In Scattered Round Stones, David Yetman examines the destructive relationship between a fragile human community and its equally fragile environment. The Mayo Indians of Teachive (the name means "scattered round stones" in Mayo) in southern Sonora belong to a comunidad--an entity created by the Mexican government that gives indigenous people title to land and allows them to govern its use. The lands of the comunidad are held in common and may not be sold. Through this arrangement, Teachivans have unlimited access to the local monte, or native thornscrub forest. The forest is dominated by cactus, thorny trees, and spiny shrubs.
From the monte the Mayos harvest a great variety of wild products for food, soap, medicine, firewood, and building materials. The stones that gave Teachive (TAY-a-CHEE-vay) its name are valuable for sharpening tools, and are marketed to builders. Several comuneros mine clays and gravel to be marketed to nearby towns for construction projects. The monte is a place to restore the soul. Comuneros have the right, according to Yetman's principal informant Vicente Tajia, "to go anywhere you want, along private paths, to quiet places, to the monte where you can see all the trees and plants."
Yetman's message is that despite its bounty, the monte is in trouble--as is the economy of the people who depend on it.