Demonstrates how the political turmoil of the 1980s affected this once…
Todos Santos Cuchumatan: Report from a Guatemalan Village
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
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This film is on one (1) DVD together with the films Todos Santos: The Survivors and Mayan Voices: American Lives
This film provides an intimate look at everyday life in Todos Santos, a village in Guatemala's highlands, before the violence of the 1980s. The community, consisting of small family farms worked by Mayan indians, had remained isolated until the construction of a road in the mid-1960's connecting the highlands and the coast.
As Todosanteros go about their daily routines, they discuss the increasing importance of cash to this once self-sustained farming community. The annual harvest is reaped, the elaborate Fiesta of Todos Santos is celebrated with dancing, drinking and the central event that is the horse race, and the workers migrate out of the mountain village in search of work on the lowland cotton plantations.
An insightful documentary, TODOS SANTOS CUCHUMATAN ominously illustrates social and economic changes in the lives of Guatemalan Indians that would lead to the political upheaval of the 1980s.
'Latin American studies would be considerably strengthened by films of this caliber. Highly recommended for college libraries.'-Choice
'A must for viewing by anyone interested in Latin America and the situation of indigenous and rural populations.'-American Anthropologist
Citation
Main credits
Carrescia, Olivia Lucia (film director)
Carrescia, Olivia Lucia (film producer)
Carrescia, Olivia Lucia (film editor)
Other credits
Photography, Vicente Galindez; editing, Olivia Lucia Carrescia, Robert Rosen.
Distributor subjects
Anthropology; Central America; Cultural Anthropology; Economic Sociology; Guatemala; Indigenous Peoples; Latin American Studies; Multi-Cultural Studies; Native People; SociologyKeywords
WEBVTT
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[sil.]
00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:54.999
The Cuchumatanes mountains
of North-Western Guatemala
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are the highest in Central America.
00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:04.999
For centuries they have been inhabited
by the descendents of the ancient Maya.
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[music]
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In 900 AD, Zaculeu was one of the
principal centers of Mayan civilization.
00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:33.000
[music]
00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:39.999
Today, nearby Huehuetenango is the capital
and economic center of the region.
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[sil.]
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Many of Guatemala\'s Indians live in remote
rural villages separated from each other
00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:09.999
by rugged mountain terrain in as many
as 22 different Indian languages.
00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:14.999
Those who live in the Northwestern Highlands
are called the Mam, meaning grandfather.
00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:19.999
These Mam Indians are traveling
to Todos Santos Cuchumatan,
00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:24.999
the village of All Saints. A
Spaniard called Pedro de Alvarado
00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:29.999
conquered Guatemala in 1525.
Under Spanish rule,
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Todos Santos like many Highland
villages remained isolated
00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:39.999
at an altitude of nearly 9000 feet above
sea level. Today, the Todos Santos Indians
00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:44.999
still retain their own language, customs
and distinctive way of dressing.
00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:49.999
In the mid 1960s, the first road
was built to the Highlands.
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At a time when plantation owners on
the Pacific coast needed to transport
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greater numbers of Indian workers
to harvest cotton. With this road
00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:04.999
came the first direct link between
Todos Santos and the outside world.
00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:13.000
[sil.]
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[music]
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I am a Shaman. My work is to
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burn incense to light candles and to speak
with the spirits of the mountaintops.
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This is the work of a Shaman. It is our
heritage and we carry it on to this day.
00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:04.999
[non-English narration]
00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:09.999
I burn incense and light candles and
pray for the birds, sheep, horses, corn,
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potatoes, and money.
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[non-English narration]
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Our ancestors established this custom when the people were
dying of hunger. It was made for this community and no other.
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I continue because I feel it in my
heart, because it is for our people,
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it is the custom of the
community, which I carry on.
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We, the Shaman go to the summit of the
mountains to speak with them for our survival.
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So, there will be no high
winds or freezing rain.
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That is how the people of Todos Santos keep the
earth from shaking. We respect God and the Siros.
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[non-English narration]
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There is less ritual now,
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because they are all Catholics. They
no longer think about the Siros.
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[non-English narration]
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[sil.]
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This church was built by Indians under the
direction of Spanish missionaries in 1580,
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but for centuries it remained empty and
the Shaman used it for Mayan rituals.
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Since the road was built, many changes
have taken place in Todos Santos.
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A Catholic priest came to live in the village and within
15 years over half the population was Christianized.
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[music]
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We are in a stage of evolution. In
developing countries the changes reach
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even the small villages. It is a
transformation. The people are changing,
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because many times working with the
hoe and the machete all day long
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doesn\'t give much satisfaction.
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[sil.]
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It is necessary that man
seek a better life.
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Here in Todos Santos,
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we work hard. We get up at 5
and light the fire first.
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[sil.]
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Then we sweep, wash the corn and
bring it to the mill to be ground.
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[sil.]
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When we return, we make our tea.
After breakfast, we weave a little
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and then we go to wash.
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[sil.]
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Everyday, we go to wash
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because we must care for our
children and our mother.
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And so, we gather all the clothes
and go down to the stream.
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[sil.]
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There are 12,000 people living in the area
called Todos Santos, cultivating their corn,
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beans and squash on small family farms.
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[sil.]
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Is this corn enough to last
the family the whole year?
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No, it is not enough. We have
to buy more in the market.
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How is the harvest this year?
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A little less than last year.
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At one time the Indians were self-sufficient.
Today, they are not. A growing population
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on a limited land base and the sub-division
of land with each generation has resulted in
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less than 5 acres of land per person, not
enough to feed the average family of 8
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through the year. Much of the
land is poor, rocky and overused
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and the forests are being depleted. As the Indians
travel higher and higher into the mountains
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to get their firewood.
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Desiderio Martin Pablo is a respected community
leader and a former mayor of Todos Santos.
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[sil.]
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This is a government plant nursery.
I am planting these little trees
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to give to the people later when they are larger.
What I do is, I go to the mountains to gather seeds,
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prepare the land, plant
them and care for them.
00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:19.999
[non-English narration]
00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:24.999
I\'m doing this to reforest the
land here in Todos Santos,
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because for years, the people are not planting
anything. They are stripping the land
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and there is nothing left for
the children, for the future.
00:10:35.000 --> 00:10:39.999
[non-English narration]
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So, they gave us this job here, but it
is for the community for all the people.
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[non-English narration]
00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:54.999
I also work with the
people to make terraces,
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so that they can conserve the
land, the little they have.
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In Guatemala, 65% of the
arable land is owned by
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2% of the population. The best and richest land
owned by army officers and a few Ladino families
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is used for the export crops
of coffee, sugar and cotton.
00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:19.999
While the Indians must grow their crops on steep
hillsides or on patches of land between their homes.
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The land is poor. Needs fertilizer
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and there is too little
land and too many people.
00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:34.999
[sil.]
00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:39.999
The Mendozas live in an extended family
compound, not far from the village center.
00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:44.999
[sil.]
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Felsdina is the head of the household.
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[sil.]
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Louisa is married to Felsdina\'s
eldest son, Alejandro.
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Santiaga is Felsdina\'s daughter
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and is married to one of Louisa\'s son.
00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:14.999
[sil.]
00:12:15.000 --> 00:12:19.999
Maria is married to another
one of Luisa\'s son.
00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:24.999
[sil.]
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They have 12 children among them.
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[sil.]
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Where are your husbands?
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My husband and Maria\'s are working in
Coban, because there is no work here.
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[non-English narration]
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We\'re poor, that\'s why they
went to look for work far away.
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They send us some money and we work
hard to make some pants and shirts
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and my mother goes to sell them in
Guatemala City to help with our expenses.
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That\'s how we get by.
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Yes, I go to Guatemala
City to Huehuetenango.
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Sometimes, people come here to buy from me.
Don\'t you have any land?
00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:24.999
No, we have a little, but it
is not enough to feed us.
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[sil.]
00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:34.999
Franscisco, one of Louisa\'s son\'s
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is 12 years old.
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Where did you go?
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[non-English narration]
00:13:55.000 --> 00:13:59.999
Oh, way up there in the mountain.
How long did you have to walk?
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One hour. Where is your father? He
is on the plantation. He is working.
00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:09.999
Where? In Colotenango, on the plantation.
00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:14.999
What other jobs do you have?
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I have to get hay for this horse
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and I have to get another
load of food tomorrow.
00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:29.999
Is it hard work?
00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:34.999
[sil.]
00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:39.999
Oh, yes. Very hard. How
many children do you have?
00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:44.999
[non-English narration]
00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:49.999
Eight alive and two dead,
that makes 10 children.
00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:54.999
Where are they?
00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:59.999
[non-English narration]
00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:04.999
Porfirio and Louis are working in Coban.
00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:09.999
Rosa is working on the coast. Rosa
and Pedro are helping their father.
00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:14.999
How old is Rosa?
00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:19.999
Ten years old. And Pedro? Eight years old.
00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:24.999
Don\'t the children go to school?
Yes. But when they come back,
00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:29.999
then they go to school. Do
you want any more children?
00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:34.999
Oh, no!
00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:39.999
I don\'t want any more children.
Ten is enough.
00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:44.999
Too much work to feed them and cloth them.
Ten children! I don\'t want any more.
00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:53.000
[non-English narration]
00:15:55.000 --> 00:16:03.000
[sil.]
00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:09.999
Benito Ramirez is the only Indian
school teacher in the village.
00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:14.999
[non-English narration]
00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:19.999
For a better life, it is necessary
perhaps that man learn more,
00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:24.999
that he learn to better utilize the
land, that he be better educated,
00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:29.999
that all his children go to school, because here in
Todos Santos the majority of the people are illiterate.
00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:38.000
[non-English narration]
00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:49.999
I teach children from 6 to 7 years old.
00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:54.999
I teach them to speak Spanish because
00:16:55.000 --> 00:16:59.999
everyone here speaks Mam and when they get to
school, the cant communicate with the teacher.
00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:04.999
So, I must teach them their
first Spanish words.
00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:13.000
[non-English narration]
00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:19.999
I am helping my father.
00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:24.999
This roof is very old. We are
putting on a new tin roof.
00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:29.999
This type of wood only lasts 5 or 6 years,
00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:34.999
but the tin lasts 15 or 20 years.
00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:39.999
How much does it cost?
Three hundred dollars.
00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:44.999
In the past, it was the custom of the people
of Todos Santos together, together to build
00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:49.999
and repair each other\'s houses. Today,
because of the shift to a cash economy,
00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:54.999
and because many are leaving the
village, the old customs are dying
00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:59.999
and Benito now has to hire workers
to help put up the new roof.
00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:04.999
The people go the plantations,
because they are in need.
00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:09.999
When prices rise, things
become expensive for them.
00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:14.999
And here in the village,
00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:19.999
they can earn very little. On the
coast, they think they can earn more,
00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:24.999
so they go down there for
a few months each year.
00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:29.999
[non-English narration]
00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:34.999
I went to de Finca because
I had to build my house.
00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:39.999
Since there is no money here in Todos
Santos, I went to Huehuetenango
00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:44.999
to borrow 300 dollars from a contractor.
00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:49.999
[non-English narration]
00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:54.999
I went to work on de Finca for 5 months and I
must return because I still owe some money
00:18:55.000 --> 00:18:59.999
and so, I must leave again.
00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:08.000
[non-English narration]
00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:14.999
How old are you? Eighty-three.
00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:19.999
Did you ever go to the Coast?
00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:24.999
No. Never. My husband died a long time ago,
00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:29.999
20… 30 years ago, there was no cotton.
00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:34.999
[non-English narration]
00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:39.999
To the coffee plantations my husband went.
00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:44.999
And now, my son Domingo is going.
00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:49.999
How long will they stay?
00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:54.999
One month. And the child?
00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:59.999
Only the men are going. It is too
hot for the children down there.
00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:04.999
[sil.]
00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:09.999
Almost everyone in the village has
gone to work on the plantations.
00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:14.999
[non-English narration]
00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:19.999
I used to go to the coffee plantations
00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:24.999
but I am too old now. I
cant carry the loads.
00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:29.999
My sons and daughters go,
because they need money.
00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:34.999
Graciela…
00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:39.999
Do you go to the Coast?
00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:44.999
Yes. My whole family goes. My mother goes and
my sister stays here to care for the house.
00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:49.999
Otherwise, she would go too.
00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:54.999
How is the life down there?
00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:59.999
It is okay. For me it is okay.
Because I am poor, I need to work.
00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:04.999
What about down in Guatemala City with you?
Is there any work for me down there?
00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:09.999
I don\'t know! What a pity!
00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:14.999
[sil.]
00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:19.999
Desiderio is one of the few men
00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:24.999
who doesn\'t have to leave the village. He earns
about 80 dollars a month at the plant nursery
00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:29.999
and has enough land on which to grow
his crops. His children go to school
00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:34.999
and two of his sons are school
teachers in other villages.
00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:39.999
I think migration will continue
always, because in the cotton fields,
00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:44.999
they can earn some money. People
want to plant their corn,
00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:49.999
potatoes, other crops. They
have to buy fertilizer.
00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:54.999
So they go to solve some of their problems.
00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:59.999
The people leave.
00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:04.999
Migrant labor has been a part of Indian life
for centuries. When the Spaniards arrived,
00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:09.999
the Indians were forced to work as slaves
in the silver mines. In the 18th century,
00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:14.999
there was compulsory labor and
still later, contract labor
00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:19.999
on the sugar and coffee plantations. Today, the lack of land
and the need for cash are forcing more and more Indians
00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:24.999
to work outside the village.
00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:29.999
[sil.]
00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:34.999
After the Indian maize harvest in October,
00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:39.999
labor contractors hired by the plantation owners
arrive in the main square to sign up workers
00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:44.999
for the cotton harvest in November.
00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:49.999
How much do you advance the men?
00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:54.999
10 or 20 dollars, so that
they sign up for work.
00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:59.999
How long will they stay?
00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:04.999
One month. 30 days of work.
00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:09.999
How much do you earn? I earn from
00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:14.999
75 to 100 dollars a month.
00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:19.999
How much do the men earn? They
earn 40 or 50 dollars a month,
00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:24.999
maybe more.
00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:29.999
[sil.]
00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:34.999
Saturday is market day in Todos Santos.
00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:39.999
To supplement their food
supply, the Indians must pay
00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:44.999
up to 11 cents a pound for corn,
about 30 cents a pound for beans
00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:49.999
and from 5 to 12 cents
a pound for potatoes.
00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:54.999
Guatemala has a 15% annual inflation rate,
00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:59.999
yet the average per capita income for
the Indians remains 100 dollars a year.
00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:04.999
[sil.]
00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:09.999
Cash is also needed for the fiesta of
Todos Santos on November 1st and 2nd.
00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:14.999
Why are you killing this sheep?
00:24:15.000 --> 00:24:19.999
For the fiesta to eat.
How many will you kill?
00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:24.999
Just one. Many families invite
neighbors and relatives
00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:29.999
to a special meal on the eve of the fiesta.
00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:34.999
How much does one cost?
This one cost 13 dollars.
00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:39.999
The big ones cost from 18 to 20 dollars.
00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:44.999
[sil.]
00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:53.000
[music]
00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:09.999
The people who work all year with the hoe and the
machete are who work on the coast to earn some money.
00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:14.999
When the day of the fiesta
arrives, they all reunite
00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:19.999
and together they celebrate the fiesta. The money
they have earned during the year is spent in one day.
00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:24.999
[music]
00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:29.999
How much did it cost to rent your horse? 50
dollars. Where did you get the money? On the coast.
00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:34.999
Will you ride all day tomorrow?
Maybe. Do you like it a lot?
00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:39.999
Oh, yes.
00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:48.000
[music]
00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:09.999
Participation in the Fiesta\'s activities brings
prestige and social status in the community,
00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:14.999
but it is expensive. Food and
alcohol must be purchased
00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:19.999
and musicians, horses or costumes rented.
00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:24.999
[music]
00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:29.999
These men have formed a Quadri or team of horse
riders. A year ago, according to tradition,
00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:34.999
they made a religious promise to ride their
horses in the Querida of All Saints Day.
00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:39.999
They believe that if they fail to
fulfill this promise, they will die.
00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:44.999
Tonight on October 31st,
00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:49.999
in the company of their families and friends,
they will dance all through the night
00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:54.999
and drink a strong sugarcane liquor called
aguardiente to prepare themselves for the Querida.
00:26:55.000 --> 00:27:00.000
[music]
00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:18.000
[sil.]
00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:49.999
Some ride their horses
00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:54.999
simply because they believe that by
riding horses they are important.
00:27:55.000 --> 00:27:59.999
They believe people will
say, this is a man,
00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:04.999
he has money, he has a
house, he has a wife.
00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:09.999
Therefore, he is an important man.
00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:18.000
[sil.]
00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:24.999
They ride horses and they show who
they are, what it is to be a man.
00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:29.999
[sil.]
00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:34.999
But then, it is a title,
a mark of importance.
00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:39.999
It is like a final goal to
be a rider in the Querida.
00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:48.000
[sil.]
00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:44.999
Half way through the day,
the riders take a break
00:29:45.000 --> 00:29:49.999
and everyone walks up to the
main plaza to see the dancing.
00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:54.999
Fiestas like these were introduced by the Spaniards in the 16th
century in an effort to convert the Indians to Catholicism.
00:29:55.000 --> 00:29:59.999
One of the favorite dances is
the Baile de la Conquistadores
00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:04.999
in which the Indians perform skits
marking the Spanish conquerors.
00:30:05.000 --> 00:30:13.000
[sil.]
00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:33.000
[music]
00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:24.999
For me, the fiesta is a happy event, but for
the farmers, the real owners of this land,
00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:29.999
the fiesta sometimes is sad. They
dance, they ride the horses,
00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:34.999
but they have problems.
00:31:35.000 --> 00:31:39.999
They think by drinking they can forget their
problems. They leave their sadness by the wayside.
00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:44.999
This year was happy.
00:31:45.000 --> 00:31:49.999
Next year, who knows if they will still be here
or if they will no longer be in this world.
00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:54.999
They think of their lives, but very
often they think more of death.
00:31:55.000 --> 00:32:03.000
[sil.]
00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:14.999
November 2nd is the day of the dead.
00:32:15.000 --> 00:32:19.999
In Todos Santos, it is a special time for
the people to visit their dead relatives,
00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:24.999
to comfort them and to entertain them.
They will dance and drink,
00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:29.999
weep and wail, honoring their dead relatives and
thinking of the day when they will see them again
00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:34.999
in their other world.
00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:43.000
[music]
00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:53.000
[non-English narration]
00:32:55.000 --> 00:33:03.000
[music]
00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:28.000
[sil.]
00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:38.000
[music]
00:34:35.000 --> 00:34:43.000
[sil.]
00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:04.999
[sil.]
00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:09.999
After the fiesta, come the problems, comes the
pain, because many drink and wind up in jail
00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:14.999
or they fall from their
horses or they fight.
00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:19.999
One day of joy, next comes the
pain, next comes the migration.
00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:24.999
Everyone goes to the Coast to pay
off their debts from the fiesta.
00:35:25.000 --> 00:35:29.999
We are counting up the people
who will leave tomorrow,
00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:34.999
the 25th of November. They
will get there the next day.
00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:39.999
[non-English narration]
00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:44.999
How do they go? By bus? By truck. Right now the
trucks are coming down to pick up the people.
00:35:45.000 --> 00:35:49.999
What is the work like?
00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:54.999
Oh, its easy.
00:35:55.000 --> 00:35:59.999
It is very hot, but all you have to do is see if the
cotton is ready, pick it up and put it in a sack.
00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:04.999
[non-English narration]
00:36:05.000 --> 00:36:09.999
How is the food down there?
00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:14.999
Oh, the people get their food
right down their in the fields.
00:36:15.000 --> 00:36:19.999
The cotton fields are sprayed every
morning with heavy doses of insecticides
00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:24.999
which cause fever and nausea in the workers
and whose long-term medical effects
00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:29.999
have not yet been determined.
00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:34.999
[non-English narration]
00:36:35.000 --> 00:36:39.999
Life on the plantation is really hard.
00:36:40.000 --> 00:36:44.999
The problem is that we go with the
children in trucks and it is very hot
00:36:45.000 --> 00:36:49.999
and the sun is very strong.
00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:54.999
[non-English narration]
00:36:55.000 --> 00:36:59.999
The truck only has a plank to
sit on and it rocks and shakes
00:37:00.000 --> 00:37:04.999
and we don\'t get there until the next day.
That\'s how the children get sick.
00:37:05.000 --> 00:37:09.999
[non-English narration]
00:37:10.000 --> 00:37:14.999
When we get there, we
receive a sack and rations
00:37:15.000 --> 00:37:19.999
and the people go to work.
00:37:20.000 --> 00:37:24.999
I make tortillas for the people and
they all go down to the fields.
00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:29.999
And what do they do?
00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:34.999
Pick cotton. There are some
who pick a lot, 200 pounds.
00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:39.999
Some pick 100 pounds, it depends.
And how much do they pay?
00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:44.999
At that time, one dollar for 100 pounds.
00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:49.999
A penny for each pound of cotton.
00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:54.999
How is the food down there? Oh,
it is not like here at home.
00:37:55.000 --> 00:37:59.999
Down there, they only
give us beans and maize.
00:38:00.000 --> 00:38:04.999
Only beans, morning, noon and night.
00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:09.999
[non-English narration]
00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:14.999
If we want anything else,
we must buy it ourselves.
00:38:15.000 --> 00:38:19.999
That is why we sell our weavings.
00:38:20.000 --> 00:38:24.999
Even if we just eat a
little, it is different.
00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:29.999
Here, I\'m in the shade. But down
there, it is an effort to stay alive.
00:38:30.000 --> 00:38:38.000
[sil.]
00:39:00.000 --> 00:39:04.999
Since the road to Todos Santos
and others like it were built,
00:39:05.000 --> 00:39:09.999
half a million people travel to
the coastal plantations each year
00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:14.999
for the coffee, sugar and cotton harvests.
00:39:15.000 --> 00:39:19.999
On the plantations, the workers meet
Indians from other parts of the country.
00:39:20.000 --> 00:39:24.999
They learn that their own problems are not
unique that others face the same problems of
00:39:25.000 --> 00:39:29.999
discrimination, poor working
conditions and poor wages.
00:39:30.000 --> 00:39:34.999
The people are waking up.
00:39:35.000 --> 00:39:39.999
They are beginning to demand their rights,
because we have rights as well as the Ladinos.
00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:44.999
Maybe one day, things will be equalized,
so that they don\'t think of us
00:39:45.000 --> 00:39:49.999
as their servants, but as human
beings, the same as they are.
00:39:50.000 --> 00:39:58.000
[sil.]
00:40:05.000 --> 00:40:13.000
[music]
Distributor: Icarus Films
Length: 41 minutes
Date: 1982
Genre: Expository
Language: English; Spanish
Grade: 9-12, College, Adult
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
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