They have no electricity or running water. Very few people even possess a radio, and many have never seen a television. Houses are made of cane walls and palm thatched roofs. The floors are dried mud. The life expectancy of the people in these villages is less than fifty.
People sleep on the floor, or, if they have a little money, in hammocks.
Occasionally you find wooden slat beds but no mattresses. It is common for three generations to live in one house. The diet is also poor. The principle food derived from this is the tortilla, which is a flat, round bread of ground corn. For meals tortillas are often eaten with salt or chili.