Guatemala has been called the land of “_no hay_,” meaning “there is none,” because it is such a common answer and it illustrates one characteristic of this race. If the people do not want to bother, that will be their invariable answer. You might go up to a house where the yard was full of chickens, the woman engaged in making _tortillas_, and fruit trees loaded with fruit in the yard, and yet have a conversation about like the following:
In such a case the best way to do is to enter the house and hunt around for yourself, and blandly order the woman to prepare whatever you chance to find. Then, if you leave a small sum of money with her on departing, she will not take any offence but will politely thank you. Time is the only thing with which they seem to be well supplied. It is equally hard to get anything done, for, unless the party is willing to do the work requested, he will find some plausible excuse. An American travelling across the country a few years ago found it necessary to have his horse shod at one of the small towns. There were three blacksmiths in the town; of these one was sick but had supplies, a second had no nails and the third no charcoal. As there was no lending among the craft the horse could not be shod.
The great vices of the inhabitants are a general indolence and improvidence, and for that reason labour is hard to secure. This has led to the system of peonage by means of which the labourer is obliged to work for his employer so long as he is indebted to him. This condition is generally entered into voluntarily on the part of the Indian by borrowing a small sum of money from a plantation owner and the signing of a contract of employment. The following is a literal copy of one of these contracts which I obtained from the manager of a coffee plantation:
The _mozo_ herewith employed binds himself:
1. To discharge with his work daily and personally the debt contracted on this _finca_.
2. To do every class of work after the customs established on the _finca_.
3. To absent himself from the _finca_ on no pretext without previous permission in writing.
4. To pay all expenses made necessary in case of flight, and rendering himself subject to the proceedings brought against him through the proper authority.