comparatively low prices. While the Maya pay as much as Q8000 ($1000) for a three-quarter

hectare plot, Ladinos can obtain the same land in larger quantities and for less money by

purchasing it though their families or by receiving advances on their inheritances. Lower-class

Ladinos-lacking the family ties to land resources-generally opt to start local businesses

related to home building, such as hardware and building supply stores, which cater to the

burgeoning, migration-spurred home construction boom. Some Maya returnees also set up small

businesses, but they most frequently are traditional enterprises within the accepted sphere of

Maya business occupations, such as tailoring, small general goods, or liquor sales.

Alternative Land Reforms: Mayas Buy Back Their Land

 Because of San Pedro's rural location and limited access to roads and markets, income-

generating activities are limited. The municipalities that surround San Pedro also have high

international migration rates and thus demonstrate varying success with productive investments.

Monjas, for instance, due to its fertile lands, good access to water, and paved roads, has seen an

increase in export agriculture, including tobacco and sweet corn. San Luis Jilotepeque,

Mataquesquintla, and Jalapa are all connected to main commercial routes and have all seen a rise

in commercial business, construction, and trade. Yet the combination of limited access to

commercial routes, poor hydrology, and disproportionate ownership of private lands continues to

limit the potential for improvement in San Pedro's economy.

 Maya migrants who return from the United States to San Pedro generally invest in home

construction or land for the cultivation of maize and beans. They buy land in small parcels

(averaging from one to seven hectares), typically acquiring this land from local Ladinos. Some

Maya elders find satisfaction in the re-distribution of wealth from North America. They explain

that the United States is so wealthy because its people originally stole all Guatemala's riches

years ago and transferred the riches north; thus, they interpret current migration patterns as a way