CONTENTS 



PAGE 



Preface 's 



Phonetic note x 



Introduction 1 



Theoretical background 2 



Scope of the study 5 



The Tarascan town 6 



The town of Cherdn 7 



Building materials and their sources 9 



Wood 9 



Adobe bricks 9 



Stone 10 



Tile and brick 10 



Miscellaneous 10 



Types of structures 10 



Wooden structures 10 



Adobe-and-masonry houses 17 



Supplementary structures 19 



Specialization and distribution of skills 20 



Preliminary notes on the distribution of types 21 



House furnishings 21 



PAGE 



Economics of the Tarascan house 24 



The lot 24 



W'ooden houses 24 



Cost of materials 24 



Cost of construction 24 



Masonry-adobe structures 26 



Supplementary structures 27 



Comparison of costs 27 



Relation of houses to social and economic status 28 



Uses of the Tarascan house 28 



Storage 28 



Sleeping and cooking 28 



House size and household size 28 



Ceremonial and social functions related to the 



Tarascan house 30 



Ceremonies 30 



Social functions 31 



Relation of the Tarascan house to the environment. 32 



Cherdn 32 



Comparative data 33 



History of the Tarascan house 33 



Contemporary Tarascan housing problems 36 



V 



