Tropical barn

This photo was taken by Jaime Bocchietti at the Monterey ranch, a few kilometers north of Santa Ana. The ranch is located on a triangular piece of high ground sticking out into the Quinato Swamp, a larger permanent wetland that was created by a river many thousands of years ago, before the river changed course and moved on. The horses (or perhaps more properly ponies) behind me are taking a break after carrying the visiting archaeologists for about a half-hour. Under the thatched roof is a small room for storing saddles, bridles and other horsey things. The open space alongside has several inviting hammocks. For those who are interested in horses and styles of riding, I have always been told that these are saddled in the Spanish style. with a belt around the girth of the horse, on top of the saddle. Cowboys can attach lassos and ropes to that metal loop on the side of horse, in order to pull and move cows. In the English style, the horn of the saddle is the point at which the lasso or the rope is attached.

A horse called "Relámpago"

Here is a valiant old horse, "Relámpago," who served as my field vehicle from the fall of 1996 through 1997. His name (which means "lightning") was a bit of a joke, because he was a very slow, even tempered horse, just right for someone like me who obviously had no idea how to ride. We rode both to survey agricultural fields and forest islands, and also to get back and forth between Santa Ana and our study area, a trip of about 12 hours on horseback. In the background, the different colors of grass indicate the outlines of pre-Columbian agricultural fields. The slight rise (in this case about a foot or two) causes some grasses to grow more readily on the higher, drier ground. The small lumps that can be seen on the ground both to the left in the foreground and on fields in the background are anthills and termite mounds. The colors in the photo are a bit off because a long time passed between when the film was exposed and when it was developed.