EMPIRES children: THE PEOPLE OF TZINTZUNTZAN FOSTER 



179 



and any other documents which may be re- 

 quired. 



The treasurer is named by the president with 

 the approbation of the contador general de glosa 

 in Morelia, who is in charge of all local treas- 

 uries as apart from the treasurer of the State. 

 The treasurer may be renamed for any period 

 of time, and is required to collect all municipio 

 taxes, keep books, send monthly reports to Mo- 

 relia, and make annual reports on crop produc- 

 tion. 



Functions of the local court {juzgado menor 

 municipal) are carried on by two judges named 

 by the president, with two alternates. One judge 

 theoretically is charged with law violations, or 

 crimes against the Government, while the other 

 handles crimes against individuals. In practice 

 each judge functions in both capacities for 6 

 months, and then takes a vacation for the re- 

 mainder of the year while the other sits in office. 

 Each names his own secretary. 



A policeman is named by the president to 

 maintain order and to carry notices to the local 

 officials in the tenencias and ranchos. A jefe de 

 cuartel, or de manzana, each with an alternate, 

 is also named by the president to correspond 

 to each of the four sections in which Tzintzun- 

 tzan is divided. This is a rather onerous but 

 obligatory post which each able-bodied man is 

 expected to fill during his lifetime. Hence, few 

 refuse, since they feel it is desirable to get it 

 over with as soon as possible. Their task is to 

 transmit communications from the president to 

 the head of each family, and to summon the 

 family heads when necessary for the faena and 

 the ronda. 



The faena is the communal work which able- 

 bodied males are expected to contribute to the 

 town's upkeep. There is no fixed number of 

 days, and the actual amount of work is slight. 

 It consists in clearing grass from the streets 

 before major fiestas, in aiding in the construc- 

 tion of jiew buildings for the municipio, and 

 with the maintenance of trails leading to other 

 villages. 



The ronda is a night watch of from four to 

 six men which is maintained during times of 

 political tension. It functions but rarely. Most 

 Tzintzuntzeiios are mortally afraid of gunplay, 

 and retire to their houses at the first hint of 

 danger, leaving any actual patrol duties to sol- 

 diers who would be sent from Patzcuaro. 



Each tenencia has as its highest official a jefe 

 named by the president, and an alternate. These 

 men function as vice presidents representing the 

 president in their own communities. If popular, 

 they may be chiefs in fact as well as name. If 

 not, the representante del pueblo, or village rep- 

 resentative, named by the local men, will wield 

 effective power. Each tenencia also has a judge, 

 a teniente judicial, named by the president. 

 Though entrusted with minor disputes, he rec- 

 ognizes the judges of Tzintzuntzan as the next 

 highest authorities in the legal hierarchy. 



Each rancho has an encargado del orden 

 ("one charged with order") named by the pres- 

 ident, as well as an alternate, to keep the pres- 

 ident informed of what goes on in his settle- 

 ment. 



TAXES AND SALARIES 



The receptor de rentas, or State tax col- 

 lector, is named by the State treasurer to serve 

 for an indefinite period. The man in office 

 in 1945 had been in Tzintzuntzan for about 8 

 years, and had come from another part of Mi- 

 choacan. He was greatly disliked by the towns- 

 people, both because he was an outsider and 

 because it was felt that his obvious prosperity 

 was due to unlawful practices. He collects taxes 

 on houses and lots, on farm land, and on stores 

 and cantinas. He is also charged with collecting 

 for water and electricity. His records were 

 inspected, but found to be in such bad shape 

 that it was difficult to make much out of them. 



The records of the municipal treasurer were 

 somewhat more legible. Each year a budget is 

 sent out from Morelia, based on past income, 

 showing what expenses will be sanctioned for 

 the coming year. That for 1945 showed the fol- 

 lowing: 



Payment to: Day Year 



Secretary S 1.50 $ 547.50 



Treasurer, 30 percent of receijits 300.00 



Judges' secretary 1.25 456.23 



Policeman 75 273.75 



Office expenses: Month 



Council 2.00 24.00 



Municipal treasury 1.50 18.00 



Court 1.00 12.00 



Civil register (birth, death, mar- 

 riage books) 1.00 12.00 



[Tabulation continued on page 180] 



