[Aztlan] Three Sisters

[Nick Hopkins]

In response to wolfhawk's questions, Evon Z. Vogt (The Zinacantecos  
of Mexico) and Frank Cancian (Economics and Prestige in a Maya  
Community) give the following measures of land use and productivity  
(converted from the local measures of almuds and fánegas and the like– 
hope I've done the math correctly!).  This is for highland Chiapas;  
figures for other areas would differ.

Land varies greatly in quality, but is mostly very rocky, so plots  
are measured by quantity of seed planted, not acreage (or hectares).   
But, about one hectare of land (100 x 100 meters) would take, on the  
average, about 0.43 bushels of seed (1 almud), planted to leave three  
or more stalks per hill.  Expecting some 5 ears to the hill, harvests  
from one hectare (.43 bu. planted) range from a low for bad quality  
cold country plots of 15 bushels (1 almud planted, 3 fánegas  
harvested), to an average for hot country plots of 41 bushels (1  
almud planted, 8 fánegas harvested).  An average family needs about  
25 bushels of maize (5 fánegas) to eat for a year.

So, an average family needs to plant from 0.61 to 1.7 hectares of  
land, depending on quality, to get food for the year.  That is a bare  
minimum, with no surplus.  To increase the yield, the usual mixed  
strategy is to farm small plots of cold country, near home,  
additional plots in ejido land in temperate country, and rented land  
in hot country.

Weeding is not needed in new fields (freshly cleared and burned) but  
becomes more of a burden in older fields.

Nick Hopkins