I was out in the countryside. I would explain, "No, I am standing in my own doorway!" At night,

an occasional cow will get loose; thus, it is not uncommon to see them wandering the streets

until the owner looks for them in the morning. It is widely believed that cattle owners

purposefully let their cows out at night to allow them to feed from the town's garbage cans.

 Ethnic Category Alternatives to Maya and Ladino

 As mentioned earlier, though dual categories of Ladino and Maya remain strong, there are

many variations to this simplistic ethnic definition. Throughout my time in the field, I heard

alternative labels and descriptions from community members in their every day discourse or

when they spoke of neighbors and relatives. Ancestry and bloodlines continue to be important

indicators of social class in most Guatemalan communities (Casaus Arzu 2002; Nelson 1999),

and San Pedro Pinula is no exception, since most community members are often judged

according to their racial make-up, which frequently influences marital prospects as well as social

status.

 Ladino vs. Mixed Ladinos of Varying Degrees

 In San Pedro Pinula there exist Ladinos of varying degrees. While a Ladino is generally

defined as anyone who is not indigenous, the extent to which one is considered Ladino depends

upon physical traits, language use, and birthplace as well as local perception of a given

individual's ancestry.

 There are those who are considered to be of purely Spanish ancestry since there is no

record of their families having interbred with Indians. These individuals are called puros (pure)

or bien Ladino(very Ladino). One particular family-though they are not the wealthiest in the

community-has an inordinately high degree of prestige solely because they have maintained

purely Spanish bloodlines. Other varieties of Ladino include Ladino mixto (mixed Ladino), who

are of mixed Maya and Ladino blood but still considered Ladino; and Ladino dorado (toasted