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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 2 



For the years 1936-39, inclusive, there were 

 690 registered births in Chen'in. The sex ratio 

 was very nearly 1:1, with 347 male births and 

 343 female births. The distribution is shown 

 in table 11. It is of interest that great excess 

 of female births occurred in 1936, reaching a 

 peak in June of that year, while a considerable 

 excess of male births occurred in 1939, also 

 reaching a peak in June. 



^ Data prepared by Dr. Emmanuel PaJacios, Departamento 

 Autonomo de Asuntos Indipenas, Mexico. 



Data on the 149 marriages for 1937, 1938, and 

 1939 are shown in table 12. The age data are 

 subject to the same probable inaccuracy in age 

 estimates as is the case with the data on adult 

 men. However, inasmuch as many Chen'm 

 residents are today sensitive about the early 

 age of marriages and it is known that the ages 

 given for young persons about to be married are 

 often exaggerated, the data underscore the 

 early age of marriage. In round numbers, 2 

 percent of girls married were only 13, 15 per- 

 cent were 14, 32 percent were 15, 17 percent 

 were 16, and 6 percent were 17. Only 2 per- 

 cent of girls married were aged 20. It is 

 significant that no marriages were recorded for 

 girls aged 21 or 22. In all probability all, or 

 nearly all, marriages recorded after this age 

 were remarriages. 



The earliest age recorded for married males 

 is 14, this age group comprising 0.7 percent of 

 the total male marriages. However, there is 

 reason to believe that the age of males is falsi- 

 fied at marriage more than that of females. 

 Most marriages, according to the statistics, take 

 place at 16 or after; 8 percent of males marry 

 at the age of 16. Five percent were married 

 at 17, 21 percent at 18, 8 percent at 19, 

 and 10 percent at 20. None were married at 

 age 24, but 6 percent were married at 25. 

 Some marriages listed at this age are probably 

 remarriages, and certainly few first marriages 

 take place after 25. The emphasis placed upon 

 marriage as a normal state is indicated by the 

 considerable age of some persons married. 

 Two women and two men are shown as married 

 at 60, while one man is shown as married at 

 80 and another at 82. 



No particular season of marriage preference 

 is evident if marriage frequencies are analyzed 

 by months, despite assertions that most mar- 

 riages take place in the winter after harvest. 

 Evidently marriages take place when people 

 have resources, regardless of the time of year. 

 The fluctuations from year to year probably 

 could be accounted for in terms of variable 

 economic conditions. It must be remembered 

 that the month of marriage reported is the time 

 of the civil registry and church wedding. 

 Probably the majority of marriages are con- 

 summated before these events. 



In addition to the statistical data, even earlier 

 marriages are believed to take place. One girl, 

 whose age was alleged by several people inde- 

 pendently to be only 15, had four children. 

 Gossip told of another case of a girl of 10 years 

 who was "half married," that is, the groom's 

 parents did not yet permit him to sleep with 

 his wife. But at the age of 14 the girl was 

 said to have had two children. Before the 

 Tarascans are censured for the practice of such 

 early marriages, it should be born in mind that 

 Bishop Quiroga, who had so much influence on 

 the Tarascans, in his ordinances authorized the 

 marriage of boys over 14 and girls over 12 

 (Arriaga, 1938). 



Data on family composition and fertility 

 were obtained by interviews with 53 families 

 where the wife was 47 years of age or older 

 and had not borne children recently (table 13). 



