218 INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY 



nelio stands with an enormous dried fish, a su- 



-PUBLICATION NO. 6 



perb prize, and swings it wildly above his head, 

 as if to throw it to the farthest man of the clam- 

 oring crowd. Then, with great disdain, he lets 

 it fall at his feet and turns and leaves without 

 even looking. Presently the loot is exhausted, 

 and quietly the spectators leave. 



Normally fishermen from Tarerio take part 

 in the fiesta, bringing a new chinchorro net and 

 a large fish painted on cloth. To music they 

 dance in the atrium, surrounding with the net 

 the men who carry the fish. Owing to a dispute 

 with the town officials they refused to come, 

 quietly holding a small fiesta in their own vil- 

 lage the next day. In some years a greased pole 

 is a part of the act. A peeled pine pole 20 m. 

 tall has a small platform built at the top, on 

 which clothing and other valued objects are 

 placed. The pole is soaped thoroughly, and the 

 man who can shinny to the top receives the prize. 



The success of Corpus and the Octavo depend 

 to a large extent on the energy of the men in 

 public office, and here temperamental differen- 

 ces play an important part. In recent years 

 there has been a tendency to reduce the scale 

 of festivities because of the expense, and also 

 because some persons, feeling that the ancient 

 customs mark Tzintzuntzan as a backward pue- 

 blo, are ashamed of their Indian background. 

 A few people, however, take great pride in the 

 ceremonial acts which are put on, and it is due 

 to them that the celebrations continue to be held. 

 Jesus Pefia, for example, though having no offi- 

 cial connection with the town government, insist- 

 ed that the huacaleros dance for Corpus, and 

 himself fitted out the crates and costumed the 

 children. Several years ago, when he was presi- 

 dent, he ordered a kiln built in the atrium, and 

 brought women to glaze and fire pots. As an 

 added note of hilarity, when the pots were 

 thoroughly hot they were removed with sticks 

 and hurled among the astonished spectators who 

 quickly fled to safety. 



THE MONTH OF JUNE 

 (El Mcs del Sagrado Corazon de Jesucristo) 



The month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 

 Christ, like May, has its encendederos charged 

 with each Mass. The almas puras, young girls 

 dressed in white, substitute a red sash for the 



blue one worn during May, and bring flowers 

 and candles to the rosaries. Usually the month 

 is marked by Corpus Christi and the Octavo. 

 Invariable is the small celebration on June 24, 

 the day of San Juan. This is a sort of an agri- 

 cultural ground hog day. If it rains on this day 

 there will be ample moisture for good harvests; 

 if not, crops will dry. Hence, it is desirable to 

 do everything possible to ensure the will of 

 Christ, and this is accomplished by means of a 

 special Mass which is paid for by offerings to 

 La Coronita, the crown of the Santo Entierro (or 

 at times, that of El Nazareno, the kneeling image 

 of Christ used in the Via Crucis procession). 

 Early in June the encargados of La Soledad 

 carry the crown from house to house to solicit 

 offerings and on subsequent days it is taken by 

 inhabitants of the surrounding ranches to their 

 homes where more contributions are received. 

 In this manner between $100 and $150 is col- 

 lected for the Mass on June 24. 



THE ASSUMPTION 



(La Asuncion de la Santisima Virgen) 



On August 12 the nieces of the priest place 

 a bed in the center of the church on which is 

 laid the image of La Purisima, the object of a 

 night-long velacion. The next afternoon she is 

 restored to her customary position beside the 

 Santo Entierro, and on August 15 a special Mass 

 is said in her honor. In Tzintzuntzan this observ- 

 ance usually is referred to as that of Nuestra 

 Sehora de Agosto ("Our Lady of August"). 



FIESTA OF SAN FRANaSCO 



(OCTOBER 4) 



October 4, Day of San Francisco, patron saint 

 of Tzintzuntzan, would be the date of the biggest 

 fiesta of the year were it not for the fact that 

 the Rescate in the spring has taken its place. 

 Except for a fireworks castillo and band music 

 in the evening, it is almost entirely a religious 

 affair, completely lacking commercial flavor ex- 

 cept for the few sellers of religious objects in 

 the atrium. A Low aijd a High Mass are said 

 in the morning, and in the afternoon there is a 

 rosary, after which the image of San Francisco, 

 led by the priest, makes a procession around the 

 atrium stopping at each of the tiny stone shrines. 



