He had the only supply of beans in town. Clifton browbeat the grocer into giving Don Porfirio the pre-rumor price, and the old man went back into the Sierra satisfied. Times are hard for the Tarahumara, small victories notwithstanding. Lately the Sierra Madre, prime country for Marijuana cultivation, has also been invaded by drogueros , who think nothing of clearing the land of its original owners by force. In the last few years dozens of Indians have been murdered so that gringos can enjoy cheap Mexican dope.
Times are harder now.
Northern Mexico is suffering its worst drought in more than a century, possibly the worst in 1,000 years. The drought has meant a succession of failing crops, of dead livestock throughout the state of Chihuahua, where, by one estimate, nearly half a million head of cattle have died since 1992. Late in April, nearly all the cattle in La Bufa, the village near which Clifton has lived for the last 13 years, fell victim to starvation. His Tarahumara neighbors, Clifton fears, may soon follow them. Hardest hit by the drought are thousands of Tarahumara, the temporales , who rely on seasonal highlands agriculture for their sustenance.