CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE MODERN TARASCAN AREA—-WEST 35 
old people, but since the old ones have died, no 
one had continued its cultivation. This suggests 
that the western corn was formerly predominant 
in the area, which later was invaded by the eastern 
race. 
Maize types are continually migrating from 
one pueblo to another within the Tarascan area 
and are also being introduced from the outside. 
For instance, matz de Sicuicho has been grown 
in Arantepacua since 1889; maiz de Chocandirdn 
(Nahuatl name for Tingiindin) is raised in 
Atapan; maiz de Uriscato in Tarecuato, etc. All 
such corns are morphologically alike, being dif- 
ferentiated chiefly by color. Again, in some 
Sierra pueblos farmers grow a corn called ‘‘toluca”’ 
or ‘“tulukenio,’’? presumably an introduction from 
the Valley of Toluca. Around 1900 a maize 
called “chalco” from the Lake Chalco district 
in the Valley of Mexico was brought into the 
newly drained Zacapu Basin, where it now com- 
prises the main corn of the surrounding Tarascan 
villages. Chalco is a modernly developed maize 
adapted to wet soils. In the Zacapu Basin it is 
grown ‘‘de humedad,” and in recent years has been 
introduced into the Nahuatzen area. 
The mountain corns.—On the steep slopes of 
the Sierra volcanoes the small Mountain Yellow 
maize is cultivated in little temporary clearings 
(desmonte, ¢apan, éapakata). This corn is obvi- 
ously mixed with eastern field varieties, as in 
many cases the basal enlargement of the ear is 
not apparent and grain form varies from point 
to dent. Low row number (8-14), however, is 
invariably present. Color varies from yellow 
to white, often with pink present in the pericarp. 
Tolerant of light frosts and infertile soils and 
adapted to the ancient indigenous cultivation 
sites and practices, this maize may be one of the 
oldest in the area. 
The special corns: ekudsu maize (Anderson 
1946 a, 1946 b).—One of the most interesting of 
the modern Tarascan corns is that cultivated in 
the house-lot gardens (solar, ekudau). It is 
grown mainly for roasting ears (elotes). It is 
morphologically distinct from the field corns, 
53 According to Beals (1946, p. 23), the tulukenio found at Chern is a 
mountain type having definite characteristics of Mountain Yellow and grown 
in the slopes and mountain clearings. In other pueblos (e. g. Arantepacua) 
tulukenio is a field maize with Mexican Pyramidal characteristics. 
‘In the Sierra and the Lake region the term ‘‘eku4iu” is used to mean 
house lot, In the mestizo towns and some Tarascan pueblos of the northern 
area, particularly La Cafada and west thereof, eku4su means small hillside 
cornfields, while the Spanish solar is used to designate house lot. 
748988—48—_4 
having many characteristics of the Mexican 
Narrow: low to medium row number (10-16), 
usually long ears, slightly tapering from butt to 
tip, and slightly or nondented grains. In color 
it is the most striking maize of the Tarascans: 
blue, blue black, dull red, wine, and often white 
(from field corn) mixed with the above colors 
(pinto). In most villages of the Sierra the colored 
elote corns are rarely planted outside the house lot. 
When questioned as to the reason for this, in- 
formants invariably answered that such maize 
would not mature well in the fields, that it re- 
quired soil of much greater “fuerza.” ® Possibly 
this corn has been grown so long in house lots, 
where refuse is thrown and animals stalled, that 
it has acquired a necessity for highly nitrogenous 
soils. The ekudiu maize is not limited to the 
Tarascan area, but is planted in a small way in 
many parts of western Mexico (Colima and Ja- 
lisco). Among the Huichol of Nayarit it has 
acquired ceremonial significance. Possibly de- 
veloped from the Mexican Narrow Ear in the 
escarpment area of Jalisco and Nayarit, this maize 
spread westward into Michoacan; it is rarely found 
in the eastern part of the Mexican plateau (valleys 
of Toluca, Mexico, and Puebla). In the Lake dis- 
trict red is the dominant color of ekudéiu maize; 
only few ears of blue or black are seen. 
Sweet corn.—This is rarely found among the 
Tarascans. In 1946 it was encountered in two 
towns, Teremendo and Chichota (mestizo). 
Because of its gummy consistency, sweet corn is 
never eaten green, but dried, mature grains are 
toasted to make esquite. The mature ears are 
called uaédkata, for they resemble preserved 
green corn. 
Popcorns.—The complete absence of popcorn in 
modern Tarascan agriculture poses a perplexing 
question concerning the antiquity of maize among 
these people. Popcorn is usually considered one 
of the most ancient of Mexican maizes (Anderson, 
1946 a). The Tarascans were located between 
two popcorn centers—the western area (Jalisco, 
Nayarit) with its big-grained popcorns (maiz 
reventador) (Anderson, 1944) and the Toluca area 
with its small-grained hwilotlacaule (“lo que 
comen las palomitas’’). 
Maize cultivation methods.—Beals’ (1946) de- 
scription of maize cultivation in Chern is typical 
%8In Urapicho the farmers believe that ekuAzu maize is “afraid” of the 
fields and consequently will not grow there- 
