Las Margaritas Village

Las Margaritas is a small rural village (population 375) on the southeast shore of Lake Catemaco. It is literally at the end of the road winding from Catemaco town clockwise around the lake. The road is paved partway, but about half the distance from Catemaco to Las Margaritas is gravel. You might say that even the paved portion is paved with potholes; so the drive to Las Margaritas is for the adventurous, or someone on a mission.

Most families in Las Margaritas make their living from some combination of farming, lake fishing and dairy. Most of the village's milk production is sold to cheese producers in Quetzalpan, the next village. There is small-scale organic gardening, but no commercial farming. Most of the village sits on an alluvial flood plain, and is drained by a network of ditches and canals. Houses and roads are built on elevated plinths and yards are protected from flooding by low dikes.

The people of Las Margaritas are pious, but not fanatically religious, healthy, happy and easy-going. There is very little crime ro other disturbances. There are a handful of small stores with limited stock, but there is much trading and bargaining among the villagers.