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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 2 



can economy is also linked with the national 

 economy through the markets. The Sunday 

 market at Uruapan, for example, is an impor- 

 tant occasion for the disposal of Tarascan goods 

 and for the purchase of supplies. The Uruapan 

 market, however, is primarily a Mestizo mai'ket, 

 and the Indian part in it is minor and far from 

 obvious. 



Quite otherwise is the market at Patzcuaro. 

 Although it is perhaps even more of a Mestizo 

 tov/n than Uruapan, the markets at Patzcuaro 

 on Fridays and Sundays are predominantly 

 Indian markets. The Patzcuaro markets are 

 probably the most important agencies of ex- 

 change to be found in Tarascan territory. They 

 would well merit intensive study. 



The Sunday market in Paracho is the only 

 large, regular market in the Sierra Tarascan 

 area. While numerous Mestizos participate, 

 the bulk of the vendors and almost all the 

 buyers are Tarascans. Although subject to 

 fluctuation in size from week to week, the 

 Paracho market compares favorably at any 

 time with the occasional large markets held in 

 other towns on the occasion of a fiesta. 



Cheran does boast of two weekly markets in 

 addition to the infrequent affairs on the occa- 

 sion of important fiestas. These markets, how- 

 ever, are merely insignificant reflexes of the 

 Paracho market. Traveling salesmen or via- 

 Jeros whose route to Paracho leads through 

 Cheran often set up shop in the Cheran plaza 

 on Saturday afternoon. In the evening or 

 early the next morning they move on to Para- 

 cho. If they have not sold out their goods in 

 Paracho, they may stop Monday morning in 

 Cheran for a few hours. The number of ven- 

 dors and the amount of goods sold, then, are 

 relatively insignificant. Fresh vegetables are 

 the main items, and housewives who do not 

 expect to go to Paracho the following day may 

 stock up for the week. 



The Saturday market at Cheran usually gets 

 under way about 1 o'clock in the afternoon. 

 Vendors continue to arrive, however, until as 

 late as 4 o'clock, and the main activity of the 

 market is between 5 o'clock and dusk. The 

 market occupies the street on the south side of 

 the plaza in front of the municipal building. 

 The vendors form two facing lines on opposite 

 sides of the street. Only on unusually busy 



days do the lines extend the full length of the 

 plaza. The Monday morning market is much 

 smaller. 



Table 3. — Products sold in the Cheran market, 19iO 



1 Black and red chile from Querendaro ; green chile, large and 

 small ; red chile, large and small : chile pasilla ancha ; chile guajillo ; 

 chile mirasol ; chile verde (^irapsi. 



- Char a (kuefepo — small, dried, from Patzcuaro; turuci — large, 

 fresh, from Patzcuaro) . 



3 Small, black fruit like green tomato in taste. 



