20 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 



Industrial Activities 



agriculture 



Of all the arts practiced by the Indian, agriculture is by far 

 the most important; indeed the greater part of his time and labor 

 are devoted to the milpa {Icol), or corn plantation, which 

 affords him his principal means of livelihood, for if the corn crop 

 fails he knows that actual starvation will menace his family until 

 the next crop is gathered. The virgin bush, in which the mdpa is 

 made, is cut down about December or January, only the large and 

 hardwood trees being left standing. This is the most arduous part 

 of the work, and the neighbors often assist in it, being helped in 

 turn when making their own milpas. The bush is allowed to dry 

 until the end of May (the dry season lasting from January to May) , 

 when it is burned off. After the burnt area has been cooled by the 

 first shower of rain it is planted in corn (ixim). This is a simple 

 operation, two or three men going over the ground, each with a bag 

 of corn. and a sharp-pointed stick, making smaU holes at fairly regular 

 intervals, into each of which they drop a few grains of corn, and 

 then cover them with earth. About October the corn begins to ripen, 

 whereupon each stalk is bent about a foot below the ear and allowed 

 to hang down for several days in order that rain may not gain 

 entrance and spoil the grain in the final stages of ripening. During 

 this period the owner spends nearly aU his time in the milpa, sleeping 

 there in a little palm-leaf shack at night, since many animals, as 

 deer and wild hogs, are very fond of corn, which is subject to raids 

 also by neighboring Indians and by tame pigs from the village. 

 When the corn is ripe, it is stored, still in the husk, upon a low plat- 

 form, in a small house specially built for the purpose, often, in order 

 to avoid transportation, situated within the milpa. It is shelled as 

 required for use, the surplus from that eaten by the family and 

 stock being exchanged at the nearest village for cash or for cotton 

 cloth, rum, iron cooking pots, ammunition, and other luxuries. The 

 shelling is done by rubbing the husked ear against a rough fiat sur- 

 face, made by binding a number of corncobs (bacal) together into a 

 circle with liana. Many fruits and vegetables besides corn are grown 

 in the milpa, including yams {xaci Tnacal), camote (is), pumpkins 

 Qcuum), squashes {xka), tomatoes (paalc), plantains (haz), colalu 

 {xterkoch), aguacate (on), plums {abal), oranges (paJcaal), siricote 

 (Jcopte), sapodillas (ya), mamai (chacal Jiaz), okra, garden egg, melon, 

 breadfruit, sweet lune, pineapple, and a variety of others. 



