Maguey Journey: Discovering Textiles in Guatemala

12.Maguey Economics

Besides being utilitarian, the primary role of maguey products is economic. This is not new, and when I inquired about maguey’s origin, many people told me that the land “gave” their grandparents maguey as a way for them to make money for survival if crops failed or there was insufficient agricultural land. In the words of a woman from San Pablo la Laguna: “La semilla del maguey nos concedió el Creador. Es un regalo que El nos dio y se puede sembrar en qualquier clase de tierra, sin importar la calidad del suelo, es un bendición” (The maguey seed was given to us by the Creator. It is a gift from our God, which can be planted in any class of land, without importance of soil quality, and it is a blessing) (Berger de White and Ivic de Monterroso 2008, 136). others told me that “maguey is a symbol of life” because money can be made from selling maguey products, and therefore “gives life.” In addition to growing just about anywhere, an important advantage of maguey over many other crops is that it can be harvested at any time of the year, thus providing a year-round income. The products’ journey from maker to market begins with location, and maguey items are sold wherever there might be a potential customer. This includes markets, festivals, tourist sites, buses, and busy street corners. Weekly markets occur everywhere and have been a part of Guatemalan society for centuries, and regional communities are linked in a rotating schedule of staggered market days, or “solar system” (Nash 1967, 87). In this way vendors can sell their products in many nearby locations every week. Generally, “traditional” products are sold in regional markets, and “contemporary ” items are found in gift shops. Tourism does not seem to have affected the maguey industry very much, and most visitors buy brightly colored woven pieces, often unaware of the maguey articles in the markets. The weekly Concepción Tutuapa market is one of the biggest that I attended, and on Thursdays the normally quiet, empty, dusty town is 12 Maguey Economics 116 THE GIFT oF LIFE transformed when it fills up with vendors selling their wares on the streets. A steady stream of people enter the community from the outer edges, and because of the early-morning chill, they are usually bundled in towels and blankets. Many lead cargo-laden mules, which are tethered in nearby fields after being unloaded. I always locate the mules so as to admire the maguey fittings that adorn their bodies and to take photos, much to the amusement of bystanders. The maguey arena is at a nondescript intersection, past the clothing, produce, steaming tamales, and baskets of xeca (wheat bread). The bargaining starts around four in the morning, when men and women from the outlying aldeas begin arriving by bus, by horse, or on foot. The buyers are already waiting, and as products are revealed from within wrapped bundles , the frenzy begins. Bargaining can be quite intense, with strong words spoken on both sides about the quality, price, and financial needs of each person. It always amazes me to watch a man successfully bargain a woman down to a price of about twenty quetzales for a beautiful bag that took her at least a month to make. The accepted protocol is that, when a seller reveals his or her wares, a buyer will grab an item and begin haggling, usually starting at an amount much lower than the asking price. If the seller does not come down enough, the buyer will let go and another will take his or her place. The understood code of ethics is that an object is not available for bidding until only the seller is left holding it. The action continues until there is agreement on the price and the buyer adds it to his or her pile of purchases or the potential buyer lets it go and a new buyer moves in. If the product is inferior or the price is too high, sellers may stand on the corner for an hour or more until they give up, rewrap the item for another time or place, and merge back into the general flow of the market. In the beginning, I bought lots of maguey without really knowing what I was doing, and bystanders would come up to me after a purchase and ask why I bought the fiber that I had, as they could tell from a...