136 INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY—PUBLICATION NO. 4 
Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus)—W. W. Mackie 
recognized great varietal diversity of limas in even the small 
seed collection which I made in various parts of western 
Guatemala in 1935-36. This diversity served as corrobora- 
tive evidence in support of his hypothesis of large and small 
lima origin in Guatemala (Mackie, 1943). Ivanov (1937) 
expressed the belief, with little evidence to support it, that 
the large lima as well as the small originated in Central 
America. Most botanists put the home of the large lima 
in Peru as the name indicates. A remarkably large, thin 
lima, bright red and black striped and splotched, under 
desultory cultivation by the Indians along the piedmont of 
western Guatemala, from whom I first obtained it in 1935, is 
regarded by Mackie as a primitive prototype, and indicative 
of Guatemala origin for the large lima (Mackie, 1943, 
p. 8). In 1940-41 I found wild limas in the western 
Cuchumatanes piedmont (near San Antonio Huista, depart- 
ment of Huehuetenango), in the Lake Atitlan region, and 
along the Pacific piedmont. 
Among the economically important varietal traits of some 
of the small black limas from Guatemala was a strong 
nematode resistance, which Mackie was able to breed into 
commercial California limas, at great savings to those crops. 
Both in Chiapas and Guatemala great local diversity of 
limas is apparent, and special Indian names are given to 
them, such as irtapacdl, ixpanqué, piloy, etc. There is a 
great range in size, color, and shape, from nearly spherical 
to flat, as evidenced in table 6, describing some of the beans 
which I collected in 1935 and 1936. 
SQUASHES, PUMPKINS, AND GOURDS 
(FAMILY CUCURBITACEAE) 
CUCURBITA SPP. 
The many cucurbits, both American and those of Old 
World origin, serve a great range of purposes in Guatemala; 
for receptacles, the gourds are probably as important in the 
daily life of the Indian as are the squashes and melons for 
food; greens, flowers, and seeds (for dulces, or candy) as 
well as fruit, are eaten in abundance. 
The American origin of all species of the genus Cucurbita, 
as maintained by most botanists since Decandolle, is con- 
firmed by Russian opinion (Bukasov, 1930, p. 301). 
Squashes and pumpkins (ayote and calabaza, Cucur- 
bita moschata and C. pepo).—Particularly widespread and 
abundant are the varieties of squash and pumpkins (ayote 
and calabaza, Cucurbita moschata and C. pepo) ;°” many 
dark greens and whites, variously mottled and striped, though 
some are yellowish; round (globular and flat) and oblong, 
smooth and lobed, they form an essential element of the 
milpa. Not only is the flesh of the squashes eaten, generally 
boiled or in soups, but the seeds (pepitoria, commonly made 
into candy and preserves), leaves and flowers as well, boiled 
as greens. 
Since C. pepo was “not found” by the Russians “to belong 
to the crops grown in South America by the natives” (Buk- 
asov, 1930, p. 531), and since it is commonly called in Central 
America “ayote” (an Aztec name), these facts would seem 
to indicate northern origin, possibly Mexican, or as Zhitenev 
suggests, even farther north, in “Canada and the U. S. A.” 
(Bukasov, 1930; Zhitenev’s ch. on Cucurbitaceae). He 
states that the determination “is difficult by reason of the 
suppressing of the native culture from Canada and the 
200 Standley points out the confusion in the identity of the squashes: 
“There is some doubt as to the proper specific name of the ‘calabazas’ 
grown in Central America, but they seem to be squashes rather than 
pumpkins, and are therefore referable to Cucurbita moschata, rather 
than to C. pepo L., if there is any essential difference between the two” 
(Standley, 1930, pp. 434-435). In an earlier work he identified the 
ayote of El Salvador as C. pepo (Standley and Calderén, 1925, p. 
213). The terms are loosely applied in Guatemala, Bukasov says with 
regard to this nomenclature, that “tat present C. Pepo carries in Mexico 
and Costa Rica the native name ‘ayote’ or the Spanish one ‘calabaza,’ 
serving for all Curcurbitae. C. Pepo is called by the natives ‘giiicoy’ ” 
(Bukasov, 1930, ch. 19). From my own experience, I cannot verify 
this with reference to Southwest Guatemala where the name “giiicoy” 
is always applied specifically to a small, warty, deeply-lobed variety 
(apparently C. pepo), confined to altitudes probably above 1,600 m. 
(5,249 ft.). 
TABLE 6.—Phaseolus specimens and other edible legumes collected in Guatemala during 1935 and 1936+ 
; Se a) Weight in grams 
Locality Scientific name Common local name Description per 100 beans 
Sata Phaseolus coccineus ........ PilOy: cssecccoye etafeteiviam eniecns WV ie cciayee leyotevaceiatatelessietelecsiare 71.4 
P. vulgaris ....-.---++2-0e e6 AO diovaco, a Sizlonanatereseter a peapayerntete Edi ren nctancles wae ceeiasier 70.2 
De Seales UO waaea oleae oe sarateinia\siavavare 10", bathe wit Sicpeerepatosla totale IBY Ack) Siessissreislersteisisiapexnereecroye 60.2 
Do PAO Gecisieveve cna ais inersisious JOO: 2 ccvcrere ciosapu cumetetmmrereteree eiate Bright: yellow: © <iscjeeteteee1s,e1016 61.3 
Do BELO Wha a ara aiavelacaterateveiclstseravacs O.. “ie ccesshataralatataetsfateretelovel nae A US EEAPIn DOC LOCO Od 67.5 
Do CLO: Mote ajataiearelste/iaisiavolsie'se | eS ice cor ncrksns Redtoateccnatetanhateeoe: 84,2 
Tecpan Rieloes OO Manttasciateieice earseiercie ates Frijol blanco de surco ....... WiRItE’ 7, acres nro/esstere cree oretetelate 22 
Santa Catarina Palopé ....... Baek Ol ateta case lave c.eieiooiaie-s metres Frijol negro de surco ....... Black, jeylindricall pel: ciscreisicss 23:7 
PEL. “elereiejatersiete sianc/arsrera sisters Sn ont eto deobe cavande coer Brijol' de milpasewecetieicits Bright black kidney .......- 2327, 
Santiago Atitlan ............ FLO tatatat sofa arnse (aa! ejateie:e\e"a rene Brijol colorado) recente). we sa 5-010 Long, dark-red kidney ...... 51 
Santo Domingo Suchitepequez Vigna BINENSI Sirsa iersistevers ss 5.08 Wolimia << ihc co decesieterk syelareiess oy ite rele! a)oie,asayets /a(w eceteteSois 10.7 
DG * vie so,suereicisieia/eva.atesssere elets mClOmsra eaters ciaereiere es lcvere's TOOT cveistaverstetavararseverateies avers Brown’ = twisieisreseiiciiets ews ae 15.2 
POY veiaicvavsase\nvsraaivceterereressrere P. lunatus sieva .........-.. Ixpanqué eiisieteteteveieveininterestyehaiete Reds Tike opi 1 or 2 seeds 25.8 
Bate per pod, small. 
DVO! vacciatsoimsreiersiolsysteraieiwrete PS FACULILONUS! </s:ereicayn ae 2 s'e's:0 Txeuesta Sra) dtetaxcts ataleteibratenate-avs Gray” mottled essere serictee 11.4 
DDO wratarar sie sreph avert area ecale Sleiofs COIs ciesalussiala wi sistaie'sea: wietesa, || syeig's UO!” ls sjerc! aye (eteleterslapatnreeiavecene Brown (caine sjeasisieeitian steer 11.6 
DO! c.sicieisic,cslayetsvere'sieresteres P. junatus macrocarpa ...... ieenaae ixtapacal pinto ... | Large, flat, thin lima; dark 86.0 
: red, black stripes. 
MYO cereic sais ssers s\e(eretslorete nreints PEW axis a aisisisls osisis1sicwts o.e.d Frijol blanco de vara ....... Dull white, cylindrical....... 18.8 
pierre cteiivieiomseietsjaasetetete BS OTK ae SIT RIOOR Oe OoeOG Frijol negro de suelo ....... Dull black, cylindrical....... 29.5 
Gp iesare i cae oar sierelereiaieyele Pe COCCINELIS! caje.0j0:6.0:cleeie/ereys a's Frijol huevo de gorrién...... Dull gray ‘striped or mottled. . 115.3 
MNES srevave’sh sfeiate: cinels 'ehctora stave PP vill PAGIS @ vetecnciate seas 3.4 eras Frijol negro de vara ........ Dull wrinkled, cylindrical ... 27.3 
Wo bssteerecaiencetcis sere ersyeieue Pes lunia tis) SlCVa voraisias  cyaresia ay, {Pol Omeere i ittortice a Black and red splotched...... 46.2 
DDT EASA pce aerate RAO ope ie feraiafe alavave.crstafetereic! |e 's\ene OO ness iatewwiayerave ale cevesajeatelace dO sieaepioclesian = aera 42.3 
TO hsre ci eeates hare laletaseista wuss eke Canavalia ensiformis idence rite haba’... oceans Large swhite’;hrateclo/etcyatetershetel ote 121.4 
Ota cinaya ttmiake wiarerse ioe P., lunatus cSieva- cise: 3%:- 10:0, Ixtapacal bolinillo (black).... | Bright black, flat ........... 40.1 
DG vecaroveserlarctoitacesets ayiaiess) cake Dre LU he tea laiie ebeeie oie cise ete Txtapacal) negro ss .ciers.syeresieinrs Bright, black, Hats itl svecsciays 51.6 
1 From notes of W. W. Mackie on beans collected by the author. 
