68 



INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY PUBLICATION NO. 6 



bles are planted either in lakeside gardens or 

 in patios: 



Cabbage. Most common of all green vegetables. 



Carrots. Very few planted. 



Chiles, green and pasllla. Commonly sown in gar- 

 dens in February to be harvested in June, and in 

 patios and occasionally milpas in June to be har- 

 vested in October. 



Coriander. Herb whose leaves are used to flavor fish 

 broth. In Mexico for reasons of delicacy plant is 

 known as silantro rather than by more common 

 word culantro, said to be suggestive of culo, "anus." 



Garlic. Very little planted though much is used in 

 cooking, purchased in markets. 



Lettuce. A good deal is planted in the nearby Taras- 

 can settlements. 



Melons. A very few cantaloup are planted, but cannot 

 be considered typical of the area. 



Onions. First planted in irrigated seed beds in spring 

 and then transplanted to gardens. 



Potatoes. A few sown in lakeside gardens; not an im- 

 portant crop. 



Tomatoes. An important vegetable, particularly fa- 

 vored as seasoning in many dishes. Most com- 

 monly planted in December in seed beds covered 

 with chuspata tules or zacate to protect from the 

 cold. When plants 5 to 6 cm. high, are transplant- 

 ed in rows, often with jara de caslilla, said to pro- 

 tect fruit from frost damage and useful as vine 

 support. 



FRUIT TREES 



Table 11 lists the principal fruit trees grown 

 in Tzintzuntzan, the number of families which 

 have one or more of each, and the total number 

 of mature producing trees and seedlings. As is 

 apparent, the peach is far and away the most 

 important, and in August great quantities are 

 sent to dealers in Patzcuaro, from which point 

 many are exported to other parts of the country. 

 Ten to 15 peach trees is not an uncommon num- 

 ber for a family, and several have 25 or 30, 

 with 50 trees the largest orchard mentioned. 

 Five varieties are grown, de hueso Colorado 

 ("red seed"), white, yellow, bitter, and prisco. 

 The first is considered superior to all, and the 

 white and yellow also rate as excellent. All are 

 ripe during August. The prisco is planted be- 

 cause it matures earlier, in July. It is said to 

 be muy fresco "very cold," and a person with 

 a delicate stomach should avoid it. The bitter 

 peach is planted because it is ripe in September, 

 when the others are gone. Peaches sell at $0.01 

 each during the season. 



Table 11. — Numbers of fruit trees planted 

 in Tzintzuntzan 



Tree 



Peach 



White zapote. 

 Cherimoya. . . . 



Fig 



Alligator pear 



Lemon 



Apricot 



Pomegranate. . 



Lime 



Orange 



Quince 



Pear 



Number of 

 families 

 planting 



102 

 95 

 73 

 67 

 65 

 40 

 38 

 32 

 16 

 16 

 12 

 11 



Number of 



trees 



planted 



1,447 

 144 

 86 

 82 

 85 

 51 

 57 

 50 

 24 

 119 

 13 

 15 



1 Plus 100 in school yard. 



The zapote bianco, or white zapote, although 

 planted by nearly as many families as the peach, 

 averages only a tree or two per family, and 

 while the quality of the fruit is excellent, rela- 

 tively little is exported. Mid-May to mid-Au- 

 gust is the season. Individual vendors may 

 carry them to the markets in Patzcuaro and 

 Erongaricuaro, where they bring $0.03 to $0.05 

 each, according to their size. 



Cherimoyas, like most of the fruits which 

 follow, are planted, a tree or two in a patio. 

 They are ripe from December to February, and 

 bring from $0.10 to $0.75, depending on size, 

 quality, and season. 



Figs are of excellent quality, ripe in August 

 and September. They are mostly consumed at 

 home, and no price was obtained. 



Alligator pears are in season from May to 

 August, and sell at from three for $0.10 to three 

 for $0.20, depending on season and quality. 



The lemon, or naranja lima, is ripe in Sep- 

 tember, October, and November, and sells on 

 the local market for $0.02 to $0.03 apiece. 



Apricots are in season from mid-April to the 

 first week in May, and sell four for $0.05. The 

 other listed fruits are grown in smaller quan- 

 tities, and are only occasionally sold on the local 

 niarket. In addition, small numbers of the fol- 

 lowing fruit trees are found: 



Guava; bananas of the manzano type; wal- 

 nuts; guinda (Prunus cerasus) x mulberry; nis- 

 pero {Mespiliis germ/inica). There are several 

 mango trees in Ichupio, which are said to give 

 a good fruit in October, much later than the 

 usual season for this fruit. A few apple trees 



