CHERAN : A SIERRA TARASCAN VILLAGE — SEALS 



31 



Although mutton is eaten to some extent, 

 sheep are raised primarily for wool. Sheep 

 are sheared twice a year, in late fall and early 

 summer. A sheep yields about 1 pound of wool 

 in two shearings, which sells at from $1.00 to 

 $1.25 (all monetary values are in Mexican cur- 

 rency). Black wool brings more than white 

 (as it is all used locally for serape weaving) . 



Goats. — Only a few goats are raised. Nor- 

 mally they are herded with the sheep and are 

 treated like them. In rare instances the goats 

 are milked, and the milk is made into cheese. 

 The most important use of goats is to sell them 

 for food, usually outside the town, as goat meat 

 is rarely eaten in Cheran. Goatskins are sold 

 uncured with the hair. 



Horses. — Although some horses are bred in 

 Cheran and some care is exercised in breeding, 

 it is said the animals deteriorate because of the 

 cold climate. Consequently, most horses are 

 imported, but they also deteriorate rapidly. 

 More important than the cold, undoubtedly, is 

 the fact that no one in Cheran understands the 

 care of horses. They are badly fed and receive 

 little protection from the weather. Stallions 

 are castrated. 



In any case, horses are rare in Cheran and 

 are little used except as riding animals, es- 

 pecially by those with numerous cattle or pack 

 animals. Riding and pack gear are the same 

 as those of the Mestizos. Although in other 

 Tarascan towns horses are used in plowing, 

 this was denied in Cheran. A rather poor 

 horse costs about 70 pesos. Most horses be- 

 long to well-to-do men and primarily are indica- 

 tors of social position. Attitudes toward own- 

 ing a horse are a weak reflection of those of the 

 vanishing Mexican caballero. Women almost 

 never ride. 



Horses are fed maize, oats, maize stalks, and 

 wheat or oat straw. Few people have any 

 knowledge of treating illnesses of horses. 

 Ownership is indicated by branding, and hor.ses 

 are given names similar to those used by 

 Mestizos. Horse meat is not eaten, but horse 

 hides are valued for tanning. 



Mules. — Mules are even rarer than horses 

 and have a higher value. Almost all are im- 

 ported. They are used mostly as pack animals, 

 but occasionally they are ridden or used with 



the plow. Care and practices otherwise are 

 the same as for horses. 



Burros. — "The poor man's mule" is one of the 

 more common animals in Cheran. Often kept 

 in a shed by the house, the burro is employed 

 to bring in firewood (when he may be ridden to 

 the woods) , to bring in the harvest, carry goods 

 on trading trips, and perform any other service 

 of burden carrying. Burros may be used as 

 light draft animals in such tasks as dragging 

 brush over wheat fields to cover the seed after 

 sowing. Often rented, especially at harvest 

 time, burros are frequently lent to friends, 

 neighbors, and relatives. Although hard- 

 worked, they are usually better cared for and 

 less abu.sed than among the Mestizos. They 

 are often fed rather than pastured, and saddle 

 sores and other signs of abuse are relatively 

 uncommon. 



Burros are bred in the town. Jacks are not 

 castrated. The flesh is never eaten and the 

 hide is regarded as of little value. 



Dogs. — Usually each household has one or 

 perhaps two dogs, but large numbers of starved 

 animals are rare. Ordinarily a dog is fed 

 what the family has, and if a dog is underfed, 

 usually the family is also. Dogs are always 

 named, usually for "pretty things or animals" 

 such as Butterfly, Duke, Tiger, or Rattlesnake. 

 Others are named for their coat color or be- 

 cause the name is liked. No effort is made to 

 control the breeding of dogs. 



Dogs are used in hunting, sheepherding, and 

 to guard the house. In the latter capacity, the 

 dogs of the barrio of Paricutin are much more 

 aggressive than in the rest of the town. This 

 may be because their masters are generally less 

 friendly or may simply reflect the more rural 

 character of the barrio. 



Hunting dogs are used to chase deer, squir- 

 rels, rabbits, and other animals after they have 

 been wounded. Apparently no special train- 

 ing is given. Sheep dogs are trained by put- 

 ting them on a leash with a sheep during the 

 day and tying them near the sheep at night. 

 They are encouraged to bark at the right time 

 and to attack coyotes. 



Cats. — Cats are not numerous in Cheran, 

 although they are valued fairly highly because 

 they combat the many rats which steal stored 

 corn. Cats seem well treated and are some- 



