72 



INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY PUBLICATION NO. 6 



plowing, planting, and cultivating, and the own- 

 er furnishes land and seed. Both share harvest 

 costs equally and both receive a half of the 

 crop. A modification of this system is farming 

 a tercios. The owner furnishes the land while 

 the share cropper provides all of the rest 

 — seed, work, and harvesting costs. The owner 

 receives one-third and the share cropper two- 

 thirds. Another type of share cropping has no 

 standard name. The owner furnishes the land, 

 the seed, and either himself does one-half the 

 work or pays for it to be done. The share crop- 

 per does the other half, including paying half 

 the costs of oxen and other hired animals. 

 Half of the crop is "for the land," i.e., for 

 the owner. Another fourth is the share of the 

 owner for his work, and the final quarter goes 

 to the share cropper for his work. If the land 

 so worked is lakeshore, the share cropper also 

 receives free a small plot in which he can plant 

 janamargo zacate for his exclusive use. 



The common technique to raise money in 

 Tzintzuntzan is the empeno, security in the form 

 of material property given in exchange for a 

 loan (p. 144). Land, as the most valuable prop- 

 erty, is thus pledged for sums of money from 

 $50 up. There is no money interest, and the 

 leaner has the right to exploit the land for 

 the period stipulated in the contract, which is 

 drawn up with three witnesses, and stamped 

 with official government stamps. The normal 

 period is slightly over 1 year, that is, time for a 

 wheat crop followed by a corn crop. During 

 this period the loaner utilizes the land exactly 

 as if it were his own, either farming it himself 

 or share cropping. Contracts may be renewed at 

 the end of the stipulated time, and occasionally, 

 if after several years the owner is unable to 

 raise the money, he may sell the land to the 

 loaner. The owner must pay taxes during the 

 period land is mortgaged. 



Most farmers during the course of the agri- 

 cultural year will have occasion to rent ox teams 

 from time to time, and to hire peons to aid 

 them with the work. This is paid for at prevail- 

 ing rates, given below. Small fields of both 

 wheat and maize can be plowed, sown, and culti- 

 vated by the individual farmer himself. For 

 larger areas it is desirable to have two or more 

 teams working together, to speed plowing, and 

 to cover seeds as soon as planted. Thus, in nor- 



mal maize planting a second team follows imme- 

 diately behind that which opens the furrows for 

 planting, to cover the seed. Relatively well-to- 

 do farmers with an ox team are often therefore 

 in need of extra help during peak periods, and 

 will hire teams and helpers, in turn renting 

 their own equipment when not needed. A few 

 of the larger landowners, in need of continuous 

 help of oxen during the maize season, make use 

 of a contract known as the zafra. From June 1, 

 or a few days earlier if the rains come, until 

 August 28, the day of San Agustin, comprising 

 the period from the sowing until the final cul- 

 tivation, the ox team stays in the home of the 

 renter, who must feed and care for the animals. 

 The value of the animals is agreed upon before- 

 hand, and in case of death of one or both, the 

 renter is responsible. At the end of this period, 

 the owner receives 20 fanegas — 2,000 liters — 

 of maize (worth $350 in 1944) as rent. 



Usually the large landowner makes a sim- 

 ilar contract with a peon, usually an unmar- 

 ried youth without many responsibilities. This 

 youth, the parcionero, lives in the home of the 

 farmer during this period, receives his food, 

 any necessary clothing, the indispensable palm 

 raincape (capote), his cigarettes, and so forth. 

 He works from dawn till dusk, plowing, culti- 

 vating, and caring for the animals, and at the 

 end of the season receives from 10 to 15 fane- 

 gas of maize, worth $175 to $250, whatever sum 

 is agreed upon at the beginning. 



Tzintzuntzan peons are notably lazy, and un- 

 less supervised closely will loaf on the job. 

 Hence, whenever possible laborers are hired for 

 the destajo, or job, on the theory that they will 

 hurry to get through, and the work will not be 

 delayed. In agriculture, wheat is almost always 

 cut under this system, and occasionally land is 

 prepared for sowing. Usually the owner him- 

 self wants to be on liand for sowing and for 

 cultivating, so since the laborer is under obser- 

 vation and the pace set by the farmer with his 

 team, a straight daily wage is in vogue. A fast 

 worker on the destajo system can usually better 

 the average $1.50 to $2.00 daily wage, while 

 slow ones fall behind. In threshing wheat the 

 owner often pays his helpers in kind or in straw. 

 Faustino Peiia worked all day aiding with thresh- 

 ing, and took a part of the straw and a couple of 

 medidas of 5 liters of wheat. Probably pride 



