CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SOUTHWEST GUATEMALA—McBRYDE 7) 
p. 22 and map 9). The grain moves in quantity 
between Highlands and Lowlands during periods of 
shortage in one zone and plenty in the other (see 
p. 23). 
Certain areas, where there is not enough arable 
land, or where climate or soil may be unfavorable, 
are notably deficient in maize; Momostenango, a 
wool-weaving center, is an illustration (see p. 64 and 
pl. 30, f). Much of the grain is trucked from the 
Lowlands. Six Todos Santos men were selling 
maize from large sacks, brought on muleback, in 
April 1936. Whether from the Lowlands or from 
Todos Santos, it was transported a great distance. 
Much maize is taken to Momostenango from Quiché. 
The Highlands just east of Lake Atitlan, around 
Tecpan, Patzim, and Patzicia, are especially im- 
portant for maize. Ladino mule-shippers take quan- 
tities of it from these regions into the Lowlands, and 
to Chichicastenango, Solola, and other parts of the 
Highlands, as far east as Guatemala City. At San 
Francisco el Alto during July two or three truck- 
loads of Tecpan maize are sold in the market every 
Friday. 
Santiago Atitlan is the main corn-producing 
municipio on the shores of Lake Atitlan (see p. 100). 
Indians from many of the other Lake-shore villages 
go there to buy maize, especially from August to 
December. During that period about one-fourth of 
the women in the Santiago market sell maize. San 
Pedro la Laguna Indians buy corn at Santiago from 
August through October, but sell it there from May 
through July. About 150 out of a total of 1,500 
vendors at Colomba (Pacific piedmont) in February 
1941 were selling maize, much of it from the High- 
lands. Chiché is an important market of the inner 
Highlands, north of the Lake. At one Saturday 
market there during August 1936, approximately 
one-tenth of the vendors, or about 100 men, from 
Chiché and Chichicastenango, were selling corn in 
grain by the almud (wooden box measure, about 
12%4 Ib. of grain), as is commonly done in that 
region. The average sold by each was about 80 
pounds. Much of this grain was said to have been 
produced on rented finca lands a few miles to the 
east. Huehuetenango, the biggest market in the 
Cuchumatanes region, is a most important maize 
center. As in the cast of many other commodities, 
maize is sold there in very large quantities, in whole- 
sale as well as retail lots. Early in January 1941 
approximately 8 tons of corn was brought to the 
main Sunday market by a total of about 65 men 
(some 14 percent of all vendors), most of whom 
carried 80 to 100 pounds each on their backs, and 
75 or 80 mules, with average loads of 150 to 180 
pounds each. Besides the 6 regular daily Ladinos, 
each with 200 to 300 pounds in a stall, there were 
the following vendors from Cuchumatanes Mountain 
villages: A dozen Todos Santos Indians, with 4 or 
5 mules each (total 7,000 pounds of corn) ; 10 In- 
dian men from San Juan Atitlan; 10 from San Juan 
Ixcoy; 5 from Santa Eulalia; and 4 from Barillas, 
across the Cuchumatanes. From the Trapichillo 
Valley region to the west there were 4 San Pedro 
Necta men, 4 from San Ildefonso Ixtahuacan, and 
7, each with 2 or 3 mules, from La Democracia, a 
finca only a few miles from the Mexican border. 
Beans.—Beans are sold in quantity in many mar- 
kets, being probably second in importance to maize 
in most of the region. The best altitude zone for 
common kidney beans (mostly black) is between 
about 1,500 and 2,000 m. Lake Atitlan villages, 
especially San Pedro, San Antonio Palopé, and San 
Andrés Semetebaj, produce fine black beans which 
are sold in most of the neighboring markets, and in 
the Lowlands as well. Atitecos take Lake beans as 
far as Mazatenango (see p. 104). San Cruz del 
Quiché and Chiché black beans are sold in the San 
Francisco el Alto market in quantity from December 
through February. Maxefo merchants stock up with 
black beans at Chiché. The Quiché region is the ma- 
jor source of small black beans in the Quezaltenango 
market also, since the Quezaltenango—Totonicapan 
Valley is too high and cold for any but the big multi- 
colored butter beans (piloy, Phaseolus coccineus) 
and broadbeans (vetch). All three of these 
legumes are taken from La Unidn (San Marcos), 
Concepcion, and San Juan Ostuncalco to Low- 
land markets, particularly Coatepeque, and they go 
from Quezaltenango to Lowland Mazatenango, Re- 
talhuleu, Colomba, San Felipe, and other plazas. 
Farther east, these beans are taken in quantity to 
piedmont Santa Lucia Cotzumalguapa from the 
Highlands by men of San Pedro Yepocapa. Though 
beans are produced to some extent throughout the 
regions within their climatic limits, the centers men- 
tioned above are the only ones that supply them in 
such quantity and quality. Usually beans are sold 
in local markets on a small scale by many vendors 
selling their own surplus. An Indian woman may 
have an open, shallow basket containing 10 or 15 
pounds of beans with a few eggs on top, and perhaps 
