45 

 Some workers use gasoline-powered chain saws, while others use axes and machetes. Workers often 

 harvest game in the forest while processing trees. 



For many years, timber harvested on Ejido X-Hazil y Anexos was shipped to private lumber 

 mills near Chetumal for initial processing before shipping the lumber overseas. In 1989 the ejido 

 negotiated the siting of a lumber mill in the village of X-Hazil Sur. The mill owner agreed to train 

 local ejidatarios as mill workers, process ejido timber there, and after 3-4 years turn over the mill 

 operation to the ejido. Presently the mill provides part-time employment to about 75 workers. These 

 workers cut planks and build tables, chairs, and bee hives. While some of these items are purchased 

 locally, most are shipped to Chetumal. The impact of this mill has not been fully felt by ejido 

 residents, but already several men have reduced the time spent hunting and in other subsistence 

 activities. 



Maya Indians in Quintana Roo have cared for European domestic livestock (i.e., sheep [Ovis 

 aries), horse [Equus caballus), and cow [Bos taurus]) since about 1519 (Hamblin, 1984, 1985; Hamblin 

 and Rea, 1985). Today, about eight teams of men herd cattle on the ejido. These herds are relatively 

 small and presently the main focus of the owners is to increase herd size. About once a month, 

 however, a cow is butchered in the village and the meat sold locally for approximately $3.33 per 

 kilogram. Goats also are raised. One man has a herd of about 15 goats and feeds them fresh leaves 

 from the ramon (Brosimum alicastrum) tree. Eventually these goats will be butchered and the meat 

 sold in Felipe Carrillo Puerto. Another man has about five domestic rabbits and along with his family 

 consumes the meat as circumstances warrant. 



Men and women at X-Hazil Sur also tend small stores (five stores in the village offer the basic 

 necessities); weave hammocks from thread bought in stores; sew huipiles, white cotton dresses used by 

 women; and tend to special garden plots (zona fruticola; 1-3 ha, irrigated, with the land deeded to 

 specific individuals) where fruits and vegetables are grown to be sold outside the village under a special 

 government program. The importance of these activities to X-Hazil Sur residents is limited in that 



