28 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I25 



his cornfield (milpa). It is usually cleared from a piece of woodland 

 owned by the Indian, rented from the owner for a one-third share of 

 the crop, or lent to him by the finca that employs him. In the Yepocapa 

 region, a man will usually cultivate two pieces of land, at different 

 altitudes, in order to have his corn mature several months apart, 

 thereby giving a more constant supply of grain. It can be stored only 

 for relatively short periods under existent conditions because of the 

 danger of damage by grain beetles. A person working on a finca, in 

 addition to the 15 days he is allowed for clearing his land, will spend 

 all possible spare time on his milpa and will request days of leave to 

 give special attention to the corn at certain times of the year. Since 

 tortillas are the staple in the diet of the Indian family, the significance 

 of the cornfield is obvious. In the region of Yepocapa, the head of the 

 family and his sons over 8 years of age will clear (roza) the piece of 

 land, somewhat over 10,000 square yards, in November or December. 

 In December or January they will burn the dry debris and turn it into 

 the soil. From February 2d (Dia de Santa Candelaria) to the 15th 

 the corn grain is planted (siembra) in an 8,000-square-yard plot. 

 (About 2,000 square yards will be planted with tomato and chili.) In 

 April the terrain is weeded and soil is arranged into mounds (tame- 

 gua) around the young cornstalks; and in June the soil is again 

 worked and moved to form rows (calza). In July or August, when 

 the corn is well formed, the stalk is doubled over (dobla), permitting 

 it to dry and harden, so that it will be ready for the harvest (tapizca) 

 on the 8th of December (Dia de Concepcion). During each of these 

 periods of special attention to the milpa, the workers are exposed to 

 the bites of the black flies more than usual. 



The majority of inhabitants in the municipality of Yepocapa live 

 and work on the coffee fincas. Here the work day usually begins at 

 7 a.m. and lasts until 4 p.m., although up to 1947 it had been from 

 6 a.m. until 5 p.m. The cultivation of coffee requires much attention 

 throughout the year, and therefore the workers are constantly exposed 

 to the bite of Simulium flies. Permanent residents (rancheros) of the 

 finca carry out the work during most of the year, but additional work- 

 ers (cuadrilleros) are hired from other regions (outside of the oncho- 

 cerciasis zones) to work during the harvesting and processing season. 

 Young seedlings must be grown over a one- to two-year period and 

 transplanted to the fields (in May or June) ; shade trees {Inga lep- 

 toloba Schlecht., "caspirol" ; Inga micheliana Harms, "chaliim" ; Musa 

 sapientum L., banana in several varieties) and shrubs must be planted ; 

 numerous secondary branches that are sapping food from the primary 

 branches must be pruned, and dead twigs removed (after the harvest) ; 



