Next door to the community radio station La Doble Via in San Mateo, Quetzaltenango, Francisco Garcia and his family are busy planting potatoes on a Sunday afternoon. While working the field, they bring a radio and loudspeaker to help pass the time. They often listen to Doble Via. "A neighbor of ours, a young girl, has her program on Saturday mornings", Francisco explained. "It's important to support a radio that's from our own town, with our people on the air." His like to listen to the music the radio plays, especially Mexican 'Norteña' music, while he's working. San Mateo is a small town outside of Xela, the second largest city in Guatemala. It is a mostly mestizo area, its inhabitants of mixed Mayan and ladino backgrounds, who no longer use Indigenous dress or language. Fransisco and his family rent the land which on which they farm, growing potatoes due to the regions colder climate.
