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Harvesting chiles


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The workers are brought in, each carrying a plastic bucket containing the day's food and water. The bucket will be used to collect the chiles, which are then placed in large green bags and loaded on a truck. Each bag weighs 30 kilos (about 60 lbs) Each worker chooses a row and begins the long march down the length of the field. All ages are involved - men, women and children. Manuel is inspecting a bag of chiles as it is loaded on the truck that will haul this load to a buyer in Culiacan.
A small girl whose mother is in the behind her. Two small girls, one of whom is already assuming the duties of mother. She is probably not more than six years old but is carrying her infant brother on her back. Shy, or demure? This precious little "mother" gave me a pose I'll cherish. She has begun a hard life at a young age.
I had two companions this day, Manuel the chile buyer and Felipe, his friend and co-worker. We stopped by Felipe's house for a short break and his mother was cooking. This is her kitchen, and it is a commercial kitchen in that she has an outdoor restaurant for her neighbors in Barron. If you can call two old tables and a few odd chairs a restaurant.   
Photos 1 - 7 out of 7 | Back to Albums
Description: My friend Manuel is a buyer for Andrades Chiles Secos. He not only buys the chiles from farmers all over the state of Sinaloa but then supervises the harvesting and arranges transportation. He invited me to accompany him in January of 2010.
Location: Near Mazatlan Mexico