118 



INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY PUBLICATION NO. 6 



cherina (another analgesic), La Ciibana (''llie 

 Cuban"), El Sultan (''the sultan"), El Almiran- 

 te ("the admiral"). El Capulin (after the tree of 

 the same name), La Duquesa ("the duchess"), 

 TengomUr (from "tenga a donde ir", a dog that 

 wanders all around the countryside, never at 

 home), and Tumbalo ("he knocks it down," a 

 dog who developed the trick of throwing bur- 

 ros). Puppies are often given to friends; Vi- 

 cente Rendon purchased a pup for $0.05, about 

 the lowest price possible for any animal. 



Ninety-nine cats, quartered in 84 homes, are 

 listed in the census. They are much less popular 

 than dogs, and are valued for killing rats, mice, 

 and lizards. Most people, however, find strych- 

 nine simpler and more effective for keeping 

 down the rodent population. Cats are not often 

 named. Tortilla scraps are thrown to them after 

 meals. 



BEEKEEPING 



Beekeeping on a small scale is practiced by 

 15 persons, with a total of 42 hives. The in- 

 digenous stingless bee is not known; the com- 

 mon European bee is most usual, but the 

 Italian, which stings much more, is preferred 

 for the quantity and quality of honey. Hives 

 are simply old soap boxes placed on a shelf of 

 poles supported on notched sticks about a meter 

 off the ground. Small notches at the bottom of 

 the end walls, which can be removed, allow 

 passage for the bees. A few shingles held in 

 place with stones or a tile or two are often 

 placed on top to keep out the rain. No attempt 

 is made to plant flowers around the hives though 

 the usual potted plants in most patios would 

 seem to make good hunting for the small bee 

 population. 



Honey is removed twice a year, in November 

 at the end of the rainy season, when the quantity 

 is great, and in May, at the end of the dry 

 season, when the quantity is relatively low. No 

 nets are used. Hives are opened customarily at 

 daybreak, not because of any magical reasons, 

 but simply because in the cool morning air the 

 bees are more sluggish and less apt to sting. 

 Live coals are placed in a clay dish on which 

 corncobs, which smoke freely but do not easily 

 burst into flames, are placed. The hive is smudg- 

 ed a few minutes, the end removed, and smoke 

 blown inside. Then with a knife the combs 



which form in vertical walls from roof to floor 

 are cut loose and removed, the stunned bees 

 being brushed off with a leafy branch. New 

 swarms can be spotted by the peculiar manner 

 in v/hich the cells are covered over. These are 

 left unmolested. From time to time during the 

 operation water is sprayed from the mouth over 

 the inside of the hive and on the bees so that 

 they will not stick to the liquid honey. Honey 

 is extracted alternately from each end of the 

 hives; the combs build out to fill the place that 

 has been emptied, so that once a year there is a 

 complete change of combs. The honey is placed 

 in dishes and runs by 'gravity from the wax comb. 

 It is used for medicinal purposes and for sweet- 

 ening in cooking. The wax is used locally in 

 the making of candles. Bees swarm in August. 

 A small bell is rung to cause them to alight in 

 a tree, a new box is prepared, rubbed inside 

 and out with an herb, mirto, and held under 

 their position in the tree. Usually they enter of 

 their own accord, but when they are high up they 

 are swept down with a leafy branch or stick. 



ANIMAL VALUES 



The inflation of recent years in Mexico is re- 

 flected in spiraling values of domestic animals 

 in Tzintzuntzan. Table 16 shows comparative 

 prices of important animals during the years 

 1941 — 45, and 1931, the year following the 

 founding of the municipio. 



ANIMAL ILLS 



Sickness of animals continually plagues own- 

 ers of livestock. Although no thorough study 

 was made, a number of types of illnesses and 

 curing practices came to light. Lice are the 

 principal problem with chickens, and there is 

 no known remedy. A sick chick, as in most 

 parts of Mexico, is placed under a wooden tray 

 which is tapped with a small stick or corncob. 

 This is believed to revive it. El clavo is a swell- 

 ing which develops in the hoofs of cattle, caus- 

 ing them to sicken and usually to die. Cattle mid- 

 wifery is practiced by several men. Apparently 

 failure of the placenta to appear is the main 

 difficulty. Some men grind up four maguey 

 leaves, mix with water, and give to the animal. 

 Primo Calderon uses more direct measures. Two 

 liters of soapy, salty water, in which a little of 



