70 INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY—PUBLICATION NO. 4— 
passes like an axle through the hole in the rotator 
(pl. 26, c, e). The great eccentricity of this device 
provides strong leverage, and makes it possible to 
spin even heavy rope with little effort. After the first 
simple strand is twisted (bits of hemp being fed 
gradually by a helper to the growing line as the 
spinner backs away; pl. 26, b), it is then doubled, 
and three double strands, each pair attached to a 
spinner, are spun with the ends of the rope attached 
to a large Y—post, driven into the ground so that the 
crotch projects upward to a height of 3 or 4 feet. 
When the double strands are tightly twisted, the 
Y-—post serves to keep a steady tension upon the main 
rope, which is then spun by another person at the 
other end, spinning in the opposite direction from that 
of the three strandspinners. The strands are drawn 
so that the two prongs of the fork keep them apart 
until the rope is tightly spun. 
Men and women both participate in most of the 
steps involved in ropemaking, with the exception of 
cutting and scraping the leaves, which is generally 
men’s work. 
As will be pointed out later (p. 95), the Ped- 
ranos have taken the ropemaking industry with them 
to their Lowland colony of Cutzan. Ordinarily, like 
most of the industries described in this chapter, 
maguey working is almost always a Highland trait. 
BROOMS 
(Map 17) 
The three principal types of brooms used in South- 
west Guatemala are: (1) Those resembling manu- 
factured types and made, according to inform- 
ants, of giant bunchgrass roots, mainly at Quezal- 
tenango; (2) fan-palm leaves with the tips trimmed 
off, said to come primarily from the Rabinal 
area; and (3) bunches of corozo-leaf veins, made in 
the Lowlands. The three are listed here in descend- 
ing order of quality and abundance in the market. 
The first go periodically in considerable quantity to 
the capital, usually being taken in large loads of 30 
or 35, by groups of four or five Quezaltecos, while 
brooms of corozo-leaf veins are seldom seen in mar- 
kets, and often are made by people for their own use. 
Tax (Ms. 1935) reported a fine grade of broom made 
in San Andrés Sajcabaja and occasionally sold in 
Chichicastenango. 
110 In the western Lake villages where ropemaking is an important in- 
dustry, these forked posts may be seen adjacent to many of the houses 
(pl. 26, b, c). 
SOAP 
(Map 13) 
Certain municipios specialize in soapmaking, in the 
Lowlands as well as in the Highlands. Important 
Highland producing centers include Quezaltenango, 
Totonicapan, San Andrés Xectl, Santa Lucia Utat- 
lan, San Pedro la Laguna, and Solola (map 13). 
At San Andrés Xecul, suet, especially that of beef, 
is the basic ingredient. It is treated with water which 
has been leached through a mixture of lime and ashes. 
The fat is heated in one pot, the alkali solution in 
another; then the two are mixed. The leaching is 
done in colander pots, which may be seen supported 
on three-prong forked sticks beside many houses of 
San Andrés. The little plaza of this village is usually 
well supplied with these vessels, brought for sale from 
Totonicapan, especially to meet the usual demands of 
soapmaking. About half of the families of San Andrés 
were reported to be engaged in the soap industry, 
their suet supply being drawn from the meat markets 
of the Quezaltenango Valley, upon the edge of which 
their village is situated. Pork fat is an important 
soap ingredient in the Lake Atitlan region, especially 
at Santa Lucia and Solola, where pork vendors also 
sell soap. 
Samayac is perhaps the principal soap-producing 
center of the southwestern piedmont. The inhabi- 
tants of this village depend largely upon pig fat for 
their industry, the chief source being nearby San 
Bernardino, where pig raising is a specialty, in con- 
junction with cheese making (the whey being fed to 
pigs). 
The characteristic form of Indian soap in Guate- 
mala is spherical, with a diameter ranging from 1%4 
inches to nearly 3 inches, and color dark brownish 
with a blue-gray cast (pl. 39, a). 
CANDLES 
The material employed most widely in candlemak- 
ing in Southwest Guatemala is paraffin. Tallow 
is much used at such villages as San Andrés Xecul 
where suet is handled on a large scale for soapmaking. 
San Crist6bal Totonicapaén, a few miles away, pro- 
duces mainly paraffin candles.1!1_ Beeswax candles, 
much used in the churches in earlier days, seem now 
to be a rarity. The only municipio where I found 
111 Tax (Ms., 1935) reports that several natives of San Cristébal now 
residing in Chichicastenango make candles for sale. They probably 
settled there for that special purpose, since there is a great demand for 
candles in religious ceremonies at Chichicastenango. 
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