EMPIRES CHILDREN: THE PEOPLE OF TZINTZUNTZAN 

 less financial 



-FOSTER 



201 



re- 



of 12 cargueros, each with 

 sponsibility than formerly. 



Other Cargueros 



A series of now defunct mayordomias exist- 

 ed until the first years of the 20th century. They 

 were closely integrated with the ceremonial sur- 

 vival of the kengueria or hospital of Don Vasco 

 de Quiroga, in \v'hich many of their functions 

 took place. After the hospital ceased to func- 

 tion as a haven for the sick and aged, the cere- 

 monials and rituals which apparently were con- 

 nected with it continued for many generations. 

 The unit of hospital buildings today consists of 

 tlie unused chapel of La Concepcion and the ken- 

 gueria itself, which is composed of a large meet- 

 ing room in which images of saints formerly 

 were kept, and another large room kno\vn as the 

 giiatapera, which served as kitchen. Mayordo- 

 mias associated with the kengueria were formed 

 by the following cargueros: 



Cargueros de la kengueria. 



Cargueros mandones. 



Cargueros de Nuestra Senora del Rosario. 



Capitanes de los barrios. 



Cargueros de la cruz. 



The cargueros of the kengueria were the ma- 

 yordomo. steward (prioste), and scribe {escri- 

 bono). Either the first or second of these — in- 

 formants are not quite sure — was required to 

 live in the kengueria during his term of office. 

 All cargueros, except those of the cross, were 

 elected on the day of San Andres, November 30, 

 during a great communal fiesta. The precise 

 mode of naming is uncertain except in the case 

 of the cargueros of the kengueria itself, who 

 were named by the mandones. During this fiesta 

 the cargadoras, the sahumador, and the campa- 

 nita were named. The first were women who were 

 charged with carrying the image of the Virgin 

 in Church processions. The last two were young 

 girls, the first of whom carried burning copal 

 during such processions, and the second of whom 

 went at the head of the lines ringing a small 

 bell. 



The principal fiesta of the cargueros of the 

 kengueria came on December 8, the day of La 

 Purisima Concepcion de Maria Santisima, prin- 

 cipal patron of the Americas according to Cath- 

 olic dogma. Great quantities of atole, pozole, 

 and brandy were served in the kengueria, and as 



many as five bands are said to have come for 

 the music competition which is, even today, so 

 characteristic of the Tarascan area. On Febru- 

 ary 2 there was a fiesta in honor of the Virgin 

 of the Candelaria. After the participants were 

 somewhat drunk the wife of the steward paint- 

 ed the faces and fingernails of those seated at 

 the table a bright red, and many, realizing what 

 had happened, are said to have fled in embar- 

 rassment to their homes. The purpose of this 

 custom was, apparently, temperance, to make 

 use of ridicule to prevent extreme intoxication 

 and to remind the participants that there were 

 limits beyond which they ought not go. 



The captains of the barrios represented a sur- 

 vival from the earliest days of town organiza- 

 tion. As has been pointed out (p. 25), the origi- 

 nal scattered barrios were drawn together into a 

 more compact village form, and for many years 

 Tzintzuntzan was organized on the basis of 10 

 such units. Each barrio had a cabeza, or head, 

 who held office during his life and often passed 

 it on to his children. In his house there was an 

 image of Christ and an image of the particular 

 saint after whom the barrio took its name. In 

 addition, each barrio had a captain, one of the 

 cargueros, who held office for 1 year only. They 

 joined the other cargueros of the kengueria com- 

 plex in the prayer known as the kenikua held 

 each Saturday morning about 3 o'clock. The 

 prioste called all to assemble by tolling a bell, 

 and each person came bearing flowers in a wood- 

 en tray. After lighting candles and jjraying in 

 front of the images of the kengueria, just at dawn 

 all left the building and carried the images in 

 a procession around the atrium. Among those 

 remembered from later years were San Fran- 

 cisco, San Nicolas, San Juan, the Virgin of the 

 Rosario, and the Virgin of La Purisima. It was 

 believed that if a carguero failed in this duty 

 he would have to return after death to join the 

 processions. 



The captains also took an active part in the 

 fiestas of December 8 and of the Candelaria on 

 February 2. On the former date each organized 

 a procession through his barrio in which a reed 

 mat covered with a cloth and supporting a clay 

 dish was carried to all houses in turn by parad- 

 ers who wore crowns of bread. Everyone was 

 expected to contribute a half real. 



Heads of barrios had fewer obligations, 



