Improving on Nature?

by
Dennis Kingery
Biology Department
Metropolitan Community College
Omaha, Nebraska

Life is not easy in San Antonio Palopo in the late 1950s. Carlos rises early to care for his onion crop, pumping water from Lake Atitlan, which the villagers must do in the dry season. After that, he will climb the mountain to prepare his cornfield for planting before the approaching rainy season.

His two-room, dirt-floored hut allows barely enough room for his family, but it is as much as most families in the village have. Fortunately his wife, Rosita, is a skilled weaver. The few tourists who drive here to see the beautiful lake pay only a few coins for her colorful textiles, but the money helps to buy shoes for his children.

On his way up the mountain, he meets his neighbor Iliana coming down the steep path. "Buenos dias, amiga," he greets her. "Hola, Carlos," she responds. She is returning home with a load of firewood so that she can prepare the tortillas for her family's breakfast. "Are you going to the meeting at the church tonight?" she asks.

"Oh, I'd forgotten about it. I appreciate your reminder. Will you be speaking?" Carlos inquires.

"No, I'm much too shy for that," she says, "but my cousin Victor is coming from Guatemala City with an important proposal for the people of San Antonio Palopo."

"Victor? Isn't he the airline executive?" asks Carlos.

"Well, he's not really a big boss, but Pan American has sent him because he knows us. It seems like a big deal," Iliana replies.

"How big could anything ever be in this village?" Carlos wonders aloud.

"I'm not too sure of the details," Iliana says, "but it's a plan to bring a new kind of fish to the lake. The airline is hoping to increase tourist flights to Guatemala, and the hotel owners in Panajachel are eager to have more tourists, too. If the lake becomes famous enough, fishermen will come from Norte America and maybe even Europe to catch fish, eat meals, buy my weaving, things like that. Can you imagine a restaurant or a hotel in San Antonio? We might even have to learn English to handle the crowds of customers!"

They chuckle at the prospect of their narrow village streets crowded with tourists and then go their separate ways.

Go to:
Background Briefing I
Background Briefing II
Background Briefing III

Image Credit: Photograph of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, provided by the Association of Guatemala Tourism Guides, a member of the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations. Used with permission.
Date Posted: 05/15/03 nas
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