B. Family Maize Granaries 
a. Permanent and semi-permanent structures 
1. Cylindrical stone and daub. The studies by Ben- 
nett and Zingg (1935) among the Tarahumaras of north- 
west Mexico include full descriptions of the maize gran- 
aries and the technique of construction. They write: 
**The cornhouses of the gorges appear to be a hold-over of the more 
ancient type of structure made of stone-in-mud-mortar. This type 
is seen in the highlands only in archaeological sites. But the corn- 
houses of the barrancas are not situated in caves. They usually stand 
upon large bowlders, several near a dwelling. ... With a bowlder 
for a base, a circular wall of stone-in-mud-mortar is erected. It is 
about 4 feet in diameter and 5 feet high. Some have rather flattened 
fronts which contain the door.’’ 
2. Cuezcomatl, vasiform grass and daub. ‘Two varia- 
tions of this type are found and they are here designated 
as the Tlaxcalan and the Morelos forms; however, they 
represent a single phase of cultural development. The 
Tlaxcalan cuezcomatl (Pl. XV, B) is a vasiform structure 
consisting of thick walls made of grass and daub and the 
whole capped by a sloping flat or two-pitched roof of 
woven grass or of pine shingles. The entrance is through 
a rectangular cut made on the rim of the wall at the 
mouth, just below the high pitch of the roof. Maize on 
the cob is stored in these granaries. 
The Morelos cuezcomatl (Pl. XV, C) is very similar 
except that the upper part of the structure and the root 
are made of overlapping layers of grass, with an inverted 
clay pot often topping the apex (Linné 1988). Entrance 
is through a small semi-circular gable-like opening near 
the top. Shelled maize is stored in these granaries and 
removal is through a small hole close to the base. Both 
of these highly specialized forms of granaries are dis- 
appearing rapidly. 
[177 ] 
