A young mestizo boy harvests cotton in an area between La Unión and Usulután, El Salvador. Cotton was already known to the pre-Columbian populations, who used it to make the cloth worn by the important members of the group and the clergy. Is this plant species of American or Asian origin? The question remains, but we know with certainty that its daily use goes back to the most distant past. At present, cotton is cultivated on a large scale in Central America. It has become an industrial plant intended for export and is a very valuable source of income for most of the republics of the subcontinent. It owes this prestige to the excellent quality of its fibres. Its harvest, like that of coffee, requires the help of workers who work permanently in the field and, if necessary, of peones. - 1977
