empire's children: the people of TZINTZUNTZAN FOSTER 27 



Year Precipitation (mm.) Tariaqueri and Yahuaro, one finds a variety 



1924 869.0 of useful trees, including the following: White 



1925 1,424.0 and red oaks, and the larger varieties known 



jq^^ 1339 locally as coste, tarikuku, and tokus; pine; fir; 



■|^g28 '885'? cedar; ash; elder; weeping willow; English 



1929 919.8 walnut : colorin {Erythrina americana) ; chan- 



1930 944.3 gungo (Byrsonima crassifolia), and chupirin 



1931 1,192.9 (Castilleia canescens) . Common shrubs, scien- 



10^9 -y/rq 9 . 



,„;,., 897 7 ^^^^ names when known, and common uses are 



jg34 1 264 2 retama {Tecoma mollis, medicinal), tepusa 



1935 1,779.9 [Buddleia americana, medicinal), cedron {Lip- 



1936 1,232.3 pia citriodora, medicinal), flor de nochebuena 



1^^^ ^'71 r I {Euphorbia pulcherrima, medicinal), higueri- 



-.gog 661 1 ^^^ {Ricinus communis, oil extracted, but not 



ly40 684.2 used as laxative), romero {Rosmarinus offici- 



Average 1,041.2 nalis, medicinal), madrono {Arctostaphylos 



T .,, , 111 f • ars,uta, firewood), cuerepio (firewood), chara- 



It will be noted that the years of most ram ^^^^^ (firewood), vara prieta (firewood, crates) 



are those that correspond to those of lowest ^^^ gUenamosa (tree tobacco), 



temperatures. Rams are heaviest from June p^^j^ ^^^^^ j^^j^j^ „^^ ^^^ ^Hig^^^r pear, 



through September, after which there is a ^^^^imoya, apple, peach, pomegranate, apricot, 



gradual decrease until April, which is marked ^j^j^^ ^^^, ^^^^^ ^^p^^^^^ ^^^ ,^.^^^^^^ ^^rat- 



by almost no rainfall whatsoever. An average ^^^^^ mexicann). Cacti are the prickly pear 



year formed from the averages of each month ^^^ ^^ ^j^^ ^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ 



of the 17-year period gives the following pic- Mammals include foxes, coyotes, rabbits, 



*"^^" squirrels, deer, skunks, ring-tailed cats {ca- 



Month Precipitation (mm.) comixtle) , opossums {tlacuache), weasels, 



January 13.1 chipmunks, and other small forms. Bird life 



February 10.9 jg rich. Forms noted include large and small 



Mai'ph 10.1 hawks, owls, ravens, hummingbirds, mud hens, 



^^J 37^9 ducks, cranes, band-tailed pigeon, doves {hui- 



June ....................... 18L6 lota), the brown towhee {tarengo bianco) , 



July 252.2 spotted towhee {tarengo cabeza negra), several 



August 237.8 blackbirds {tordo pecho amarillo, tordo ne- 



September 178.0 ^^^^^ Cassin's kingbird {madrugador) , curve- 



55^'°f^L- or 7 billed thrasher {cuitlacoche) , mockingbird {zin- 



December 22.0 zontle), Inca dove {conquista, torcasita, or tor' 



_,, . . , If tolita), black-headed grossbeak {tiguerillo) , 



The rains of summer are known as those of jj^^^^^^ {gorrion de cabeza roja), tanagers {mon- 



the temporal Light rains which sometimes fall ..^ colmenero), vermillion flycatcher {cardc 



in the winter, and which are important to the ^^^.^^. ^^^^j^^^ flycatcher {papamosquito, Em- 



wheat crop, are known as the cabanuelas. Ac- .^^^^^ fulvifrons), Caiion wren {saltapared) , 



tually, during the 17-year period under con- g^^^.^^,^ ^^^^ {saltapared gris), Lincoln spar- 



sideration, the cabanuelas appear only eight ^^^ (^.acatero rayado), Wilson's warbler {ver- 



*™^®* din cabeza negra), Montezuma quail {codorniz 



FLORA AND FAUNA pintorada), and an occasional vulture {zopi- 



lote). 



Heavy timber has been cut away from most lYiE MODERN POPULATION 

 of the shores of Lake Patzcuaro. Farther up 



in the hills, as, for example, on the slopes of Figure 1 shows the distribution by age and 



2 All climatological data are from Zozaya Collada, 1941. sex of the 1,231 persons who were listed in our 



