CHERAN: a sierra TARASCAN village — BEALS 



215 



extensively in all La Caiiada towns and is much 

 liked. 



One of the favorite meat dishes in Chilchota 

 is not unlike the curipo of the Tarascans and 

 is called "espinazo." It is a broth made from 

 the backbone of the pig-, flavored with chile and 

 including cooked bitter prickly pears known as 

 jococoxtles. The broth is usually accompanied 

 by boiled rice. 



Not much sausage is made in Chilchota, but 

 the blood of the pig is greatly liked, both in 

 Chilchota and the Tarascan towns of La 



Canada. The blood is placed in the cleaned 

 entrails, together with other visceral parts of 

 the animal, which have been cut into small 

 pieces, silantro, chile, and onion. At some point 

 the mixture is cooked. By the time the product 

 is sold, the blood has solidfied. The purchasers 

 remove the mixture from the casings, mill it 

 on the metate with water, and fry it with lard. 

 Bread of the type known in Tarascan towns 

 as qmn grueso is made in Chilchota. Most 

 bread, however, is brought from the larger 

 neighboring town of Tangancicuaro. 



APPENDIX 2 



THE CEREMONIAL ORGANIZATION OF CHILCHOTA 



The following information on the ceremonial 

 organization of Chilchota was collected by 

 Pedro Carrasco. Due to political struggles, 

 the ceremonial organization was not in existence 

 from 1932 to 1940. The data given are repre- 

 sentative of conditions as they existed before 

 1932, amplified by data on the partial revival 

 of the ceremonial life of the town in 1940 (the 

 differences are indicated by past and present 

 tenses) . The organization and the observances 

 present many interesting parallels and differ- 

 ences from Cheran, particularly in view of the 

 fact that Chilchota is a Mestizo town today. 

 Carrasco found only one man of about 90 who 

 had been reared in a Tarascan-speaking family ; 

 nevertheless, culturally Chilchota evidently is 

 still somewhat of a Tarascan town. Many 

 Tarascan words survive and such old institu- 

 tions as the hospital are better preserved than 

 in many Tarascan towns. 



The ceremonial organization is linKed with 

 division of the town into barrios of San Juan 

 and San Pedro. Two other barrios exist, Uren 

 and Chapala, but they appear to be recent addi- 

 tions and, unless otherwise specified, only the 

 first two barrios are referred to. The principal 

 ceremonial offices and their relation to the 

 barrios are as follows : 



Office 



Mayordomo of the Hospital 



596569—46- 



Barrio 



year from 



One 



Juan, the next 

 from San Pedro 



San 



Office Barrio 



Mayordomo of the patron saint, 



Santiago One year from San 



Juan, the next 

 from San Pedro 

 Carguero of San Roque or 



Karacakape Barrio of San Juan 



Carguero of San Nicolas Barrio of San Pedro 



Two vaqueros One from each barrio 



Four roscras^ or uanancatis Two from each barrio 



Two rcgidores One from each barrio 



' One of the roaercui is called peiidompari, and one capitamoro. 

 They are always of different barrios^ the positions alternating from 

 one barrio to the other each year. 



All these individuals are called cargueros. 

 It is they who bear the expense of all religious 

 festivals. 



Unlike Cheran, this group of cargueros forms 

 a hierarchy through which individuals pass, 

 ultimately to become one of the viejos princi- 

 pales (principal old men) or tarepiti. The 

 sequence is as given, the first position being 

 that of mayordomo of the hospital, then mayor- 

 domo of Santiago, then either carguero of San 

 Roque or of San Nicolas, depending on the 

 carguero's barrio, then vaquero (while female 

 members of his family serve as roseras) , and 

 finally regidor. After this the carguero is an 

 "old man," a principal. The old men Snd the 

 cargueros who have occupied the positions of 

 both mayordomo of the hospital and mayordomo 

 of Santiago form the group known as the 

 cabildo. 



In addition to the hierarchical offices, there 

 are a number of minor positions, the most 



