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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY PUBLICATION NO. 6 



A full day of hot sun will bleach them almost 

 completely; during the rainy season, fleeting 

 hours of sunshine must be profited by when they 

 appear. In Mexico, some communities prefer 

 white candles while others prefer the unbleached 

 color. In Tzintzuntzan, the white candle is 

 preferred, while the nearby Tarascans prefer the 

 unbleached form. 



The very best candles are made of pure bees- 

 wax, which gives less smoke and which burns 

 longer, but since such candles are very expen- 

 sive, most are part paraffin. A common com- 

 bination, said to represent a good balance be- 

 tween economy and performance, is two parts of 



Figure 31. — Candle-making equipment, a. The pla- 

 neador used to roll the finished candles smooth. 

 b. The hojeadoT used in bleaching wax. 



paraffin to three of wax. Both ingredients are 

 melted in a large cazuela along with a little 

 water which suspends the oils at the top. The 

 wick, which comes in a ball, is of four-strand 

 cotton string. This is cut to a length twice that 

 desired for the candle and doubled to form a 

 wick of eight strands. The loose ends are tied, 

 washed in soapy water, and hung on nails driven 

 in a hoop a meter in diameter. A hoop of this 

 size, which may have up to 75 nails, is 

 suspended from a rafter so that it may easily 

 be revolved. The worker places the cazuela 

 with melted wax just beneath the hoop with 

 enough fire to keep the wax liquid. Then, with 

 a tin dipper, he pours hot wax in turn on all 

 wicks, twirling them so that the wax runs evenly 

 all around. The soapy water prevents the wax 



from sticking to the wick where it is hung from 

 the nail. Thus the round of the hoop is made 

 so that by the time the candlemaker returns to 

 the first wick, it is cool and ready for the next 

 bath. The wax cools as it runs down the candle, 

 so that it tends to build up at the bottom. To 

 solve this problem, when the candle is half-done 

 it is removed from the hoop and enough wax is 

 cut off at the bottom to expose the end of the 

 wick. Then this end is hung from the hoop and 

 the remaining coats of wax are added, so that 

 the candle is symmetrical throughout its length. 

 From 10 to 15 baths of wax are necessary, 

 depending on the thickness of the candle. If 

 the candlemaker is conscientious, he weighs his 

 candles when they are about done, to make sure 

 they meet standard weight requirements. 



The final step is to place the candles, while 

 still warm, on the table and with a planeador 

 (fig. 31,a), a sort of rolling pin made of the 

 cimarron walnut, roll them back and forth to 

 smooth and remove irregularities. The bottoms 

 are then cut off square and the product is ready 

 for sale. 



Candles are made in recognized sizes based 

 on libras, or pounds. The largest standard size 

 is that called de a dos libras, which has a wick 

 1 m. long and which should weigh 2 pounds. 

 Twelve of these are placed on the main altar 

 for major fiestas. These are followed by the de 

 a una libra, with an 80-cm. wick. This is the 

 standard size for the main altar. The de a 

 media libra has a wick 70 cm. long, and is 

 used on smaller altars and to burn in front of 

 the image of a saint or the Virgin. The de a 

 cuatro en libra candles weigh a quarter of a 

 pound each and have a 60-cm. wick. These, and 

 the de a ocho en libra with a 50-cm. wick, are 

 used in religious processions and to burn in 

 front of altars. The small de a doce en libra 

 50-cm. candle is for home use. In addition, 

 there is an outsize cirio pascual weighing 5 

 pounds, 1.20 m. long and 8 or 10 cm. in diame- 

 ter. These are used only on Maundy Thursday, 

 some on the main altar, and four others, one 

 at each corner of the Santo Entierro as it lies 

 in state in its glass coffin. 



Beekeepers give part of their wax to the 

 Church, and in the course of the year the priest 

 receives several hundred kilos which he sends 

 to candlemakers, paying them $1 a kilo to have 

 it worked. Jesiis Peiia, a former sacristan, esti- 



