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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 2 



saint's image and burn a candle before setting 

 out on a journey. 



The new cargiiero takes charge of the image 

 the day before Corpus. He goes to the house 

 of the old carguero, secures the image, and 

 takes it to church. There it remains in a "box" 

 during the week-long festivities of Corpus. 

 On Monday afternoon of Corpus the musicians 

 of the merchants come to the house of the 

 carguero and make it their headquarters during 

 the fiesta until Saturday noon. The musicians, 

 the commissioners, and whatever people attach 

 themselves to the group, breakfast and dine at 

 the house of the carguero during the fiesta. If 

 he cannot aff'ord this, the commissioners provide 

 the meals, three or four cooperating in pi'ovid- 

 ing each meal. The musicians of this group also 

 greet the honey gatherers when they return 

 from their stay in the woods collecting honey- 

 combs for the fiesta (on Friday, according to 

 the carguero; Tuesday, according to all others) . 



The day of the saint is October 24. The 

 carguero pays for a Mass (and presumably 

 candles). In 1940 the Mass was delayed be- 

 cause the priest was too busy and was out of 

 town frequently. 



The carguero ordinarily is a merchant, but 

 in 1940 he was a fireworks maker. Because he 

 traveled from town to town, the principals had 

 decided he could qualify as carguero when he 

 asked for the mayorclomla. The carguero 

 sought the responsibility "for pleasure" and not 

 because of any vow. Incidentally, he is a 

 native of Pichataro and speaks very little 

 Spanish. His wife speaks even less. Perhaps 

 because of this origin they were much the most 

 open and cordial of the cargueros.'-^' 



MAYORDOMI'A OF SAN ANTONIO 



San Antonio is patron of the muleteers, the 

 arrieros. The new carguero receives the image 

 on June 13, the day of the saint, and takes it to 



=^ Those desiring the niayordomia of San Rafael apply to the 

 principal. The holder of this office in 1940 had occupied it for 

 18 years, although he had several times tried to resign. Occasion- 

 ally he calls meetings of the merchants to discuss some expense 

 relative to the saint, such as new garments or altar table. Some- 

 times money is collected in the meeting in advance for such 

 expenditures. On other occasions the principal spends money out 

 of his pocket and takes up a collection at the meeting to reimburse 

 himself. According to this principal, the new carguero goes to the 

 priest during Corpus for benediction. Probably this is true of the 

 (•t'nor ynayordomins but the p'jiiit was not investigated. 



his house. On Corpus he carries the image to 

 church and spends money for candles. If he 

 wishes he may have a fiesta with music and 

 food at his house, but this is not obligatory. 



A few notes on the history of San Antonio, 

 obtained from one of the principals, are of 

 interest. The original image was burned at 

 the time the town was destroyed during the 

 revolution. For a number of years the mayor- 

 domia was in abeyance. About a dozen years 

 before the study, a young man in the house, a 

 traveler, expressed an interest in having the 

 saint. The principal borrowed a saint from 

 somewhere, and they kept it in the house. The 

 muleteers talked a good deal about the matter, 

 but did nothing. Finally the principal placed 

 an order for a new image. A principal of the 

 old image of the saint, which had been de- 

 stroyed, assisted, as he knew about such things, 

 and solicited alms from the muleteers. In 

 about 2 years they got the new image of the 

 saint and then informed the priest. He came 

 to the house to see it and commended them. 

 Then he said they should seek godfathers for 

 the image and have it blessed. This was done, 

 and thus the mayordomia was revived. The 

 old principal, the informant, and one other who 

 had recently died had been the principals ever 

 since. Persons wishing the mayordomia had 

 to ask them for it. If more than one person 

 asked, they were given it in order. 



Although San Antonio is the patron of the 

 muleteers, they do not visit the image before 

 going on journeys. Persons not muleteers may 

 also receive this mayordomia. In fact, the 

 principal who served as informant is a mason 

 who interested himself in the saint because of 

 the youth living in his house (possibly his son, 

 although he carefully avoided any suggestion 

 of relationship) . 



Some persons not muleteers also make vows 

 to the saint. The same informant cited the 

 case of a man named Antonio who made a vow 

 to take the mayordomia when there was an 

 epidemic killing many pigs in Cheran. None 

 of Don Antonio's pigs died. He sought the 

 mayordomia and received it. Ever since, he 

 fattens and kills a pig every year, sells the lard, 

 and buys something for the saint with the 

 proceeds. 



