Summary

In "A Forest's Last Stand," Kingsolver visits the Mayan countryside in Yucatan and views the pyramids of Uxamal. She and her husband pass the tiny town of X'pujil and remark on the Mexico's chemical dependency, the fields saturated in DDT and other toxic chemicals. They reach a reserve at X'puhil and hear the calls of chachalacas. The same water scarcity that daunted Mayans has also prevented present large-scale meat farming, "so the Calakmul, for now, still belongs to jaguars and toucans" (79). The Calakmul forest is a biosphere reserve, but many immigrants from Guatemala have come and settled with hope for a place. Carmen Salgado greets them at the village Nueva Vida and informs them that farmers are learning to use less pesticides and DDT and rely on a concoction of soap, onions, and...