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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY PUBLICATION NO. 6 



lage rises, unquestionably more and more wheat 

 will be consumed, though, of course, it will nev- 

 er replace the tortilla as the staple item. 



Maize costs, as compared to the total of all 

 other food costs, and as compared to the total 

 budget, represent an increasingly large item as 

 the standard of living falls. In the Rendon fam- 

 ily, it represents only 11 percent of the total 

 budget, as compared to 30 percent in the Seve- 

 riano Urbano family. This range probably in- 

 cludes" nearly all families in town. Maize rep- 

 resents from 23 percent of the food budget, 

 in the case of the Alejandro Urbano family, 

 to 45 percent in the case of the Romulo Moli- 

 nero family. This last figure is probably about 

 as high as any in the village. 



A minimum amount of meat and fish is re- 

 quired by everyone, and the family variations, 

 in view of considerable wealth differences, are 

 less than might be expected. 



With accurate records it should be possible 

 to determine the approximate local kill of live 

 stock each year, and to estimate the average 

 annual meat consumption per individual. In 

 practice, however, only a small percentage of 

 the animals killed are entered in the tax records. 

 Theoretically a tax of about $5 per 100 kilos is 

 paid on every animal slaughtered. This rate 

 varies a good deal in practice. The total kill, 

 including weight and tax paid, of animals listed 

 in tax records for 1944 is given in table 36. 



Table 36. — Official animal slaughter in Tzintzuntzan, 

 1944 



Weight of the animal is sheer guesswork, and 

 that entered is probably in most cases below the 

 real weight. 



During the rainy season almost no cattle are 

 slaughtered because, it is said, the meat would 

 spoil before it could be sold. During the dry 

 season one beef a week for perhaps 3 weeks 

 may be killed, following which, the town glut- 

 ted with beef, there will be a lapse of a couple 

 of weeks before any more are killed. Meat 

 moves better when the butcher shops have been 

 empty for a few days. Butchers often by 

 agreement take turns killing cattle so that there 

 will not be an oversupply. 



Primo Calderon, municipal treasurer, is much 

 more conscientious than his predecessor. His 

 records for the first half of 1945 list 11 pigs 

 for a total weight of 695 kilos, and 3 cattle for 

 a weight of 620 kilos. When asked why all of 

 the animals known to have been butchered were 

 not listed, Primo answered with irrefutable log- 

 ic, "Why, you can't charge a tax on an animal 

 that just up and dies." Sick animals are always 

 slaughtered, and those that die unexpectedly 

 usually find their way to the butcher's block. 



Primo estimates that perhaps 20 cattle of all 

 kinds and 50 good-sized pigs are slaughtered in 

 a year. In addition, small pigs occasionally are 

 killed in homes and a bit of the meat may be 

 sold to neighbors. Estimating the large pigs at 

 70 kilos each and the cattle at 120 kilos, a total 

 of 3,500 kilos of pork and 2,400 kilos of beef, 

 or 4.8 kilos per capita, are slaughtered annual- 

 ly. The actual amount of meat is, of course, 

 considerably less after the animals are dressed. 

 Meat in considerable quantities also is purchas- 

 ed in Patzcuaro and Quiroga, and home slaugh- 

 tering must be considered. Including these 

 sources, the total per capita consumption of meat 

 is probably about 5 kilos. 



The greatest intecfamilial variation in food 

 consumption is represented in the sweets and 

 fruits category, and that of the remaining un- 

 classified foods which may, as in the case of 

 Paulino Vazquez, be less than $60, or in the 

 case of Melesio Hernandez, approach $1,000 

 for the entire family, an average of three times 



^ Weight not given. 



as niucn. 



