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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY PUBLICATION NO. 6 



o'clock. From 7 to 9 o'clock are the busiest 

 hours. Early rising is not popular, and is done 

 by most persons only when an unusual amount 

 of work is planned for the day. Mornings on 

 the high plateau are cold, and the dampness 

 from the lake always makes the warmth of the 

 sun particularly agreeable. Hence, predaylight 

 arising is the exception rather than the rule in 

 most families. 



If there are school children, the immediate 

 preoccupation of the wife and mother will be 

 breakfast. Perhaps ground nixtamal will be left 

 over from the preceding day, in which case tor- 

 tillas are quickly patted out and placed on the 

 griddle, and the fire is fanned and blown to life. 

 In wealthier families bread and chocolate made 

 with milk may be the rule. Meanwhile, the hus- 

 band feeds his animals, looks around the patio 

 to make sure that all is well, and awaits the call 

 to eat. Children — if their mother is attentive 

 — are scrubbed, their hair is braided, and they 

 are sent off to school. The wife then finishes her 

 household duties, washes the few dishes, makes 

 tortillas for the day, sweeps, waters flowers, 

 feeds chickens, dogs, and cats, and then — if 

 she is a potter — is ready to begin work, to be 

 interrupted only by the preparation of lunch 

 for her family. 



If the kiln has been fired the night before, the 

 family probably is up before dawn to begin the 

 unloading, a process of an hour or more. Pots 

 are dusted with a rag, stacked in the sun, and 

 comments made about broken ware or the good 

 luck of little breakage. Only then can break- 

 fast be thought of. If the potter husband is off 

 to the clay mine, he likely will leave not later 

 than dawn, breakfastless. Children are fed later, 

 and he, upon his return around 11 o'clock, will 

 have his almuerzo. Or, if a man is going after 

 wood, he will follow the same procedure, taking 

 at most a cup of herb tea before setting out. 



Men engaged in hired labor, on the highway, 

 cutting wheat, or in some other way, are expect- 

 ed to be on the job by 7 o'clock. About 10:30 

 there is a pause; wives, mothers, or sisters ap- 

 pear with small baskets in which are wrapped 

 hot tortillas, and which contain a bowl of beans 

 and perhaps a roasting ear or other delicacy, 

 depending on the season. Time out for almuer- 

 zo is a recognized right; afterward, the worker 



goes until 3 o'clock, if on the highway, and until 

 later, if engaged in some other kind of work. 



Poorer families, regardless of their work 

 schedule, will not eat until 10 or 11 o'clock, 

 thus combining breakfast and lunch in one sim- 

 ple meal, and not eating again until the evening. 



Fishermen, contrary to the practice of most, 

 are up hours before dawn, and if luck is good, 

 will be returning by the time the sun is well 

 above the horizon, ready for a normal break- 

 fast. The rest of their day may be filled with 

 net repairing or weaving, petate making, or per- 

 haps agricultural pursuits. 



The noon hour — in a relatively clockless 

 town — is judged by the sun, and in those fam- 

 ilies with children, by their return for dinner. 

 This is always the big meal of the day. After 

 a short rest children return to school, to be gone 

 until near dusk, and the husband and wife re- 

 turn to their tasks. The evening meal, at 7 or 

 8 o'clock, is fairly standard practice both for 

 those families that eat only twice a day and 

 those that eat thrice. If pottery is to be fired, 

 which may be once or twice a week, supper 

 means merely a slight pause in the work of load- 

 ing the kiln and glazing the pots. The fire al- 

 ready will have been lighted by one of the men, 

 and after eating, everyone goes to the kiln to 

 enjoy the heat and to relax after the day's work. 

 Evening, for most, is leisure time; older boys 

 drift off to the plaza to join their age mates, to 

 lounge and talk, or to serenade their sweethearts. 

 Men may go to the nearest bar for a sociable 

 drink or two, and wives may visit next door to 

 find out what gossip is running. 



Friday and Sunday see variations in the reg- 

 ular pattern for many people. Several score 

 persons leave on the former day for Patzcuaro 

 to sell pots, fish, and other produce, and to buy 

 clothing and other needed items for the home. 

 When wives go, arrangements must be made to 

 feed children or husbands who remain at home 

 — usually cold beans and tortillas are left in 

 the kitchen. On Sundays many, though by no 

 means all persons, go to Mass. This is a day of 

 loafing and resting. Some people again go to 

 Patzcuaro, but greater numbers go to Quiroga, 

 to sell, to idle in the streets, or to visit with 

 friends. Even though only 8 kilometers away, it 

 means a change of scene and relaxation from 

 daily chores. 



