114 



INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 2 



the bulk niarketiiiK and better barj?aining power 

 of the cooperative. In 1941 it was claimed 

 tliat a considerable luimber of the individuals 

 working in the woods had signed up, as well as 

 some men in the town who wished to indicate 

 their support of the idea although not them- 

 selves forest workers. 



Two things were said to be holding up the 

 completion of the organization of the coopera- 

 tive. The first was the necessity of raising 

 enough capital to pay advances to the members 

 when they deposited their products with the 

 cooperative for marketing. The second was the 

 refusal of the rcprcsentante to sign the necessary 

 ])apers. According to Velasquez, this refusal 

 was not because the representante disapproved 

 of the idea, but because he felt many people in 

 town were opi)osed and he did not wish to sign 

 the papers counter to their wishes. As the 

 signature of the rcprcsciitfuifr was not abso- 

 lutely essential, the organization probably was 

 completed without his approval. 



It may be noted that the coojierative had 

 nearly come to grief in its early days through 

 an action by the presidente militnr imposed 

 after the 1!);57 zafarrmiclio. The military 

 governor hail ordered posts cut for the installa- 

 tion of the electric lighting system without 

 securing a permit from the Department of 

 Forestry. The Forestry officials had blamed 

 this on the cooperative, levied a thousand peso 

 line, and threatened to revoke the permit of the 

 organization. This had been cleared up, and it 

 was rumored that the former military governor 

 was going to have to iniy the fine — which may 

 \er\- much be doubted. 



A number of otlier organizations of a relig- 

 ious nature exist and will be dealt with later. 

 Potentially most influential in political matters 

 are the church societies such as those of the 

 Sacred Heart, the Third Order of Saint Francis, 

 and others. In Chenin in 1010, it was diflicult 

 to learn much about these. The meetings \\ere 

 private, and secrecy had been impressed on the 

 members. There is very little doubt that a 

 new priest who took over the parish late in 

 1940 was utilizing the.se organizations to under- 

 mine the existing liberal political order in 

 Cheran. Trouble was brewing in Cheran 

 on the religious and i)olitical front and 

 there is little doubt that it was being con- 



sciously fostered by some elements in the 

 Church, probably the same groups fostering the 

 Sinarquista movement in the adjoining region 

 of the Bajio noi'th of Tarascan territory.^- 

 Additional data on the change in attitude of 

 the church in Chenin will be presented under 

 religion. 



CONFLICT AND LAW 



The people of Cheran are very reticent about 

 conflicts within the town. Efforts are made 

 to convince the outsider that the town is a 

 harmonious unit, and it is very difficult to 

 secure data to the contrary. The impression, 

 after many months in Cheran, is that a great 

 deal of hostility underlies the apparent har- 

 mony. In part, this is apparent in the pre- 

 valence of witchcraft and some of the evidence 

 is presented under that heading. Interfamily 

 and intrafamily jealousies and conflicts, how- 

 ever carefully concealed, cropped up time and 

 again in casual remarks. Nevertheless, little 

 definite information could be secured. Any 

 efl"orts to pick ui) the small leads occurring in 

 conversation were usually adroitly countered. 

 (Consequently, the material presented in this 

 section consists primarily of the more overt 

 conflicts which, under certain circumstances, 

 lead to oflicial interference. 



A great variety of minor conflicts constantly 

 reach the office of the mayor. Many of these 

 never pass the stage of discussion and informal 

 settlement. For example, a man had been 

 drunk all week, insulting people indiscrimin- 

 ately. One man tinally struck the drunkard. 

 Tlu> case was discussed at length. Some 

 argued that the drunkard should be arrested. 

 Others claimed that both should be arrested. 

 Ultimately, nothing was done, but as anyone 

 present in the muvici})i() could enter the dis- 

 cussion, word probably got around to both 

 jiarties. The drunkard's relatives probably 

 restrained him and the man giving the blows 

 kept out of sight. 



Another case illustrates the handling of 

 minor ofl'enses. A woman was brought before 

 the acting mayor (the mayor's alternate), 

 charged with stealing a blanket from a man 

 while he was drunk. The woman was accused 

 vigorously by the acting mayor but denied the 



''• Evidence for this st«tement cannot be piven at this time. 



