EMPIRES CHILDREN: THE PEOPLE OF TZINTZUNTZAN FOSTER 



251 



each older person, who makes the sign of the 

 cross and gives a few words of advice or warn- 

 ing. Then the compadres kneel and embrace 

 each other, first the boy's godfather with the 

 girl's mother and then her father, and then the 

 others in turn until the new bonds have been 

 sealed. 



Sunday is the most common wedding day, 

 followed by Saturday and Wednesday in that 

 order of preference. Tuesday is said to be a 

 bad day; the couple will be martyrs (from 

 Martes) during all of their lifetimes, and the 

 marriage will be unsuccessful. Usually bride 

 and groom go to church to confess the after- 

 noon before their marriage. The wedding it- 

 self takes place early in the morning, usually 

 after Mass, and can be performed only if the 

 couple presents a civil marriage certificate to 

 the priest. The actual acts are described in the 

 case history which follows. After emerging from 

 the church, where the bridal party is met by a 

 band which the boy's godfather has engaged, 

 all go to the godfather's house for a simple 

 breakfast of chocolate, milk, and bread. Later 

 in the day the party goes to the house of the 

 boy where his father has prepared an elaborate 

 wedding feast. Dancing takes place afterward, 

 either in the patio or in the street, with the 

 young couples today dancing "sweeng" as well 

 as more traditional Mexican numbers. After 

 dinner the newly married couple retires to a 

 room where their new marriage godparents give 

 them advice and warning about how to treat 

 each other, to be tolerant of one another's short- 

 comings, and to work to make a success of the 

 new union. This admonition is suggestive of 

 the pre-Conquest custom whereby the priest 

 counseled newlyweds of noble blood to be good 

 and faithful to each other. Among the com- 

 moners, the parents took the place of the priest. 



The system of "stealing" has certain hazards 

 for the girl. Occasionally, though not frequent- 

 ly, a boy will reject a girl after he has stolen 

 her, and refuse to go through the ceremony. At 

 worst he will be put in jail for a few days and 

 then set free. The girl, now "damaged goods," 

 will have a black mark on her reputation and 

 find it hard to find a husband, particularly if 

 pregnancy should ensue. Great emphasis is 

 placed by men on the desirability of premarital 



chastity of their brides-to-be, at least as far as 

 relations with other men are concerned. 



Likewise, in rare cases, parents refuse to 

 accept an elopement and bring the girl back to 

 live with them. Eulalia F., in Ojo de Agua, the 

 most beautiful Tarascan girl of the area, was 

 stolen at the age of 14 by a boy whom her 

 family considered unacceptable. She was re- 

 turned home after prolonged negotiations, and 

 3 years later continued to live with her family, 

 still, because of her beauty and intelligence, 

 very much sought after. 



A MARRIAGE CASE HISTORY 



A case history observed over a period of 

 several months illustrates a number of aspects 

 of courtship and marriage. The principal cha- 

 racters are Isaac M., age 20, who wishes to 

 marry Lucia, M., age 15, Isaac's older half- 

 brother, Gildardo, a municipal official, their 

 hard-working mother, Maria F., who deserted 

 her lazy and drunken husband 21 years earlier, 

 and who has lived ever since with Agustin U., 

 Andres D., Isaac's rival and nemesis, Jaime M., 

 the girl's father, Julian D., the father of Andres, 

 and Laura C, age 15, the girl Isaac marries on 

 the rebound. The part played by other charac- 

 ters is apparent from the context. 



At the beginning of the account, Isaac was 

 courting Rufina F., and had already exchanged 

 photographs with her, which is tantamount to a 

 formal understanding. But Andres, who thought 

 he had a way with women — and perhaps he 

 did — began also to court Rufina, and Isaac, 

 who at best was short on initiative, soon dropped 

 out, transferring his attentions to Fidelia C. 

 Presently Andres was on his trail again, and so 

 Isaac deserted Fidelia, thinking the coast was 

 now clear, and returned "to talk with," i. e., 

 court Rufina. One morning at the nixtamal mill 

 Fidelia accused Rufina of stealing her sweet- 

 heart, and was slapped for her pains. Both 

 mothers arrived on the scene and took their 

 daughters to the juzgado, the court, to denounce 

 both the slapping and Isaac, for niancornando, 

 keeping company with two girls at the same 

 time. 



Rufina's mother proposed that Isaac be 

 brought and asked which of the girls he wished 

 to marry, and that if it were her daughter, she 

 would pay the costs of civil marriage imme- 



