128 



INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY- 



way late in the 1930's a new pattern emerged. 

 Men worked a regular day on an hourly basis 

 for a fixed wage. Tliey reported at the job on 

 the minute, their lunch time was strictly cut out 

 for them, and when the whistle blew, figuratively 

 speaking, they were free to go home. Although 

 wages on the road were not high the work attract- 

 ed a great many men, apparently due to the 

 novelty of the new work and the' desire for 

 change. 



In subsequent years, during a part of the 

 spring, work on a large scale has been available 

 in the archeological reconstruction of the ydca- 

 tas, and again in 1945 a lengthy road repair 

 job gave employment for from 50 to 70 men 

 over a period of many months. Hence, since 

 the late 1930's during at least a part of each 

 year labor has been available to a considerable 

 number of Tzintzuntzeiios without leaving their 

 homes. Data are not available for earlier years, 

 but during 1945 men received $2 for an 8-hour 

 day, and had the option of working another 4 

 hours for an additional peso. Thus, working a 

 72-hour week they could earn $36, which is 

 considerably less than a good potter should earn 

 with less work, though he would be aided, of 

 course, by his wife. In addition to variety the 

 lack of responsibility seems to be another reason 

 for the popularity of the work. One has only 

 to show up in the morning, go through the few- 

 est motions possible for 8 or 12 hours, and 

 collect the money at the end of the week. No 

 planning of production and no worrying about 

 the lack of rain or the inroads of birds at harvest 

 time can bother the laborers. And, for the ones 

 to whom this lack of responsibility appeals, 

 it is probable that they would earn no more 

 - — if as much — ■ working on their own in other 

 occupations. The tendency has been to develop 

 a new class of individuals who are hired labor- 

 ers, pure and simple. Thus, in the list of father's 

 occupations we find only eight day laborers with- 

 out other occupations, while today the number 

 has nearly doubled to 14, still a low figure, but 

 showing nonetheless a distinct trend. The out- 

 side competition of highway building and arche- 

 ology causes endless complaints on the part of 

 farmers who claim that they cannot meet the 

 wage rates. But it is doubtful if production has 

 suffered because of this. 



-PUBLICATION NO. 6 



WORK HABITS AND ATTITUDES 



The efficiency in much work in Tzintzuntzan 

 is very low. Potters deftly manipulate their 

 clays with little lost time, and many farmers 

 are hard workers. Nevertheless, considering 

 the town as a whole one finds the tendency to 

 get by on the least possible effort. Individuals 

 doing their accustomed tasks show consider- 

 able skill and dexterity; when they are put 

 to something that requires a little thought, 

 the results are disappointing. There is little idea 

 of doing a job well for the sake of doing it 

 well; and there is little idea of doing it well to 

 avoid future work and effort. One afternoon, 

 for example, I observed a number of men assem- 

 bling an ox cart to carry stone for the repair 

 of the church. The main problem was to place 

 an old chassis on new wheels, themselves fas- 

 tened to an old axle. No adequate provision was 

 made to fasten the chassis. At first it was simply 

 laid on the axle and, of course, when the oxen 

 started, it slipped off. Finally, after much dis- 

 cussion and much search, a strand of barbed 

 wire was produced, and one side of the chassis 

 was fastened to the axle. When the oxen started, 

 the axle turned around and slipped off on the 

 other side, and there was more work to push it 

 back in place. Since more wire was lacking all 

 passers-by were hailed and urged to climb on, 

 the weight holding the axle in place. At the 

 rock quarry — really the ruined buildings of 

 a part of the convent — the axle slipped again, 

 and the wire was removed and fastened in a 

 different manner. At the last moment a boy 

 arrived with another piece of wire to fasten the 

 still loose side. The whole operation was sloppy 

 and careless, with no apparent idea of doing 

 the job right in the first place to save time and 

 energy. The guiding principle was the least 

 work that would get by, and in the long run it 

 meant more work for everybody. 



The peons who have worked on the ydcatas 

 are said by the supervisors of the National In- 

 stitute of Anthropology to be the least satisfac- 

 tory of any they have used in all parts of Mex- 

 ico. They are more prone to loaf, must be watch- 

 ed more sharply, and turn in less work for a 

 given number of hours. Admittedly, salaries 

 are low. Ospina, while superintending the con- 

 struction of a stone wall, determined the number 

 of centimeters that were finished in a day. Then, 



