the aleurone is a deeper blue than that of pa/tal hualtacu. 
This combination makes the grains appear brownish, with 
a silvery sheen produced by minute air spaces under the 
pericarp. 
Forbes (1870, p. 249) says, ‘‘In some parts a fermented 
drink is made by the Indians from the sweet stalk of the 
young green Indian corn, called “‘huiru’’ (wiru): this is 
the name of the stalk.*” Although sweet young stalks, 
usually of cu/lt or uchukilla, are sold today in the markets 
to be chewed like sugar cane, they are not used in chicha- 
making. 
Preliminary Steps 
The maize grains are usually ground by hand, often 
with a half-moon-shaped stone rocker (maran una) on a 
flat stone (maran) as has been done for centuries. The 
flour is then mixed with saliva. On some of the larger 
haciendas it is still the custom to have women and child- 
ren gather in groups to do this (PI. [Vc). The flour is 
moistened very slightly with water, rolled into a ball of 
convenient size and popped into the mouth. It is thor- 
oughly worked with the tongue until well mixed with 
saliva, after which it is pressed against the roof of the 
mouth to form a single mass, then shoved forward with 
the tongue and removed with the fingers. The teeth play 
very little part in the process. For this reason we prefer 
the term ‘‘salivation,’’ and use the word ‘‘mastication’’ 
only when referring to cases where it is necessary for the 
teeth to macerate the raw materials, as is done when al- 
garroba, mandioca or sweet potatoes are used. 
The salivated morsels are dried in the sun and sacked 
for storage and shipment. They roughly resemble sets 
of false upper teeth (PI. [Va). Since muko, as the sali- 
rated flour is called, commands a much higher price than 
unsalivated flour, property owners try to convert as much 
flour as possible into muko. 
[ 41 ] 
