QUIROGA: a MEXICAN MTJNICIPIO — BRAND 



Cuitzeo, Hiiango, Piiru^ndiro, and other fre- 

 quented thermal sprmgs, rich haciendas, great 

 convents of the Franciscans and Aiigustinians, 

 and frontier posts against the "Chichimec" enemies 

 of the Tarascans. 



The political and religious history of Quiroga 

 also promised much. It had been a barrio of 

 Tzintzuntzan in Tarascan times, and was among 

 the lands held for a time by Cortez himself. 

 The village of Cocupao was one of the earliest 

 congregations in Mexico (dating from the 1530's); 

 and it had a long history of dissension with Santa 

 Fe de la Laguna (the hospital founded by Don 

 Vasco de Quiroga, oidor of the second audiencia, 

 and later first resident bishop of Michoacan), 

 with Bishop Quiroga himself, and with Juan 

 Infante (usurper encomendero of many lake pueblos). 

 Also, the chiu-ch and mission of San Diego de 

 Cocupao (for 2}i centuries a insita of Tzintzun- 

 tzan) was one of the oldest Franciscan establish- 

 ments in Michoacdn. Toward the end of the 

 eighteenth century Cocupao became independent 

 of Tzintzuntzan politically, and began to dominate 

 the northern lobe of the Pdtzcuaro Basin. Land 

 disputes with Santa Fe, Tzintzuntzan, and the 

 neighboring haciendas of Tecacho and Atzimbo to 

 the north and east, promised interesting sidelights 

 on landholdings and the relationships of con- 

 gregacidn, republica de Indios, hospital, hacienda, 

 etc. During the War for Independence, the Wars 

 of Reform, the French Intervention, and the later 

 revolutionary periods, Quiroga was the scene of 

 many interesting events. Two examples are: the 

 great hberal governor, Melchor Ocampo, and his 

 associates often met in Cocupao prior to the W' ars 

 of Reform, and this led to changing the name to 

 Quiroga; and the "Cristero" movement began in 

 the 1870's in the mountain country not far from 

 Quiroga. At one time or another Quiroga has 

 functioned as the seat or cabecera of practically 

 every type of State or department subdivision 

 that has existed in Michoacdn. All this promised 

 a much richer archival background than for any 

 other community in the basin excepting Patzcuaro 

 itself. Also, the parish books of births, marriages, 

 and deaths extend back into the eighteenth cen- 

 tury, which is quite rare in a town as small as 

 Quiroga. The books of the civil registry extend 

 back to the commencement of such registry in 

 the 1860's, although with many lacunae produced 

 by fire, theft, and destruction by bandits and 



835847—50 -2 



revolutionaries. It is no exaggeration to state 

 that among records kept locally, in Morelia, and 

 in Mexico City, Quiroga and its jurisdiction is 

 better documented than any other community of 

 the area excepting Pdtzcuaro. 



On the geographic side there was much to 

 commend Quiroga. Tzirate, the highest mountain 

 in this part of the state, constitutes the northern 

 Hmits of the Pdtzcuaro Basin and of the munici- 

 pality of Quiroga. Here we had a transect from 

 lake level and lowland fields to the fir-clad 

 heights of this old extinct volcano. The entire 

 range of local rocks, from Tertiary andesites to 

 possibly the most recent volcanoes and lava flows 

 in the basin, is revealed in the space of a few nules. 

 Also, because of the greatest elevational range in 

 the basin and the accompanying variety in cli- 

 mates, rocks, and land forms, the Quiroga area 

 promised the greatest variety of soils, plants, and 

 animals. 



The economy also is quite varied. Agriculture 

 is basic, and embraces growing of vegetables and 

 fruits with irrigation, temporal raising of cereals 

 and legumes, pastiu-ing of Uvestock, and keeping 

 of poultry, swine, and bees. Although near the 

 lake, Quiroga lacks fishing, duck hunting, and 

 weaving of mats from tules. However, the pueblos 

 attached to Quiroga (Santa Fe, Purenchecuaro, 

 and Zir6ndaro) stress these forms of economy. No 

 pottery is made in Quiroga, but there is an ancient 

 industry of lacquer work and wood working; and 

 a recently established chair industry has become 

 the most important form of handicraft in the 

 area. The forests of the area are utilized not only 

 for the wood needed in the above-mentioned crafts, 

 but also for charcoal, firewood, turpentine, and a 

 little lumber. There is no mining, but mining 

 is not a part of the economic pattern in the 

 Tarascan lake and moimtain country. These, and 

 other minor reasons, prompted us to select the 

 Quiroga area for study. 



At the commencement of om* work we set up 

 three objectives. One was to make as complete 

 an inventory of the natural resources of the area 

 as possible. Another was to obtain aU possible 

 information concerning the history of man in the 

 area. The third objective was to secure a fairly 

 complete pictm-e of the contemporary scene. The 

 ultimate goal was to amass sufficient information 

 to describe a Mexican town and municipality 

 (upon the background of natural environment 



