ABSTRACT
Two Oaxacan indian-peasants, Ismael Martinez and Fortino Matias, attended the Oaxaca workshop that was the precursor to this volume. A few months later, back in their village, they discussed the problem. Their conversation was taped as the two sat talking in the shade on Ismael's patio. Their ancient community located near Tlacolula, 25 miles southeast of Oaxaca City, was once covered with forest By the late 19th Century, cattle, sheep and goats had overgrazed most of the lands nearby the community. As they chatted, they scanned the barren hillsides. Thousands of feet above, they could just see the edge of what remains of their community's pine-oak forest. What follows is a lightly edited transcript of their conversation. - T. E. Downing
