THE PIACE AND THE PEOPLE 



plantations and the important commercial towns 

 of Mazatenango, Chicacao, and Patidnl, whose 

 markets are centers for distribution not only of 

 the crops of the plantations, but of products (such 

 as cattle, fish, and salt) coming from the coastal 

 plain. The region above the lake, on the other 

 hand, is that of temperate agriculture (wheat, 

 wool, potatoes, etc.). This is the typical "Indian 

 coimtrjr," of small landholdings and of local spe- 

 cializations in crops and manufactures (pottery, 

 baskets, rope, leather goods, textiles), and here 

 such towns as Solola and Tecpan are vital market 

 centers for all the goods produced in the highlands. 

 The produce of the lowdands and of the highlands 

 is transported on the backs of Indians and ex- 

 changed in the market to^vns of both regions. 

 One of the most used routes between the two is 

 via Lake Atitlan, and the stream of Indian 

 merchants skirting or crossing the lake is con- 

 tinuous. Many of them are from the lake towns 

 themselves, especially from Atitlan; a large pro- 

 portion pass through Panajachel, with which San 

 Lucas and Atitlan share first importance in the 

 north-south trade routes. 



Panajachel, more than other lake towns, 

 occupies a place of importance on an east-west 

 tradmg axis as well. There is considerable com- 

 merce between communities such as Quezaltenango 

 and Totonicapan Ln the western highlands and 

 Guatemala City to the east. One of the two 

 main highways passes through Panajachel, and 

 Indians afoot vrith their freight, or in trucks, and 

 no little Laduio passenger travel in busses and 

 private cars, keep the road busy. Most of the 

 traffic simply passes through, but some of the 

 travelers make Panajachel an overnight stop and 

 of course a portion of the freight has its origin or 

 its terminus here. Panajachel is the only lake 

 town that is thus on a major cross roads. 



Nevertheless, Panajachel is commercially far 

 less important than Solola, some 5 miles (by road) 

 to the north and some 1,800 feet above it. Solola 

 is not only the capital ot the department to which 

 all the lake towns, and some others, belong, but 

 it has a population of 3,750 (1940) — mostly 

 Ladinos — and is the site of one of the largest 

 markets in the entire region (McBryde, 1933). 

 Almost all merchants passing through Panajachel 

 pass also through Solola, and a large part of 

 Panajachel business is actually transacted in 

 Solola. Besides, Solola is the goal of many mer- 



chants from the north and west, and from the 

 towns on the west shore of the lake, who never 

 visit Panajachel at all. 



GEOGRAPHY 



Aside from a small alluvial area which is the 

 site of the main portion of the plantation "San 

 Buenaventura," the municipio of Panajachel is 

 conveniently divisible into what may be called the 

 "delta" and the "hDl" (map 2). The delta is 

 that of the Panajachel River. It is roughly 

 triangular, the tip to the north, the base bordering 

 the lake, and is bisected by the river. The sides 

 of the delta are sharply defined by rocky hiUs 

 which rise abruptly; the hillsides look down upon 

 the delta area, and confine it. The delta is 

 almost flat, sloping only slightly from north to 

 south, a lush region of coffee groves and green 

 vegetable gardens, all watered by an intricate 

 network of ditches having their source in the 

 river. The rough hills are cultivated only in 

 patches, and cattle occasionally graze on them. 

 Nobody lives on the hillsides, but all the length 

 and breadth of the delta is dotted with houses. 

 The hills are mysterious and dangerous, in native 

 belief, inhabited by supernatural beings. In them 

 strange things happen, especially at night and 

 when one is alone. The hiUs are called the monte, 

 best translated "wilds" (as well as "country") ; 

 the whole of the delta is called the pueblo or town. 



The monte, of course, extends beyond the hill- 

 sides that border the town, both within and with- 

 out the municipio of Panajachel; most of the land 

 traversed from to^vn to town is monte. But 

 virtually all the monte lands owned or tUled by the 

 Indians of Panajachel are on the hillsides over- 

 looking the delta and the lake;' it is to them that 

 reference wdl be made in this paper when the term 

 "hill land" is used. The smaller delta, the site of 

 San Buenaventura, is also part of the municipio of 

 Panajachel; the plantation, which includes the 

 whole delta and the hills above it, is owned by one 

 family, and its Indian inhabitants are laborers 

 brought from other communities. This, as weU 

 as several other plantations in the northern monte 

 of the municipio, is not considered in the present 

 study. What will concern us here is the area of the 

 delta of the Panajachel River and its bordering 

 hdls. 



' With the exception of a few pieces of land in the municipios of Santa 

 Catarina and San Antonio Palapo and in San Jorge. 



