Children's independence is fostered by giving them duties from an early age, such as tending the goats. They farm corn, beans and squash, which are the staples of their diet. The reason they have two or three plots is because the soil is poor and the land is too rugged to have tracts of land large enough to grow all their crops. Only one of the homes is the main residence. The family also usually has a chicken coop and a corral for the goats.
Some families also own cattle and sheep.
Many families keep dogs to help with the tending of the animals and to help catch small game. The livestock are very important because they provide fertilizer for the crops. The cows help to plow the fields. Their limited contact with outside communities means that they do not often participate in the cash economy. They also use cotton for their clothes, which is obtained through trade.