The campesinos always carry a machete and sometimes they have an azedon resting on their shoulders as they walk to the fields. An azedon is an oversized hoe and to wield one takes much strength. There are no plows and land is tilled via these instruments. The mountain side forests are becoming depleted as most people still cook with a wood fire. Some have only an open fire, others have stoves made of adobe - mud and pine needles.
Many poor families go to the mountains to scrounge for their firewood.
A huge bundle will be bound together and carried home balanced on a person's head. All these demands of daily living prompt one to realize the slow advances made in these many years of civilization. The resources are here, but the know-how is lacking in most instances, especially in forestry, farming, mineralogy, and business. Quality control and customer service is uncommon. Sanitation is a great problem .