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Gardeners at X-Hazil Sur differed from those gardeners at Senor or Chan Kom in two aspects 

 from this pattern of planting one old garden and one new garden: One, about 91-98% of the gardens at 

 X-Hazil Sur were on new sites, rather than about 50%, as would be expected when single gardens of 

 each of the two types are planted. Two, about 99% of the gardens at X-Hazil Sur were cleared from 

 Early Secondary Forest and would correspond to the hubche category, rather than about 50%, as would 

 be predicted based on the other studies. These results were roughly similar to those obtained by 

 Noguez-Galvez (1991) during a separate study of soils at X-Hazil Sur. Thus, Maya gardeners at X- 

 Hazil Sur typically are planting a new garden in Early Secondary Forest every year. As mentioned 

 above, the reason for using Early Secondary Forest is not biological, rather it is due to ejido and state 

 forestry rules that proscribe clearing Late Secondary Forest for gardens. 



Gardeners at X-Hazil Sur also differed from other indigenous people in that they apparently did 

 not actively manage the forest or garden fallow, as has been reported elsewhere in Mexico. For 

 example, traditional Maya practiced several silvicultural techniques, including the pet kot (vegetation 

 enclosed within a wall of stones) and tolche (forested belt around gardens; G6mez-Pompa, 1987a, 

 1987b; G6mez-Pompa et al., 1987). Another form of forest management called the te'lom has been 

 described for the Huastec Maya in northeastern Mexico (Alcorn, 1984a, 1984b). A te'lom is a group 

 of useful trees situated on steep slopes and ridges. Some of these trees occur naturally, while others 

 are transplanted from other gardens. While only a minimum of weeding occurs, the permanence of the 

 site and the accumulated benefits of weeding and care over several years tend to favor the useful 

 species. Neither Rewald (1989) nor Murphy (1990) observed these silvicultural techniques at Senor. 

 Likewise, none of diese practices was observed at Ejido X-Hazil y Anexos during 1989-1990. 



Size . Several factors can influence the size of the field that a gardener will plant, including: soil 

 fertility, number of helpers, weather conditions, family size of the gardener, age and health of the 

 gardener, availability of suitable lands, time available to clear and plant, frequency and severity of crop 

 predation by wildlife, and number of domestic animals that also must be fed. Hypothetically, a Maya 

 gardener would plant the largest garden that he could successfully manage as this would provide 



