LAND OWNERSHIP AND PRACTICES 



61 



small parcels becaiisp much of it was acqiiiretl by 

 the foreclosure and purchase of Indian plots. 

 It will be recalled, also, that the land of the east 

 delta has been in intensive use for a longer time, 

 and was thus valuable at a time when (like the 

 hill lands today) much land of the west side was 

 not prothicing or was less intensively cultivated. ^° 

 It is seen in chart 9 that the average of 47 

 resident Ladinos who own Panajachel land owns 



"" As late as 1834 (Maudslay, IS99, photograpb) the river jiasseil through 

 wli it is now the west side of the delta. The land of the west side is still 

 st'i-iy; no doubt much of it lias only recently come Into proiiuetlon. 



100- 



S!: times as much land as the average of the 127 

 resident Indian landowners, but the disparity is 

 only 5 to 1 if the riuestion concerns owners of delta 

 land alone (45 Ladinos, 127 Indians). When 

 only resident owners of coffee and truck lands (34 

 Ladinos, 126 Indians) are considered the dis- 

 parity is again slightly larger not because Ladinos 

 own a larger proportion of such land, but because 

 they are few in number. In general the disparity 

 in average landholdings of absentee owners (for 

 all land, 30 Ladinos and 32 Indians; delta land, 25 

 and 32; and coffee-truck land, 12 anil 32) follows 



LADING 



Kutiident 

 INDIAN 



Abs. 



10 Acres 



Mi^M iuiiLil! 



Coffee Milpa Pasture Bldgs 



: 



] 



Nothing 



( 'iiAKT 7. — Delta kiiid use. 



