43 

 1987; Webber, 1980). An important aspect of this practice is that most trees survive the clearing 

 process and readily resprout (Rewald, 1989). This ability to resprout helps to facilitate the recovery of 

 the forest after the garden is placed into fallow. 



Gardens typically are about 2 ha in size, located near the village, and are tended by adult men 

 (see Chapter 6 for additional information about gardens). Women rarely assist the men in tending the 

 garden, but young boys frequently begin to help when about 10-15 years old. Gardens usually produce 

 a single harvest of com in December- January, but other crops may continue to produce for 1-2 years 

 (e.g., camote [Ipomoea batatas; Is in Maya] and macal [Dioscorea sp.; Macal in Maya]). Men 

 occasionally work for wages ($4-5/day) on a temporary basis, tending gardens or building houses 

 locally. 



While tending a garden is not a daily, full-time task at X-Hazil Sur, the work requires careful 

 planning and must be conducted in a sequence that closely conforms to the weather (Noguez-Galvez, 

 1991). The men clear (la tumba) the garden site during January-March and take advantage of the 

 bright sun during April-May to dry out the bushes, ground litter, and felled trees. Just before the rainy 

 season begins, in May or June, the men set fire to the site in a carefully controlled bum (la quema) that 

 lasts 1-2 h. The men plant (la siembra) in May- July (depending upon when the rainy season begins) 

 and weed (el chapeo) the garden one or two times during August-October. During October-November, 

 the men double or bend over (doblar) the com stalks to facilitate drying and avoid predation by birds 

 and coatis. The com harvest (la cosecha) occurs during December-January. Other crops are planted 

 and harvested throughout the year. 



Maya women also engage in subsistence activities (Elmendorf, 1976; Redfield and Villa Rojas, 

 1962; Villa Rojas, 1987; Webber, 1980). Women at X-Hazil Sur generally care for small numbers of 

 pigs, turkeys, or chickens. These animals are butchered by male members of the household. Some of 

 the meat is consumed within the household, while the rest is sold locally. Usually this money belongs 

 to the woman. Pork costs approximately $2.67 per kilogram of meat, turkeys approximately $3.33 per 

 kilogram live weight, and chickens cost approximately $3.33-5.00 each (live). Maya women also tend 



