EMPIRES CHILDREN: THE PEOPLE OF TZINTZUNTZAN FOSTER 



165 



in recording. Each "meal" (significant food in- 

 take, as contrasted to a snack in the form of 

 fruit or similar delicacy) of each member of 

 the family, babies in arms excepted, and the 

 hour of eating were recorded. Table 33 shows, 

 in somewhat condensed form, the results of this 

 work. Had each mealtime and food eaten* for 



Families are listed in the table in approxi- 

 mate order of income. Vicente Rendon, Mele- 

 sio Hernandez, and Eleuterio Melchor are not 

 among the richest men of the town, but their 

 incomes are sufficiently high so that food dif- 

 ferences between them are largely a matter of 

 choice rather than of economic necessity. 



Table 34. — Detailed meal chart of family of Vicente Rendon, February 12-18, March 6-13 



every member of all seven families been listed, 

 the resulting chart would have been of doubtful 

 value, simply because of its enormous size. 

 Hence, mealtimes and foods eaten for the major- 

 ity of the members of each family have been 

 listed, with no attempt to show intrafamilial 

 variations. Table 34 attempts partially to re- 

 medy the defect of the larger table by showing 

 for 2 weeks the foods and hours of eating of all 

 members of the Rendon family. 



Examination of tables 33 and 34 shows that 

 three meals a day, corresponding to breakfast, 

 dinner, and supper, is the custom for those fam- 

 ilies that can afford it. This frequency is re- 

 duced to two meals, and even one, where food 

 is limited. Meal hours may vary a good deal, 

 depending on the activity of different members 

 of the family. Vicente Rendon, for example, 

 usually goes wood cutting before dawn, with- 

 out breakfasting. His wife, Natividad, feeds the 



