ABSTRACT

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 A New Livelihood on the Caribbean Littoral of Honduras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Monocultures, Plant Pathogens, and International Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Claiming Spaces, Making Places: The Municipality of Sonaguera, Colón . . . . . .22 Altered Landscapes and Transformed Livelihoods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

In late May 1931, some 90 residents of Omoa, an export banana-growing community located on the Caribbean coast of Honduras, sent a petition to Honduran President Vicente Mejía Colindres expressing their anger and frustration over the United Fruit Company’s decision to abandon the area: