CHERAN: a sierra TARASCAN village — BEALS 



93 



THE POPULATION 



The total population of Cheran in 1940 was 

 about 5,000 as indicated by voting lists. Data 

 from other censuses follow : 



1900 4,395 



1910 • 3,908 



1920 3,552 



1930 Not available 



Information concerning the age composition 

 of the Cheran population is limited. The only 

 source of adequate information is provided by 

 the voting lists for the 1940 election for two 

 barrios and interviews. This information 

 applies only to men of voting age. A summary 

 of this information is given in table 10. The 



Table 10. — Age and occupational distribution of 

 Cheran males 



data on ages is probably more reliable than 

 that from most primitive groups but still is not 

 completely accurate. An analysis of the 

 original data shows that a very great majority 

 of the ages given end in "0" or "5," clearly 

 indicating that they are guesses. Interviews 

 showed the presence of a tendency to increase 

 the ages of young men, and a decrease in the 

 ages of elderly men is suspected. 



Additional incomplete but interesting data 

 on the population are provided by the study of 



evangelist of the Tarascans, was much influenced by Sir Thomas 

 More's Utopia. The Utopian cities were divided into four divisions 

 which served administrative purposes (Zavala, 1937; More, 1923, 

 p. 54). 



the municipal records, which probably are rela- 

 tively complete and moderately accurate. The 

 data have been worked up into tables 11 and 12 

 by Dr. Emmanuel Palacios, of the Departa- 

 mento Autonomo de Asuntos Indigenas, one of 

 the collaborators in the study. 



Table 11. — Births in Cheran, 1936-39' 



Year and month 

 of birth 



wse 



.January 



Fcbniury . . . . 



Miircli 



April 



May 



June 



July 



August 



September. . . 



October 



November . . , 

 December . . . 



1037 



January 



February. . . . 



March 



Aprd 



May 



June 



July 



August 



September. . . 



October 



November . . . 

 December. . . . 



1938 



January 



February . . . . 



March 



April 



May 



June 



July 



August 



Septenjber. . . 



October 



November. . . 

 December. . . 



1939 



January 



February . . . . 



March 



April 



May 



June 



July 



August 



September. . . 



October 



November . . . 

 December. . . 



Total 

 births 



15 

 15 

 9 

 19 

 21 

 13 

 10 

 12 

 13 



14 

 13 

 20 

 23 

 24 

 18 

 22 

 18 

 15 

 16 

 17 

 14 



Total . 



690 



Boys 



Girls 



Percentage! Percentage 

 of boys of girls 



1.7 

 2.0 

 1.2 

 1,2 

 .9 

 3 



.2 

 3.5 

 2.0 



.6 

 2.0 



.3 



2.3 

 3 2 



.9 

 4.0 

 1.2 



.9 

 1.4 

 2.9 

 2,0 

 14 



.9 

 3.2 



2.3 

 1 4 

 2.6 

 3.7 

 3.7 

 4.6 

 3.7 

 3.2 

 1.2 

 2.6 

 2.0 

 2.3 



0,9 

 2,3 

 1.5 

 1.7 

 2.3 

 4.4 

 3.5 

 2.6 

 2 3 

 2.0 

 1.5 

 1.5 



2 9 

 2.3 

 1.5 

 1.7 

 3.5 

 2 



1.7 



3.8 



1,7 

 2.3 

 3,2 



2 9 



3 2 

 6 



2.6 

 2.0 

 3 2 

 2.0 

 2 9 

 1.7 



100.0 



1 Data prepared by Dr. Emmanuel Palacios, Departamento 

 Autonomo de Asuntos Indigenas, Mexico. 



Birth records are probably correct for all live 

 births. There is some possibility that many 

 stillbirths were not reported either in the birth 

 statistics or the death statistics. Although a 

 fine is levied against persons known to have 

 buried a still-born child without registering the 

 fact in the municipio, the fine is nominal, and 

 municipal authorities believe that probably the 

 majority of stillbirths are not reported. 



