Bethel

Ancient Mayan cenote or sinkhole in the limestone bedrock. Village leaders hoped it could become a tourist attraction.

Consulting in the forest about where and how to situate the tourist facility.

Houses made from local materials

Trade with Mexico includes rice produced in Guatemala. Workers are carrying bags of it to ferry across the river.

Government checkpoint near the river landing, manned by soldiers. Widespread violence plagues El Petén, driven by pervasive drug trafficking.

A boat starts out to cross the Rio Usumacinta, taking tourists and others to Mexico.

An evening meeting in the school.

Washing dishes at the cafe

Tending the stove

The Lorena stove is made from bricks, sand, mud and a wooden base. It offers more efficient heat than cooking on an open fire, thus requiring much less wood to burn. This, in turn, lessens pressure on forests where women collect firewood.

Baking rolls

Women and girls carry water from a well to their homes. A girl of 11 would lift a 5-gallon water container, (usually plastic), and carry it on her head.

Washing clothes in the river

Washing clothes in a cement basin offers convenience and shade, and is easier on the laundress than washing in a river.

Reforestation

An ancient technique of of planting beans and corn together: the beans climb up the corn stalks, and enhance nitrogen in the soil to help sustain crops.

Typical small corn patch with rustic house in background

Cattle constitute a farmer’s wealth, here where there are no banks (and no chance of finding a loan if there were). This farmer and his son are getting ready to inseminate a cow.

Preparing soil