An Unexplored Realm in the Heartland of the Southern Gulf ... - Famsi

The 1944 flood was a momentous event in the lives of the people and in the
establishment of contemporary El Marquesillo. A survey of extant headstones at El
Marquesillo cemetery demonstrates the trauma suffered during this ordeal as evidenced
by an unusually high number of elderly and juvenile members of the families from El
Remolino who died at this time. Memories of the catastrophic episode persist today
among the survivors who use the event as a chronological marker.
Agricultural production was the primary attraction for the contemporary
inhabitants. Corn production and dairy farming are utilized for both consumption and
commerce. Residents, not only of El Marquesillo but, also of neighboring ejidos along
the San Juan, prefer the annually inundated lowlands for the growing of crops. They
consistently note a significant increase in production for less effort over upland
cultivation. They attempt to time their plantings to avoid the annual flooding and balance
the chances of crop loss with upland plantings as well. To accomplish this system the
residents live and plant on the higher, west side of the San Juan and cultivate the low
alluvial east side in all but the flood season.
The effects of the Great Flood of 1944 appear to be receding from the social
memory of the younger generation at El Marquesillo. To reduce the time and expense of
travel from their permanent residences to their planted fields in the alluvial lowlands on
the opposite side of the river, they are building structures that are capable of providing
shelter for short durations. Residents also move some of their cattle to graze on the
naturally occurring, verdant grasses of the eastern lowland plain and river islets. The
dangers of flooding still exist, however. Even with planning and care, crops are destroyed
by flood waters and, in 2005 several head of cattle were lost when the river rose
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