CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE MODERN TARASCAN AREA—WEST 29 
México — Guadalajara 
Map 17.—Plan of Tirfndaro, 1946. 
Church 
Plaza 
Jefetura 
Owellings 
Highway 
Representative of compact Tarascan towns, most of which occur in areas bordering 
the Sierra. 
being the hearth place and the warmest of the 
buildings, it is also the main sleeping quarters 
of the family.*” 
The minor structures include the stable, chicken 
roosts, and the hogpen, all constructed of logs or 
rough planks; the gate roof (puerta de golpe) in 
the loft of which maize fodder is often stored; 
and, in some Sierra towns, special storage build- 
ings, which consist of small wooden sheds on 
stilts or simply small plank trojes resting on a 
crude stone foundation.*® The house lot is fenced 
47 For a description of the hearth types and kitchen implements, see Beals, 
Carrasco, and McCorkle, 1944, pp. 16, 22-24, 
38 The special storage places are called Gmutakata in Angahuan and Chara- 
pan, uakdli in Capacuaro. Literally the term ‘‘imutakata’’ means ‘‘addi- 
tion,’”’ and is also used for the storage space in the gate roof. The puerta 
de golpe occurs not only in Michoacan, where it is most common, but is seen 
in mestizo towns in the Valley of Mexico. The main purpose of the roof 
is to keep rain from the wooden gate. 
with adobe, stone, or logs; the portion facing the 
street may be enclosed by a high wall of planks, 
stone, or adobe, which joins the house at one end. 
Such structures are called ¢an¢akata in the 
Sierra (pl. 3). Various types of gates are used 
at the entrance to the house lot; the more common 
are the double-door affair, and those with logs 
placed horizontally in slots carved in opposite 
upright posts. 
Historical aspects.—The provenience of the 
wooden troje presents one of the most puzzling 
features in Tarascan culture history. The struc- 
ture of interlocked logs or planks is a relatively 
uncommon house type in Mexico, where it has a 
disjunct distribution. It is found in (1) Oaxaca 
among the Mixe, Mixtec, and Trique groups; 
