Ilario wears his best gold shirt to the ritual. He is single, young and handsome. When he draws the short straw, five women moan in horror. Four men in all are chosen for the journey. It's made twice annually, after each sugar and citrus harvest.
Mexican migrants make similar treks to their villages from Florida, Texas and the Carolinas.
These cash runs mean 2,000-mile drives, dodging hurricanes, civil wars and murderous robbers. American banks are flooding Central America with loans in an effort to put the region's banking system on solid ground. The American business press urges investors to do the same. But the migrant workers insist their banks are corrupt and unsafe. Many of our banks are run by the men with guns.