EMPIRES CHILDREN: THE PEOPLE OF TZINTZUNTZAN FOSTER 



227 



"there is some disagreement as to what a "hot" 

 food is, and lists often disagree. Beans, said 

 to be "hot," are nevertheless forbidden until 

 the umbilical stump falls off. Especially bad 

 are rice, pork, and fish. Fathers, to a lesser 

 extent, are expected to observe the same taboos, 

 especially avoiding the meat of male animals. 



Each day the midwife visits the mother, to 

 massage her and observe the child. After 3 

 days the mother may sit up if she wishes, and 

 after 10 days she is bathed. At the end of 3 

 weeks she may leave the house, first rubbing 

 herself with cooking oil and then soaping and 

 washing herself in cold water to which alcohol 

 has been added. Many women share the gen- 

 eral Mexican belief (in cities as well as country) 

 that a new mother should not leave her home 

 for 40 days. Particularly, the husband should 

 not have intercourse with his wife during this 

 period. One wife who died of complications a 

 few weeks after childbirth is believed by her 

 family to have been "murdered" by the hus- 

 band, who insisted on his sexual privileges be- 

 fore the end of this period. 



The Mongolian spot is common, and perhaps 

 almost universal among both Mestizos and 

 Indians. Carmen discusses the children whom 

 she knows who were so born, holding her 

 daughter, 2-month-old Alicia, on her lap. "And 

 Alicia," I ask, "does she have it?" Carmen 

 turns her surprised and protesting child bottoms 

 up, and sure enough, there is the purple spot 

 at the base of the spine, standing out plainly 

 against the brown skin. The mark is due, says 

 Carmen, to the custom of carrying money in 

 one's waist sash during pregnancy. But since 

 the spot always goes away, no special attempt 

 is made to avoid it. 



It is said that when a baby is blond or red- 

 dish in color it will be very dark when grown, 

 and, conversely, a dark child will be light- 

 complexioned. 



There are four recognized midwives in Tzin- 

 tzuntzan between 55 and 60 years of age, and 

 a younger woman of 40 who is still an appren- 

 tice. All are married, with children of their 

 own, but none has had any real medical instruc- 

 tion. Pre- and post-delivery visits are charged 

 at the rate of $0.30 to $0.50. First births, be- 

 cause of greater difficulties, cost $5 to $7, and 

 subsequent births $3 to $5. In addition to 

 these, a few other women, such as Doiia Andrea, 



may act as midwifes from time to time, though 

 they do not consider it a profession. 



Data on Tarascan birth customs as they pre- 

 vailed at the end of the 19th century are given 

 by Nicolas Leon (1910, pp. 71-76). The most 

 important points are abstracted in the following 

 paragraphs. 



The midwife came at frequent intervals to massage 

 the woman's abdomen to give "good posture" to the 

 foetus. A pregnant woman ate no fish or meat in 

 mole sauce, and very little salt. Should she eat meat 

 cooked in sauces containing chile the child would be 

 born lazarino, leprous. Otherwise, she should satisfy 

 all food desires. Pregnant women hid themselves 

 under mats in the innermost recesses of the house 

 during an eclipse, or put a metal key in direct con- 

 tact with their bodies to prevent the child from having 

 a harelip. During a difficult delivery the midwife 

 would ask her what desires she had not satisfied, so 

 that the food could be brought to her during delivery. 



Abortion occurred in some cases. Leon states that 

 he witnessed one produced by the seeds of the Pit- 

 renchcqua tree (Erythrina coralloides, identification 

 by Leon), which caused severe vomiting. Infanticide, 

 particularly in pueblos with Mestizo contact, is said 

 to have been frequent. 



During delivery a woman kneeled, supporting her- 

 self on a rope, hung from a rafter, in which knots had 

 been tied, and which terminated in a small cross bar. 

 Until ])ains became frequent the woman was obliged 

 to walk around the house. Then she kneeled, hold- 

 ing the rope, sujiported by female assistants of the 

 midwife. The umbilical cord was cut with flint and 

 the stum|) tied with black cotton thread which was 

 considered to be a "hot"' color. Any other color would 

 not do, since only black is "hot." A "cold" thread 

 would cause the child to catch cold. Meanwhile, the 

 cord was tied around the left thigh for fear that it 

 might reenter the woman's body. The afterbirth was 

 not buried, but simply placed in the fireplace to be 

 burned. The midwife herself kjej)t the umbilical stump 

 of a first child because of its medical and magical 

 properties. 



The stump was anointed with tallow from a burn- 

 ing candle and covered with black wool. Next the 

 palate was properly formed by introducing the index 

 finger greased with olive oil and pressing upward. ^ 

 Then a gourd cup was placed on the head like a skuU- 

 ca]) to give it the right form, and the nose and ears 

 rubbed with fingers covered with tallow to "fix" 

 them. Before doing all this the child usually was 

 bathed in nearly cold water. If the child had difficulty 

 in getting its breath the midwife blew into its mouth, 

 and if this did not work she ])laced it under a wooden 

 tray on which she beat incessantly with a stick. - As 



1 This is connected with tlie present-day belief ahout the 

 if.ollera, p. 266. 



- In Veracruz I have seen sick or dying chicks placed un- 

 der a sirian tree gourd which is tapped with a corncob. Some- 

 times the chick appears to revive. 



