W · th t I · look but nonetheless with pride, Don Jose reflects on I a no s a glC what his life has been like, he tells us about the journey

from his native Chemax, Yucatan: at age 24, anecdotes lived in Cancun and his arrival in Santo Domingo, Quintana Roo, where he made the earth his best tool to grow and give his family a bright future. "We have land, we have a place to live, why go to work to other places where we don't belong? We are farmers and

have always worked the land."

He is a humble man who has the satisfaction of having created a small business that gives him peace of mind. He is also an example of perseverance and work, both for people living in the countryside and for those who have dreams they want to fulfill. Don Jose speaks Maya, his native language. He rarely uses Spanish in his

everyday's life.

W hat was your life like before? I worked as a farmer. It was a very complicated li fe, I didn't earn much. When you plant corn, it is heavy work and the crop is sold cheaply. I also raised animals, but when people saw that I barely spoke Spanish, I was paid very little. I came to work in Cancun 34 years ago, looking for something better for my family. We men traveled to the city and came back on the weekends. I started as an assistant in a building site, but I was paid very little or not at all. W hen I worked at the Hotel Hacienda as gardening assistant. the head gardener taught us how to do the work. I liked that 'gig', but I wasn't convinced becau­se the job was in Cancun. One day, when I was lea­ving the hotel and walking through the hotel zone, I nearly fell under a bus, then I thought of my family, I was very scared and I said to myself, we have land, we have a place to live, why go to work to other places that are not for us, why take risks, work for so little money in a place that I barely know without knowing if I will return home safely.

EN UN EXTENSO TERRENO junto a su casa, cultlvan todas las

plantas que servlran de ornamento para

jardlnes de hOI/ares, hoteles y calles. La

esposa de don jose esta radlante porque

sus h Ijos trabajan con ellos.

In a larl!e plot next to their house they

Qrow all the ornamental plants for

home I!ardens, hotels and streets. HiS

Wife is pleased because their children

work with them.

Is that why you thought of dedicating yourself to gardening and selling plants? It wasn't that simple. Many things happened in my life, the little I earned I spent on liquor. One day, my son was seriously ill. I wasn't able to do anything. I had to borrow and everybody told me: why do you borrow money if you have a job? You have children and you have to be there and be responsible for your family. Unfortunately the poor, peasants like us, don't know

how to drink, we start with one drink, two, three .... until the money is gone. When we get home, there is no more money to give the wife, or for food for the w ek and those who suffer are the children because there is not enough of anything. It was then I learned bout life, nobody bothers to tell the poor what life

Is bout. I thought about my future and my family. If I had gone down the wrong path, what would have b come of them? I quit drinking 22 years ago, now t my parties we drink water and soft drinks.

That's my job: working the land. Now, I have a small business for my family, my children only have to leave. to deliver orders and do garden mainte­nance. That way I have taken care of my family. My children were able to study.

With how many plants did you start your business? With very few, but I tried hard and soon things were Improving. I have around 20 thousand plants belon­

ging to 60 different species.

Who works with you in the garden? fhe whole family works here: my wife, my three boys and my two girls. My oldest daughter is the one In charge of the invoicing. I have five grandchildren. It's a lot of exercise: shoveling, digging, oh well. we are always active.

You don't just sell plants, you give the full service. Yes, I can take the plants to Cancun, Playa del Car­men, to the entire Riviera Maya. I plant them. I do garden maintenance. The work I do now suits me good and I treat my customers well so they recom mended me to others, that's how I built this business

DEDICADO Al VIVERO don jose habita feliz en su pueblo con su familia: su esposa, sus tres hljos varones, sus dos hljas, cinco nietos y su mascota; a la cludad solo va cuando es necesarlo lIevar plantas a sus cllentes. Surten a toda la Riviera Maya y (anclln.

Don jose is devoted to his \lard en and lives happily In his villa\le with his family: hiS wife, three sons, two dau\lhters, five \lrandchildren and his pet. He only visits the city when he has to take a delivery. He delivers alom~ the whole Riviera Maya and (ancun.

In addition to gardening, what else can people who

live in the countryside do? I hey can breed farm animals in their yard to sell, Ihat way you create a need for your neighbors to buy, It isn't a huge business. but it helps a lot. Even Ihough there are large businesses that do the same. I eople prefer free-range chickens reared on good food and not on chemicals in battery farms. I here are people who may not have had a mishap r ill ness and still spend a lot. They think that when

they get old, their children will take care of them,

nothing is further from the truth. Ilow good it would be if parents educated their chil­dren from early on to care for their money, so when they get to 50 they already have something in life! Ilow good it would be if the government thought LIS how to use money. and they sent specialists to the

farms to teach us how to do things! I veryone can change their lives; have love, quit bad habits, work hard, it's the only way to achieve what

you want.

DON JOSE EXPLICA a sus compradores c6mo

sembrar, fumlgar y fertlllzar las plantas para que se mantengan

en buen estado y no se mueran. Tamblen da recomendacione

de la luz solar necesarla para su 6ptlmo creclmlento,

Don JOSe talks to hi custom r, about how to plant, pray and

fertilize the plants to k p th m in optimum conditiOn . I Ie <11'0

recommends th adeQudl!' amount of sunllllht th Y nerd to

Qrowwrll

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