The Asambleas that I visited in Intibucá were colourful, cheerful occasions. After climbing the hills on motorbike with Adan or Ethel, we would pull up beside a little pathway on the side of the road, park the bike, and walk through the gate in the chicken-wire fence into someone’s yard. The meetings were held in individual women’s houses; always at the same time and place every two weeks. Plastic chairs were brought out, or make-shift benches of planks of wood were set up. When we pulled up on the motos, most of the women from the Asamblea would have already arrived, putting shame to the stereotype of Latin American lateness.
Many of the women wore brightly-coloured cotton dresses, and vibrant head-scarves. The cooler temperatures meant many women wore knitted sweaters over their
dresses.
The women I met always seemed happy to welcome me, and pleased to talk to me. A few women told me about their lives, their families, their businesses. All the women I spoke to were raising children; some women had husbands to help them, others didn’t. All the women wanted to see their children educated and become professionals, but not all could afford school for all their children.
The women I spoke with all worked hard to support their family, operating a small business to make ends meet. A few women made bread, which they sold in the market or to their neighbours and friends. At every Asamblea meeting, at least one woman brought bread that she sold to the others at the meeting. I thought this was fantastic and thoroughly enjoyed snacking on their fresh, home-made rolls!
Other women sold vegetables in the local market. They would buy the veggies at the market in bulk, and then sell them in smaller portions. Other women made fast food, which they sold either in a comedor (small, usually
family-run restaurant) or walking around town, carrying their food in a cloth-lined plastic bucket. These women would make tacos, baleadas (flour tortillas with beans, avocado, cheese, and meat) or nacatamales (corn, veggies, and meat mixed together and wrapped in a banana leaf).
The majority of the women in Adelante in Intibucá live in the rural regions, so the houses were tucked away in the hills. The houses we visited were varied: some were built with cement walls and tiled floors, others were wooden planks sealed with mud, with packed-earthen floors. Several of the families also had a couple chickens, roosters, rabbits and cats. At one house, they noticed me cooing over a box of very tiny baby kittens, still nursing from their mother. Noticing my interest in the small animals, they took me to a little shed to see their brand-new bunnies. The little
white bundles of fur were adorable – all tucked away in a bundle in the corner. At her mother’s insistence, a little girl pulled one out so we could see them hop around. The bunnies explored the shed a bit; they were very timid and very fast!
Something else I noticed were the gardens. It was obvious that careful attention was paid to the budding plants growing along fences or perched on shelves beside people’s homes. Smaller plants were growing in old tins or plastic buckets, lined up side by side. In several gardens, stark peace lilies grew prominently, grabbing attention away from nearby bushes. Peace lilies grow freely in this region, and can be seen for sale in pick-up trucks throughout the town of La Esperanza.
