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National Geographic : 1936 Nov
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YUCATAN, HOME OF THE GIFTED MAYA THE TINY CHAN YUC IS A FAVORITE PET IN MERIDA Meaning "small wrist," its Maya name obviously was inspired by its extremely slender legs. Two of these native deer were presented to the National Zoological Park, at Washington, D. C., by the author's wife in 1935. They were brought to the field quarters of the Carnegie Institu tion of Washington at Chichen Itza when they were very young, one of them only two weeks old. Their mothers had been killed by Indian hunters. Both thrive in their new home in the United States. four decades sisal has been the most im portant economical and social factor in contemporary Yucatan history. Yucatan's second most important indus try is chicle, the only commercial use of which is to make chewing gum "chew." Chicle is obtained from the sap of the sa pote (sapodilla) tree. When this sap is boiled, it hardens and forms pure (un sweetened, unflavored) chewing gum. The sapote trees grow most abundantly in southern Yucatan, Campeche, and Quin tana Roo, where Maya ruins are most numerous. For many years the writer offered the chicle hunters rewards for information leading to the discovery of new groups of ruins buried in the dense forest hinterland. As a result of these rewards, a number of important archeological sites have been discovered. The modern Maya, who still comprise probably half the population of the penin- sula, are cheerful, friendly folk, endowed, in my opinion, with more likable qualities than any other Indian people. They are short in stature, the men aver aging about 5 feet 1 inch and the women only 4 feet 8 inches. All Maya have ex ceedingly broad heads, which is probably their most marked physical characteristic; their hands and feet are small and beauti fully formed. Add to this eyes nearer black than brown, a strong, well-formed Roman nose, an equally well-formed, expressive mouth, and a skin of dark, golden brown, with warm high lights, and you have one of the handsomest native races in America. They are cheerful, friendly, not quarrel some even when drunk, exceedingly clean, home-loving, and, when the need arises, in dustrious. The Maya home consists of a palm- or grass-thatched hut with sides of saplings, which may or may not be daubed with 641
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