and cream. The hard cheese is made in small batches for local consumption and large rounds of

over 75 lbs. are sold in Guatemala City. The more perishable items are sold locally in town and

in the main city of Jalapa. Locals have their favorite families from which they buy depending on

their tastes, as some families use varying amounts of salt and fermentation times. During the

rainy season when more milk is being produced, they also label the cheeses differently since the

taste varies with what the cows are eating; fresh grass in the winter, dry stored and store bought

feed in the summer.

Ladino Dress

 Ladinos in Pinula dress in "Western" clothing, often bought in what are known as pacas,

home-based or retail stores that sell used American clothing from large bundles or packs. Ladino

women also make their own clothing or pay a local seamstress to sew their clothes from

materials bought in the market and designed from dress patterns from the United States. Many

seamstresses carry U.S. catalogs and fashion magazines from which patterns are chosen. Pinula's

relative proximity to El Salvador also facilitates clothing lines from the free trade zones of El

Salvador's maquiladores, factories that assemble clothing bound for the United States. While

women in the capital town of Jalapa often flaunt the latest trends from the United States, which

can be considered racy, women in Pinula generally maintain a very modest style, especially since

most Ladinos consider skimpy or revealing clothing to be in bad taste. Ladino women always

wear shoes (usually feminine sandals) at all times, even in their homes.

 Ladino men are often described as the cowboys of Guatemala due to their use of Western

clothes, cowboy hats, boots, and large shiny belt buckles. Some carry guns in holsters attached to

their belts, but lately the pistol is being replaced by the cellular phone as a man's status symbol.

It is not uncommon to see some Ladino men with both accoutrements.