114 



ornamental fire fans as gifts. (Placido was 

 not listed in the census because he was set- 

 tled in another village at the time. Subsequent- 

 ly, during the course of the study, he returned 



INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY PUBLICATION NO. 6 



his time to the care of animals, and no one 

 derives all, or even the greater part of his in- 

 come from their possession. Some animals, 

 such as oxen, are primarily an adjunct to agri- 

 culture, while others, such as pigs and chickens, 

 are more closely related to domestic economy. 

 The inclusion, then, of domestic animals in the 

 list of occupations is justified by their relative 

 economic importance, taken collectively, and 

 by the fact that they are kept by a majority of 

 the inhabitants of Tzintzuntzan. 



CATTLE 



Cattle are of the greatest economic impor- 

 tance, and undoubtedly represent the greatest 

 total investment. The census shows that 140 

 oxen are owned by 67 families, and 239 cows 

 and bulls are owned by 84 families. The total 

 number of families with cattle is less than 100, 

 since most of those with cows and bulls are also 

 included in the list of owners of oxen. The 

 number of animals owned per family is low; 11 

 is the greatest number owned by a single person. 



There is some idea of breeding, and the larg- 

 er owners keep a bull of superior quality. These 

 bull? are lent free of charge for breeding pur- 

 poses to owners who lack them by the simple 

 technique of jiutting their cows in the fields 

 with the bull for periods of 2 or 3 days. Octo- 

 ber and May are the principal breeding times. 

 Saltpeter is given to cows every 2 months or so 

 in the belief that they are more apt to calve 

 each year instead of cA'ery second year. Beef 

 and milk are the principal uses of cattle; milk 

 during the productive years of the animal's life, 

 and meat when it is old or sick and about to die. 



Milking is done by persons of either sex, and 

 requires the presence of the calf. The calf is 

 allowed to suckle several times, but just as the 

 milk is about to flow the mouth is each time 

 forced awav. Finally, when the milker deems 

 the cow is sufficiently stimulated a noose is 

 slipped over the calf's mouth and it is tied to 

 the horns of the mother, whose hind legs are 

 hobbled and whose tail is lashed down. The 

 milker squats on one side and milks into a 

 clay pot or pail held by an assistant on the 

 other side. Since tlie calf tries continually to 

 get at the teats both animals jump around a 

 good deal, and both milker and assistant are in 



Figure 29. — Fire fans. These are ornamental types 

 made by Placido Pablo, the most skilled weaver 

 in Tzintzuntzan. Type e is made of wheat 

 straws; the others are of tules. 



to Tzintzuntzan. All occupation lists are as of 

 the day of the census.) 



DOMESTIC ANIMALS 



The keeping of domestic animals is not an 

 occupation in the same sense as agriculture, pot- 

 tery making, or fishing. No one devotes all of 



