[Guatemala]

Welland on both Seacoast's are hot lowlands higher-up are temperate zones still higher are hypo is where most of the people live above all are mountain peaks a cross-section of Guatemala looks like a slice of Central America cut anywhere from southern Mexico to Panama in northern Guatemala is the low pay tain plain thinly settled and covered with jungle growth in the hot damp forests are trails over which the Guatemalans move from place to place most of them are Indians descendants of an ancient race of peoples called the Mayas a thousand years ago the Mayas rich civilization began to fall apart enemies and disease so weakened the people that the jungle over and their cities today only half hidden ruins remain in the wet season workers go into the forest to gather the chicle from which chewing gum is made chicle is the sap of a tall jungle tree the Sapodilla no central american forest worker is fully equipped without his machete in gathering chicle he uses the heavy knife to make cuts and the scars of previous tapping he knows that if the tree is again ready the SAP will flow freely often the chicle gatherers take their children along when the day's work is near camp once a Sapodilla tree is tapped it may be years before the SAP can be drawn again the sticky sap is taken to a shack in the nearest clearing here the chicle is boiled soon it thickens and in an hour's time the mass is placed in molds and allowed to cool it will be carried out of the jungles on the backs of mules then airplanes and ships will take it to other countries to be made into chewing gum during the dry season from January to May many chicle workers turn lumberman's timber is cut only when the jungle roads are hard enough to support heavy trucks [Music] of the many jungle trees the towering mahogany is the most valuable so big around is this tree that it is cut high above the thick supporting roots some of the best mahogany comes from trees that have been growing as long as 300 years for every old mahogany tree cut down the Guatemalan government requires that five young trees be Planet logs our fall to nearby river ports from where they will start on their way to furniture factories in many other lands the lowland heat gives place to cooler climates on the way up through the temperate zones to the high plateaus thousand feet most water Malin Indians like the Indians of the hot jungles they travel along foot pads which wind around the mountain slopes to lakes circled by volcanoes Lake atitlán was formed ages ago probably by the eruption of neighbouring peace along the shore our Indian villages whose that's Roof huts cluster around the village church the streets of such villages have seen little change in hundreds of years water comes from the central fountain fed by mountain spring as in simple communities everywhere the drawing of water is done by women and girls the Indian woman's loom is primitive and the pattern she weaves are very old in Indian homes corn and beans are still the chief items on the family's menu grinding corn into meal and mixing dal are the first steps in preparing the tortilla a thin dry pancake which takes the place of bread and is often filled with beans hot peppers or other vegetables tortilla making is a full mornings work for mother and daughter on wash day is the Lakeside is the village laundry since the fountain only supplies the drinking water for children not old enough to help their mothers the shore is a playground 3/4 of Guatemala's people live on the high plateaus and villages or on forms since initial language but over 20 Indian languages still spoken throughout the country which makes teaching difficult the teacher is a Ladino a Central American of mixed Spanish and Indian ancestry in Guatemala there are twice as many Indians as Latinos and 5% of the population is a pure Spanish descent every morning men and boys set out for the farm gardens on the mountain sides these gardens are laid out and terraces or layers as in the hilly regions of many tropical countries the eruptions of volcanoes and times past have made the soil very rich Indian farmers worked the land with tools much like those used by their Mayan ancestors in dry seasons water from the mountain streams is needed to irrigate the village gardens the water is made to flow from ditch to ditch on each terrace the water seeps through a mud wall into the next area sometimes farmers on the lower levels speed up the irrigation by half because the mountain flutters cooler than that the low hot chills Highland fun is more settled and the Indians raise the familiar vegetables which grow well in cooler temperatures corn is the principal Highland crop the kernels are shelled from the cobs when the ears have been hard by the Sun most of the corn will be eaten at home the rest goes off to be sold once a week the Highland trails and roads leading to the large owns are filled with Indians Korean constant handicrafts for hundreds of years the Indians have gone to market along paths and roads over the hills Spanish in all the buildings in Central America's Highland towns are made of sun-dried brick because of their thick walls and tiled roofs the houses are comfortable during both the hot days and cool nights the marketplace is a centre of social activity the object and reward of the trip into town is as much to meet and gossip with friends as it is to buy and sell part of the fun is outwitting others and the Indians enjoy arguing over the price of everything [Music] on market day all the products of farm and village are on display sticky molasses popcorn is a favorite with everyone crude black sugar as another sought-after luxury and salt which every family needs comes neatly wrapped in banana leaves winding dirt roads lead out of the mountain towns these country roads join the small towns together and feed into the pan-american highway which crosses Guatemala and will someday run all the way down to the southern tip of South America the traffic on the highway is moving toward Guatemala City the capital situated in the temperate zone between the cool highlands and the hot lowlands almost a mile above sea level what Amala city has a healthy pleasant climate the air lanes which pass through Guatemala bring her with an easy reach not only of her neighbor republics of Central America El Salvador Honduras Nicaragua Costa Rica and Panama but of the entire outside world [Music] an earthquake all but destroyed Guatemala City in 1917 the inactive volcano behind the city is only one of the many volcanoes in the country houses and business buildings are built around patios shaded courtyards where living is comfortable even in the hottest weather the capital is Guatemala's one big city on the crowded streets of its modern business district the people of the country mix with the more up-to-date city dwellers [Music] with in many shops all work rooms wear silver jewelry is made and sold the designs of the craftsmen date back to Mayan days compared with primitive weaving in the Indian villages textile making in the small city factories is a large-scale operation the patterns woven on machines however are the same as those the Indians follow there are more schools and colleges in Guatemala City than anywhere else in the country during the dry season desks are set up in the school patio with the coming of the rains classes move indoors Guatemala schools provide a practical education in the elementary school children learn simple skills which will be helpful when the time comes for them to earn a living at vocational schools older boys trained for jobs in a world in which electricity is all-important lacking coal Guatemala must use its mountain streams to make electric power for its urban areas the power plant is run by ladino technicians trained in the country [Music] Central American industry is growing near Guatemala City a large factory turns limestone into the cement needed for new buildings which are now built low to withstand earthquakes and to take full advantage of sunlight and fresh air the chief amusement of Central Americans is to relax in the plaza or city square where in the afternoon or evening there's usually a concert Guatemala's favorite instrument is the marimba first made by the Indians the marimba looks and sounds somewhat like a giant Zilla phone the games which Guatemalan boys play are the same as those played in many parts of the world from the railroad station at hua Tamala city trains leave for the different parts of the country tickets are sold for the lowland cforce for towns in the temperate zones and cities in neighboring Mexico Honduras and El Salvador travelers return home after shopping in the city for those articles that aren't available in the smaller places as the train goes down the mountains the trip grows uncomfortably hot by contrast to the pleasant climate of the capital my vessel spanned the gorges over which the train must pass on its way down to the Seacoast [Music] at lower altitudes the weather is warmer and the vegetation changes as a result here coffee plantations cover the mountain sides and valley bottoms coffee grows best under tall shade trees where the temperature stays in the 60s and 70s and all rain falls during a single season after picking the berries are taken to the mill where the seeds or coffee beans are extracted then when the tropical Sun has dried them out the beans are packed for shipment abroad that way stations on the journey down to the coastal lowlands the Indians sell the fruits and vegetables of the locality they're always sure of finding buyers for Guatemalan trains don't have dining cars the railroad drops nearly a month as it winds down the mountains from the cool high capital through the temperate coffee country to the hot and humid lowlands along the Seacoast not many years ago tropical jungles grew wild and untended over this low country now the rich soil supports millions of banana trees during the dry season many of the banana groves are watered by an artificial rain that drips down from the rubbery leaves and seeps into the earth [Applause] the flat cut on which bananas are loaded are hauled through the narrow paths of the plantation while the bananas are still unripe there with a long pole a jab from the pole weakens the branch and the weight of the fruit oils are down then the machete is used to slash the branch from the tree the banana clusters and branches together weigh anywhere from sixty to a hundred and fifty pounds to prevent it's being brewed or spoiled the fruit is separated by branches and stems at a rail siding on the plantation the fruit is made ready for shipment the ragged ends of the branches are trimmed then the chemicals sprayed on the trees as protection against insects are washed off the bananas will slowly ripen in refrigerated ships on the way to markets overseas docks for the ships of the banana carrying fleets have been built close to the lark Asians the world needs the chicle and lumber the coffee bananas and homemade articles of Guatemala Guatemalans need from elsewhere the food they cannot raise and the goods they cannot make themselves in the five republics to the south the site differs only slightly for climate crops and people