In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Callaloo 27.1 (2004) 41-47



[Access article in PDF]

Work and the Land

[Versión Español]

JONES: What kind of work do you do?

MIGUEL: I work in the fields. I plant corn, piquant, tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, and watermelons. I also harvest mangos, papaya, and coffee.

JONES: Do you plant and harvest on your own land, or do you work for someone else?

MIGUEL: No. I work for myself. I work on my land to support my family.

JONES: Did you inherit the land from your family?

MIGUEL: Yes, from my father. He gave me a small piece of land, and my uncle also gave me a small piece. I work on that land.

JONES: How long have you owned the land?

MIGUEL: For twenty-five years.

* * *

JONES: Tell me about your work.

CLEOTILDE: We are farmers. The biggest source of work is the field, where they grow sugar cane, bananas. They also produce mangos, beans and corn. Here in Coyolillo, in the municipality of Actopan, Veracruz, the truth is we are in a beautiful area; a fertile zone with the famous river.

JONES: How many hours a day do you work?

CLEOTILDE: I work about eight hours a day—eight in the morning until five at night, every day except Sunday.

JONES: When do you rest?

CLEOTILDE: Only on Sunday. [End Page 41]

JONES: Do you go to church on Sunday?

CLEOTILDE:Yes.

JONES: What time do you go to church?

CLEOTILDE: We're in the habit of going at noon or one in the afternoon.

JONES: Are you Catholic?

CLEOTILDE: Yes.

* * *

ROWELL: What do your children do to earn a living?

INOCENCIA: They work in the fields.

ROWELL: And what does your husband do?

INOCENCIA: My husband works in the fields. He plants corn.

* * *

ROWELL: What type of work did you do before you began to work in the sugar cane?

SANTIAGO: I worked with the hoe.

ROWELL: How is the hoe used?

SANTIAGO: It is used to yank the undergrowth.

ROWELL: Explain what you do in this type of work.

SANTIAGO: One goes to the field with the hoe to clean the ditches.

ROWELL: What is the work you like most in the field?

SANTIAGO: I enjoy everything, but working with the hoe is the toughest. [End Page 42]

ROWELL: Apart from going abroad to work, what other type of work is there to maintain yourselves?

SANTIAGO: Working in the field, coffee, sugar cane, bricklaying, all of that.

* * *

ROWELL: Your first husband—the one who was killed—did what kind of work did he do? Did he work in the fields?

FIDELA:Jornalero. [a day laborer]

ROWELL:Jornalero? What does jornalero mean?

FIDELA: To have nothing of your own. To always be working for others.

ROWELL: And with whom did he work?

FIDELA: Well, with whomever had work.

ROWELL: Who own the land here in Coyolillo? Who are the landowners?

FIDELA: There are many people here who own their own land. It's just that there is no work here. They go elsewhere to look for work. Planting sugar cane, cutting cane, picking coffee. In his town they planted pepper. They looked for them to go planting, to go harvesting. I would also go to plant and harvest pepper.

ROWELL: As a woman, how do you see the work that women do here in Coyolillo?

FIDELA: Well, the truth is that the women here don't work outside of the home.

ROWELL: And what do you think about that? Do you think it's right that women do not work?

FIDELA: They don't work because they rely on their husbands. And it's a very pretty life, relying on a husband. I had grown accustomed to that lifestyle. Even with the five hundred pesos or the two hundred pesos that he gave me, I was content. I was happy. I don't like this work [running a cantina] either, because it is very risky for me and my family. But I don't have another way to earn money, even if it's only a little bit like twenty or...

pdf

Share