. It was said at San 
Antonio that on a good Sunday as many as 80 head 
of cattle, mostly from the valleys of Baja Vera Paz, 
would be sold, primarily to Ladinos. The Xankatales 
(of Nahuala—Santa Catarina Ixtanuacan) in particu- 
lar engage in the industry of raising bulls for flesh, 
and their chief market for purchase is Santo Tomas 
la Union (pl. 4, d), the cattle there coming in part 
from the Quiché-Baja Vera Paz area and in part 
from the more distant eastern Departments. From 
the latter region come most of the cattle sold in the 
Chicacao market; they are driven primarily by 
Atitecos. 
In the Highlands, cattle and other large animals 
are sold in most markets on a large scale only during 
the big religious or national fairs, a few times each 
year, and seldom in the ordinary, weekly market. 
Usually there is a special place, somewhat removed 
from the main plaza, where the so-called feria, or 
animal market, convenes (pls. 28; 35, c, d). At 
Solola, for example, this is at the “Temple of 
Minerva,” one-quarter mile east of the regular 
market. There are a few centers, however, such as 
Chiché, where cattle are regularly sold in a plot 
adjacent to the central plaza once each week, in this 
case Saturday.*t In the Highlands, milk cows, 
though not numerous, seem to predominate over beef 
animals, which are generally driven up from the 
Lowlands and promptly slaughtered by butchers. 
BEASTS OF BURDEN 
Small, hardy mules (pl. 12, a) are the commonest 
carriers of the region—pack animals sometimes 
trained here, as elsewhere in Central America, to 
follow a mare (usually white, to be easily seen in the 
dusk) with a bell. Mules not infrequently bring a 
higher price than horses, both animals being com- 
monly ridden. Donkeys are the least numerous of 
the three. 
In parts of the Lowlands, and even in the high 
country where roads permit, oxen with carts (pl. 
3, @) are fairly numerous, though not nearly so 
abundant as in El Salvador (pl. 44, e). 
®t Here I have observed Lake Atitlan Indians, Cruxefios and Solo- 
latecos, purchasing cattle. 
