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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 2 



Pears and other fruit trees are not pruned, 

 cultivated, or fertilized. Fruit to be shipped, 

 especially pears, is picked with a special imple- 

 ment to prevent bruising. Three narrow pieces 

 of shake are cut to a point at one end. They 

 are then tied with string to one end of a long 

 light pole, forming a triangular funnel. The 

 funnel is placed under the fruit and raised, 

 detaching it gently from the tree (fig. 4). 



Figure 4. — Pear picker, made of trimmed shakes, cord, 

 and any convenient long- pole. The fruit is caught 

 in the opening, lifted until the stem breaks, and 

 then lowered to the ground. Bruised pears will 

 not stand shipment. 



Miscdlaneoxs fruits. — A bitter apple, rnan- 

 zana agria or chata, is grown in Cheran. A 

 larger, sweet apple is grown in Pichataro, but 

 only four or five trees exist in Cheran. 



Three kinds of peaches are grown in Cheran : 

 bianco, a type with red flesh near the pit (name 

 uncollected), a green peach (prisku), and a 

 yellow peach (melokuta). Relatively few 

 peaches or apples are exported. 



Two kinds of cherries, black and white, are 

 grown in Cheran. Both are dried in some 

 quantities and are sometimes sold in the market 

 at Paracho. 



A few zapote bianco are grown in Cheran, 

 but most of this fruit consumed in Cheran is 

 imported. The same is true of plums. 



The tejocote is said not to be cultivated, but 

 it sometimes is planted deliberately along field 

 borders and its fruit is used. As, with the ex- 

 ception of pears, this is all the attention ever 

 given to other fruits, it is fair to include the 



tejocote as a domesticated type. It is har- 

 vested and exported for making jellies and 

 preserves. A few are used locally. 



Some quince trees are found in Cheran. 

 They are little used, but some preserves are 

 made. 



BELIEFS AND CUSTOMS 



Most beliefs and customs center about maize. 

 Most important are the beliefs about red ears, 

 cocu. A red ear is described as the mother, 

 chief, and ace (ceremonial leader) of all maize. 

 In the storage lofts, red ears are mixed in with 

 the yellow and white to act as guardian of the 

 rest. They are never eaten until all the white 

 and the yellow corn are gone. Care is taken to 

 plant seed from one or more red ears in each 

 field ; otherwise it is believed that there will be 

 no harvest. 



Red ears and black ears are both said to be 

 used in curing, but no details could be secured. 



Twin ears, cuates (saninkuate), are said to 

 come because God wishes to send a little more. 

 Sometimes large ears have four or five points; 

 they are said to be the hand of the planter. 



The family harvesting the first green corn in 

 the town places two or three ears on the altar 

 of San Francisco. Each family gives one or 

 two cm-gas of maize on the cob to the priest. 



If the rains do not come at the proper time 

 near the end of May, the image of San Ramos 

 is taken to the peak of San Marcos. The image 

 is placed on a white sheet, held by a man at 

 each corner, and tossed in the sheet. If San 

 Ramos can be made to cry, it begins to rain 

 immediately. During the rite a rezador recites 

 a rosary, copal is burned, and cohetes are fired. 



Every year, beginning in January, the grass 

 is burned, causing great damage to the forests 

 and destroying the last remnants of pasture. 

 The burning is said to prevent heavy frosts, 

 while the smoke hastens the coming of the 

 rains. Town oflScials and officers of the Forest 

 Service succeeded in extinguishing most of the 

 fires in 1940. 



It is said there are no beliefs regarding 

 wheat. Nevertheless, wheat must be carried in 

 a wooden bowl while sowing or it will be at- 

 tacked by rust, "tecolotc." Rust is a sign the 

 planter used his hat, blanket, or some other 

 improper article at planting. Girls plait elab- 



