HOUSES OF THE SIERRA TARASCANS — BEALS, CARRASCO, McCORKLE 



17 



they are called round houses (k'uta uijipiti). The 

 latter term is known but not used in other towns. 



In Capacuaro occur storehouses, called "hiiacal" 

 (uakali), made of four walls of interlocked logs 

 or planks with a simple roof of two sheds (pi. 6, 

 lower, right). In some other to\TOs, the same 

 type is made in the fields. The structures are 

 used to store wheat before thrashing or to store 

 straw for animals. 



Occasionally, houses built on the edge of the 

 street have the street wall of stone or stone and 

 adobe, while the remaining walls are of wood. 



In the Lake Patzeuaro and La Canada towns, 

 a few old "trojes" are found. They resemble 

 those of the Sierra but, except for two cases in 

 Janicho, the roof is difl'erent. At either short end 

 a triangular structure of adobe, "capisayo," is 

 erected on the wooden walls an.d sustams a ridge 

 pole. Rafters run from the ridge pole to the 

 "planchas," or plates, in front and back. Stringers 

 attached to the rafters support a roof of either 

 shakes or tile (pi. 6, middle, left). 



masonry is used to complete a wall; in others, 

 the upper part of the wall is completed in adobe 

 brick. In the latter case, the stonework wall is 

 carried up at least half a meter (20 in.) above 

 gi'ound level. 



Masonry is always extended about 50 cm. (20 

 in.) below the ground surface, whether used only 

 as a foundation or for the complete wall. The 

 stone used is the volcanic tufa brought from a 

 nearby cmder cone The walls are usually about 

 50 cm. (20 ui.) in tliickncss. Larger stones are 

 set with relatively flat faces outward. The flat 

 faces will be dressed if tliis is imperative but no 

 other shaping is done. To fill in iiTegular spaces 

 m the wall face, stones of proper shape with one 

 flat face are sought in the pile of materials. Small 

 stone spalls are also employed abundantly to fill 

 in any spaces between rocks. The mortar is of 

 adobe mud mixed with animal dung, and the 

 central part of the wall is filled in with irregular 

 rocks and considerable quantities of mortar. 



If the upper part of the wall is to be of adobe 



Figure 1.'. — Well-made masonry and adobe-brick wall in Chcran. 



ADOBE-AND-MASONRY HOUSES 



In its simplest form, the house with walls of 

 stone (^AUf^Akata), "casa de jjared," or stone and 

 adobe, has one rectangular room with the door 

 on one of the long sides. Occasionally, houses of 

 more than one room are encountered or even of 

 two stories. The latter seem very recent and 

 conmaonly belong to Mestizos. 



Masomy is always used as the foimdation, 

 "rehenchido," of an adobe wall. In some cases, 



bricks, these also are laid in adobe mortar (fig. 

 13). Two sizes of brick are employed; the larger 

 size results in a somewhat thicker wall. The 

 mortar is the same as that employed for masonry. 

 In the Sierra and on those islands in Lake Pdtz- 

 cuaro where adobes are not made, the stone base 

 is usually higher than elsewhere. 



In construction, a professional mason is em- 

 ployed. He erects a frame to which strings are 

 attached to keep the wall straight. He also uses 

 a plumb line to keep the wall vertical. A trowel 



