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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 2 



and ceremonies. The ceremonies of the saints 

 are sometimes called mayordomias as they are 

 elsewhere in Mexico, although the term cargo 

 is more common in Cheran. The elaborate- 

 ness and expense of the ceremonies vary con- 

 siderably. Some are virtually community 

 functions or minor fiestas but held at the 

 expense of the carguero or mayordomo. Others 

 have very little expense attached to them. In 

 many cases dance groups are associated with 

 the inayordomla. 



So far as could be learned, six of the saints 

 and accompanying mayordomias "belong" to the 

 cabildo. Four others are associated with par- 

 ticular professions (this is also true of some of 

 the saints of the cabildo) and are "managed" 

 by principals {pruicipalcs) . Another is man- 

 aged by a group of principals but is not asso- 

 ciated with a profession, while the final saint 

 identified is owned by a private family. The 

 saints belonging to the cahihlo are San Isidro 

 (of the farmers), San Jose (of the forest 

 workers), Santa Inez (of the cattle raisers), 

 Santa Nieves or the Virgin of Snows, the Virgin 

 of Guadalupe, and the Santo Nino or the Child 

 Christ. Saints belonging to professions are 

 San Antonio (of the arrieros or muleteers), 

 San Rafael (of the merchants), San Anselmo 

 (of the honey gatherers, with two separate 

 images and ceremonies), and Santa Cecilia (of 

 the musicians). Independent of any profes- 

 sion is the mayordomia of the Three Kings or 

 Tres Reyes. The privately owned saint has no 

 mayordomia properly speaking and is usually 

 spoken of simply as the Miraculous Saint. 



The cabildo is also known as the "aces," 

 meaning principal persons or things. In 

 Spanish the cabildo is also known as the prin- 

 cipales. The group consists of men who have 

 occupied the offices of colector and prioste 

 associated with the church. In the past the 

 cabildo looked after many things connected 

 with the church, including the collection and 

 care of the tithes or gifts to the priest, cared 

 for the saints in the church and the ornaments 

 and decorations of the church, and brought the 

 priests to Cheran during the period when 

 religious functions were prohibited. Members 

 also had charge of the viayordomias mentioned 

 above, and considered the saints their property. 



They decided who should receive the mayor- 

 domia each year. 



The method of selecting the mayordomos was 

 subject to dispute by various informants. The 

 members of the cabildo insisted that the ■mayor- 

 domias were transferred in the order of appli- 

 cation, although sometimes, if a person were 

 too poor to care for the saint properly and live 

 up to the obligations of the mayordomia, they 

 would not permit him to have it. Lists of 

 applicants were shown to verify this statement. 

 Many people, however, claimed that it was 

 necessary to give lavish presents to the cabildo 

 over a period of 2 or 3 years before a mayor- 

 domia would be granted. One mayordomo, 

 the carguero of the Santo Nino in 1940, claimed 

 he had given many gifts of clothing, corn, 

 wheat, toitiUas, tamales, etc., to the cabildo at 

 the previous Christmas ceremonies and in all 

 had spent about $250 on them before he was 

 granted the mayordomia. This man, however, 

 was active in a campaign against the cabildo at 

 the time. The cabildo members admitted re- 

 ceiving gifts, but claimed they were voluntai-y 

 and in no way influenced the assignment 

 of the mayordomias. It was customary, and 

 the cabildo expected to be invited to the 

 mayordomia and to be treated as guests of 

 honor, receiving special large breads, atole, and 

 gifts of food; the contradictions about gifts, 

 however, seemed impossible to resolve, arising 

 as they did out of a passionate controversy 

 under way at the time. 



The cabildo selects one of its number to act 

 as head. In 1940 the head was Maximiliano 

 Ortiz, a noted conservative. Ortiz was sup- 

 posed to visit the church every day. Despite 

 the quarrel, to be described, about the cabildo, 

 Ortiz was elected alternate to one of the 

 regidores or members of the ayimtaviiento "so 

 he would no longer be able to criticize." The 

 cahihlo also invites people to serve as colector 

 and prioste and thus ultimately become mem- 

 bers of the cabildo themselves. Others say 

 these offices are sought. Such invitations could 

 be refused. People were not invited to become 

 mayordoTYios as there was usually a waiting list. 



The office of prioste is occupied first. After 

 one year, the person advances to the office of 

 colector. The following year he becomes one 

 of the cabildo. These two officials have the 



