CHERAN: a sierra TARASCAN village — BEALS 



69 



pig takes from 1 to 2\2 ffnicgas of maize to 

 fatten, valued at from $5 to $7. According to 

 size, the animal may bring from $30 to $75, a 

 gross profit on the fattening process of from 

 $12.50 to $70.00. This would be 5 to 7 pesos 

 less if the pig was bought. If an adequate 

 market were developed, or if sales and trans- 

 port facilities at a distance were to be devel- 

 oped, pig raising might be a more important 

 activity, although an increase in the number of 

 pigs would decrease the amount of foraging 

 possible and would require more feeding. 



Sheep raising is engaged in by only a few. 

 The reliability of the major informants is sus- 

 pect, but the evidence suggests that sheep rais- 

 ing is profitable. The major expense is the 

 initial cost of the flock and the wages of a 

 shepherd. Sheep are worth $2.50 to $5.00 

 apiece. Shepherds' wages vary with the size of 

 the flock, but probably rarely exceed $20 a 

 month plus a fanega of maize and one sheep 

 for food; most shepherds receive considerably 

 less, often only $5 a month without food. Often 

 several small owners merge their flocks and 

 hire a single shepherd. 



Income from sheep is mainly from wool and 

 payments to have the flocks bedded on farm 

 land. Sheep average a pound of wool a year 

 (this seems low but the sheep are of poor 

 quality), which sells for $1 to $1.25. A fair- 

 size flock of sheep would bring 50 centavos a 

 night for fertilizer. A few sheep are sold for 

 meat outside the village; almost no lamb or 

 mutton is eaten in Cheran. No data were se- 

 cured on prices. Mortality on sheep is high, 

 but again no usable data were obtainable. 



A flock of 200 sheep studied represents an 

 investment of $750 in theory although it prob- 

 ably was built up by natural increase from a 

 smaller flock. The shepherd receives $20 a 

 month, 1 fanega of maize worth at least $5, and 

 a sheep worth, on an average, $3.75, or a total 

 of $28.75 a month ($345 a year) . Wool would 

 produce $200 to $250 a year. Bedding on farm 

 lands would produce probably 50 centavos a 

 night for this flock for. 110 days (estimated) 

 or $55. Total income from these sources would 

 be $255 to $305 a year. The natural increase 

 may safely be assumed to be 75 head. Sold at 

 $2.50 apiece, they would bring in $187.50 a 



year, or a total of $442.50 to $492.50 a year. 

 Deducting expenses of $345 leaves a return 

 on the investment of $107.50 to $147.50. As 

 indicated before, these figures are suspect. 

 The owner of this flock is not believed to be 

 very truthful on financial matters. For exam- 

 ple, he claimed to own 20 sheep; Augustin 

 Rangel said he had over 200. He is, though, 

 a hard-headed storekeeper and farmer who 

 would not keep sheep if they were not profit- 

 able. The most suspect item in the calculations 

 is the amount of wool per sheep. 



The evaluation of the role of the burro is as 

 difficult as in the case of oxen. Burros reduce 

 the cost of numerous operations by saving the 

 rental of animals, they facilitate such tasks as 

 bringing in wood (which otherwise would be 

 carried in by the woodcutter rather than on 

 rented animals), and they may be rented. 

 Burros involve little investment— $30 to $40 — 

 but they do require attention while in pasture 

 and the provision of feed when kept at home. 

 Although burros not in use are often lent, they 

 sometimes are rented. Information on rentals 

 is contradictory; at the harvest season, when 

 demand is highest, rentals are probably about 

 50 centavos a day plus feed for the animals. 



The ensuing topics are dealt with in summary 

 form to bring out the essential factors of 

 capital, labor costs, cost of materials, and 

 income. 



WOODWORKING 

 Shake making: 

 Tools: 



Ax, wedges, machete, splitting tool 

 Product: 



Vz irepita (an irepita, or bundle, is 400) 



a day at $5.00 



Profits (return on labor, less interest on 

 capital, etc.) $2.50 



Comment: Shake making is a well-paying occupa- 

 tion, but profits are less than the data above suggest. 

 Shakes are made either only to order or are sold in 

 Uruapan or some other Mestizo center. In the latter 

 case the man may work regularly, but must spend 1 or 

 2 days a week taking his product to market. ISTeither 

 does the estimated result for a day's labor include the 

 time spent searching for a suitable tree. Usually only 

 a 5-day week or less is worked and the season is con- 

 fined to the rainy period. As a result, shake makers 

 must shift to other work, such as plank making, tie 

 cutting, farming, etc. The tenn "profits" is loosely used 

 throughout, as wages are often included. 



