54 INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY 
time tending the flocks and herds, few children of 
the annex attend school. The single elementary 
school in Huaychao has an enrollment of 15 boys 
and 11 girls taught by a Mestizo from Cerro de 
Pasco. 
The organization of Huaychao appears to be 
not unlike that of the more primitive and consery- 
ative villages of Huaneavelica and Ayacucho 
Departments. Although the Mestizo inhabitants 
of the village proper represent but a small per- 
centage of the total population of the annex, they 
occupy the important political offices. The 
teniente gobernador (deputy governor), the two 
alguaciles (constables), the two regidores (alder- 
men), as well as the single municipal officer, 
agente municipal, are all Mestizos. An addi- 
tional official, the apoderado, who is in charge of 
public works as well as the interests of the church, 
is alsoa Mestizo. While the community is divided 
into two barrios, designated hana (“upper’’) and 
hura (“lower’’), the significance of this division is 
not clear, nor were informants consistent regard- 
ing the organization of the estancias: some 
maintained that there were caciques, or head men, 
while others stated that there were no Indian 
officers. The Mestizo residents of Huaychao do 
no herding and pay Indian shepherds to tend 
their flocks. Although the cheap machine-made 
clothing sold in the mining company stores is 
tending to obscure traditional differences in cos- 
tume, the Mestizas of the village dress de centro 
and employ manufactured materials, straw hats, 
and shoes, while Indian women of the estancias 
usually dress in homespuns, native-woven textiles, 
and hand-made felt hats, and go barefoot. All 
Mestizos of Huaychao today wear machine-made 
European-style clothing. Although some of the 
estancia Indians have adopted the overalls and 
blue denim jackets of the miners, many continue 
to dress in native-woven bayeta, and wear pon- 
chos, hand-made felt hats and slipper-sandals, or 
go barefoot. 
Within the territory of the annex there is one 
large hacienda; most grazing land, however, is 
owned privately and the village possesses some 
pastures which are rented by the agente municipal 
for the benefit of the community. For unlike 
Huayllay, herding has remained the basis of the 
economy of Huaychao; here the opportunities 
offered by the surrounding mines have attracted 
PUBLICATION NO. 5 
remarkably few, and those who go occasionally to 
work for a month or two are said to be impover- 
ished Indians whose flocks are insufficient to”sup- 
port themselves and their families. 
Large numbers of sheep and llamas, as well as 
some alpacas; are raised within the territory of the 
annex. Although these animals are kept chiefly 
for their wool, charqui and chalona (the dried 
meat of llamas and sheep respectively), as well as 
pelts and hides, constitute important articles of 
trade. Llamas are also used as beasts of burden 
while a few small, shaggy horses are owned and 
ridden by the loeal Mestizos. Although the num- 
ber of cattle raised in the annex is not large, milk 
is sold regularly in Huarén and cheeses are made 
for local consumption. In addition, several Mes- 
tizas of Huaychao sell mutton and some beef in 
the weekly markets of Huarén. 
Weaving is an important industry of the 
estancia Indians, and both aboriginal-type and 
Spanish looms are employed in the manufacture of 
homespuns, ponchos, blankets, carrying cloths, 
shawls, and belts. Although both sexes spin and 
weave, the production of bayeta homespun both 
for local consumption and for trade is confined to 
the men. Indian women specialize in the manu- 
facture of pottery, but, as in the estancias of 
Huayllay, the firing is done by the men. 
Since the territory of Huaychao is situated 
above the upper limits of agriculture, meat, wool, 
hides, pelts, pottery, and woolen rope and textiles 
produced in the community are traded in the 
upper reaches of the coastal valleys for grains and 
other farm products. Less frequent trading trips 
are said to be made to the jungle valleys of 
Husnuco Department. Much of this trade con- 
tinues to be conducted on a barter basis. Manu- 
factured articles, however, and some staple foods 
are purchased for cash in the stores of Huarén 
and San José. 
Since there is no resident priest, and because 
the population of the village proper is small, 
fiestas are simple and infrequent. The most im- 
portant feast day—that of the patron saint, San 
Agustin—is celebrated on the 28th of August. 
Other fiestas of importance are Holy Week and 
Carnival. The Indians of the estancias are said 
to hold rites and ceremonials which are designed 
to insure the well-being of the flocks and herds 
and to increase their numbers. 
