Chol Ritual Language
with Terrence Lee Folmar, Heidi Altman, Ausencio Cruz Guzmán, and Bernardo Pérez Martínez
©1996 J. Kathryn Josserand and Nicholas A. Hopkins

Economy of the Chol Region

There is considerable diversity to the economy of Chol settlements, although there is a strong component of subsistence agriculture based on the Mesoamerican triad of maize, beans, and squash, with the addition of manioc, chile peppers, tomatoes and other vegetables, as well as tropical fruits. Cacao was produced in early Colonial times, but was replaced by coffee. Nineteenth and early twentieth century plantations also produced cattle, mahogany and other tropical hardwoods, rubber, and vanilla. Commercial agriculture is now centered on coffee production, although low market values have recently resulted in the destruction of established coffee plantations and their replacement by maize and other crops.

The economy of the ejidos varies widely, as each settlement struggles independently to develop its own locale. Some ejidos are strictly subsistence farmers; others have developed a variety of cash crops, including not only coffee, but cacao and fruit trees. Farming of produce for local markets is poorly developed; Palenque, a major tourist center, buys its vegetables from large-scale distributors in Villahermosa, Mérida, and México City rather than depending on unreliable local supplies. Government support of cattle production often results in lands cleared for farming being converted to pasturage.

Chols are overwhelmingly agricultural, with little development of other industries. Within agriculture, most families practice subsistence farming, but there is some commercial cattle ranching, and there are still large coffee plantations which offer employment possibilities. The major regional product for outside trade is coffee, produced both in large commercial plantations and by family enterprise on smaller plots. Males do most agricultural work, women do domestic work; that is, men produce food and women process it, as in other Mayan communities.

Weaving and embroidery, once essential crafts for women, have now disappeared almost entirely, to be replaced by machine sewing; Western style dresses of brightly decorated satin-like cloth, worn with multiple strands of beads and numerous hair clips, are a hallmark of ejido Chol women.

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