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The Collection and Sale of Wild Mushrooms in a Community of Tlaxcala, Mexico

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Abstract

The Collection and Sale of Wild Mushrooms in a Community of Tlaxcala, Mexico. In this paper, we characterize the harvest and sale of wild mushrooms in Javier Mina (Tlaxcala state, Mexico) based on observations made during visits to that community during the rainy seasons of 1995 and 2001. While there, we visited the forests with various families of mushroom gatherers and also carried out 16 visits to a local mushroom broker to obtain information on the buying and selling of the mushrooms, including a list of the prices per kilo of the species that are sold commercially. Boletus cf. pinophilus, Lyophyllum cf. decastes, Hebeloma aff. mesophaeum and the Amanita caesarea complex were the highest–priced species, and were those collected in the greatest amounts. Our observations indicate that the gathering of mushrooms, a traditional activity among the people of Javier Mina, contributes, through the sale of the mushrooms, to the income of the community during the rainy season.

Abstract

Recolección y venta de hongos silvestres en una comunidad de Tlaxcala, México. Recolección y venta de hongos silvestres en una comunidad de Tlaxcala, México. El objetivo de este trabajo es describir el proceso de recolección y venta de hongos silvestres en Javier Mina, Tlaxcala. Para describir estas actividades se realizaron visitas a los bosques con varias familias recolectoras de hongos durante las épocas de lluvias de 1995 y 2001. Además, se realizaron 16 visitas a un distribuidor local para registrar información con respecto a la compra y venta de los hongos. Se obtuvo un listado de los precios por kilo de los hongos que se comercializan. Boletus cf. pinophilus, Lyophyllum cf. decastes, Hebeloma aff. mesophaeum y Amanita caesarea complex fueron los hongos recolectados en mayor cantidad durante este estudio, mismos que tuvieron los precios más altos de compra–venta. Se concluye que la recolección de hongos es una actividad tradicional para la gente de Javier Mina; sin embargo, la venta de éstos, contribuye a la obtención de ingresos durante la temporada de lluvias.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Gundi Jeffrey for his help in translating the manuscript. We thank Ma. Elena García Montes, Ma. Elena Hernández García, and Caridad Romero Mozo and their families for their contributions to this project and all the information that they provided. We also wish to thank to David Arora, Glenn Shepard, Jr., and other reviewers for their suggestions on how to improve the manuscript. We thank Coordinación General de Ecología of Tlaxcala for their support and for giving us permission to carry out our research in Malinche National Park. The 2001 field study was supported by grants from CONACyT and PROMEP/UATLAX–29.

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Montoya, A., Hernández, N., Mapes, C. et al. The Collection and Sale of Wild Mushrooms in a Community of Tlaxcala, Mexico. Econ Bot 62, 413–424 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-008-9021-z

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