Day Eight

Land of Many Trees
Today, the team entered Guatemala-or as the Aztecs used to call it, Quauhtlemallan, "the land of many trees."

A Guatemalan man walks down the road with a piece of firewood.

I thought about this name as we headed towards the Petén rainforest. The road was newly paved and surrounded by cornfields. I first biked here twelve years ago. Back then, a glistening wall of vegetation lined the road. What happened?

In a word, progress. Many people are moving here from the cities. When they arrive, in order to grow food, they burn off part of the forest to plant their crops. For a few years their crops grow. Then the soil is exhausted and the farmers must burn off more jungle. The cycle continues. In the past twenty years, the Petén has shrunk by a third. How long until it's all gone?

Still, my first day in Guatemala left me hopeful. I met a gaggle of kids busily carving and sanding pieces of wood. They were working for the The Ecological Crafts Project, a cooperative that uses trees cut down by farmers and turns them into art.

	A young boy sands a wooden boat that will be sold to tourists.

A former furniture-maker named Ronaldo Soto started the project ten years ago. Needing help with the tedious job of sanding wood, Ronaldo put local kids to work.

Now, fifty families in the community carve and sell their pieces at Ronaldo's shop. How can such an enterprise improve both the local economy and the chances of preserving the Petén? Clearly, this issue requires the consideration of many perspectives.

Pedals Up!

- Dan Buettner

P.S.
Meet the peccary, explore an ancient Maya cave, and take a trip down Belize's New River this week in MayaQuest!

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