44 

 small gardens near the house. Some of the herbs, fruits, and vegetables are consumed by the 

 household, while the rest is sold locally, often door-to-door by small children. These activities provide 

 only a limited income to women as these products are commonly produced by most area residents. 



X-Hazil Sur men also undertake several economic activities in order to supplement their 

 subsistence activities and to earn cash and purchase goods. Some of these activities occur on the ejido, 

 while others take place in nearby towns and cities. Within the ejido, the main economic activity for 

 men is to extract latex from sapodilla trees growing wild in the forest (A. Jorgenson, 1992). Chicle 

 latex is used to produce chewing gum, and has been exported to the United States, Japan, and several 

 European countries for more than 100 years (Otanez Toxqui and Equihua Enriquez, 1981; Dachary and 

 Amaiz Bume, 1983). 



Maya men harvest chicle latex during the rainy season by cutting canals in the bark and 

 collecting the latex in a bag placed at the base of the tree. Men, working independently but as 

 members of a formal cooperative, may process 5-15 trees daily for 3-5 months and earn about $350 per 

 season (Barrera de Jorgenson, 1993). Usually men form teams of 2-4 individuals and work an area of 

 forest for several days before moving on to another site. Men usually leave home each morning and 

 return each afternoon. Rarely, men establish camps in the forest and harvest chicle for 7-14 days 

 before returning to the village. Men usually bring their guns to the tapping site and frequently shoot 

 wildlife between the village and the work site. 



Another economic activity for Maya men in Quintana Roo and Ejido X-Hazil y Anexos is to 

 harvest the trees for lumber (Edwards, 1986; Murphy, 1990). Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) 

 wood is economically valuable and has been harvested primarily for export in the Yucatan Peninsula 

 since the late 1800s (Negreros, 1991; Snook, 1993). Mahogany wood is processed overseas and is 

 used to make items such as furniture, floor tiles, and wall panels. Other species of valuable tropical 

 woods are harvested as contracts are ^proved by the Government of Mexico. An especially valuable 

 species is chechem (Metopium brownei), which is used for railroad ties in Mexico. Lumber harvesting 

 occurs during the dry season, and separate work teams locate, fell, trim, and load the trees onto trucks. 



