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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 11 



Chino, and the Malpais de Icuacato), and is 

 drained by four barrancas that cross the settle- 

 ment and then unite to form the Arroyo de 

 Icuacato, which flows out of the basin between 

 the Cerro Melon and the malpais to die away in 

 the inclosed basin of the Plan de Sajo Grande. 

 Deforestation, erosion, and poor porous soils make 

 this basin settlement a submarginal area. De- 

 spite two artificial ponds and several wells and 

 sumps, there is no permanent supply of water. 

 Each year for a period varying between a few 

 weeks and several months the inhabitants must 

 haul their water by pack animal from the wells at 

 La Tirimicua, 3K miles away. Although the main 

 highway from Patzcuaro and Quiroga to Chu- 

 candiro passes through Icuacato, and minor roads 

 lead to Capula and Sanambo, there is no passage 

 for other than pedestrians and pack animals on 

 any road connecting Icuacato with the outside 

 world. The rancho is bounded by (going clock- 

 wise from the north) the ejido of Quiroga, the 

 ejido of Teremendo Jaso, Capula, Sanambo, 

 Caringaro, and La Tirimicua. The earliest men- 

 tion is in the 1534 title of Cocupao where it is 

 designated as San Juan Ucuato, and next when it 

 was congregated in 1603 with Jaso (Xaxo) and 

 Teremendo under the name San Juan Bautista 

 Yucucuato. Other early variants of the name 

 are Ucuacato and Hicuacato. When the site was 

 reoccupied by tenants of the Hacienda Itzipara- 

 muco (date uncertain, and probably through a 

 rental agreement either with Cocupao or Tere- 

 mendo Jaso) the name took the modem form of 

 San Antonio Icuacato. There is a modern chapel 

 dedicated to San Antonio de Padua in which 

 masses are said once a year by the curate of 

 Quiroga. The Tarascan name is said to mean 

 "where they bathe" {donde se bailan), which is 

 ludicrous in view of the extreme scarcity of water. 

 In recent years the population has ranged between 

 50 and 60 families who inhabit 46 of the 51 houses 

 (1945 census) in the community. The total pop- 

 ulation was 268 in 1945; 249 in 1940; 239 in 1930; 

 195 in 1921; and 221 m 1900. In the 1860's and 

 1870's, and again from 1914 to 1928, the area was 

 used as a hideout and headquarters for local 

 guerrilla, bandit, Cristero, revolutionary, and 

 other partisan bands. There is no school and all 

 but 2 of the inhabitants are illiterate. There is 

 no store, and there is no occupation other than 

 farming, supplemented by some woodcutting and 



charcoal burning. In 1945 there were 1 charcoal 

 burner, 4 arrieros, 5 landless peones, and the rest 

 were farmers. Nearly all the heads of families 

 own the solar upon which their house is built, and 

 parcels of agricultural land of various sizes. The 

 majority are agricultores propietarios (farm own- 

 ers), some are tenant farmers (medieros) , and a 

 few are landless farm laborers. The principal 

 named areas or fields in which they have their 

 parcels of cultivated land are: El Aguacate, El 

 Capulin, Cerro Azul, Cerro Melon, El Corral, 

 Ecuaro, El Jabalf, El Jazmln, La Joya and La 

 Joyita, La Laja and Las Lajas, Llano Blanco, Los 

 Llanitos, El Madrono, Las Mesitas, La Morera, 

 La Plana, Piedra de la Luna, Los Pocitos, and La 

 Presa, most of which are within three compre- 

 hensive areas known as El Plan de Icudcato, Cerro 

 y mesas del Melon, and El Llano Blanco. The 

 36 farmers of the rancho plant principally maize 

 (all 36 farmers), habas or broadbeans (30 farmers), 

 wheat (23), kidney beans (14), and pumpkins (7). 

 There are no other field crops. In an average 

 year the residents of Icuacato sow 1,865 liters of 

 maize, 5,825 liters of habas, 1,825 liters of wheat, 

 and 201 liters of beans. The average or typical 

 farmer plants 50 liters of maize, 200 liters of 

 habas, and 80 liters of wheat. Despite the 

 paucity of water there is enough pasture and 

 browse to support a fairly large livestock popula- 

 tion. Around the houses are kept 479 hens, 

 roosters, and pullets, and 59 turkeys; all but two 

 families keep poultry. Also near the houses are 

 141 beehives, owned by 18 families. Ranging 

 around the houses and throughout the settlement 

 were 160 pigs, o^vned by 38 families. About a 

 dozen families owned 274 sheep and 41 goats, 

 which normally ran together. At the time of our 

 census there were 57 cows, 48 calves, 4 bulls, and 

 109 work oxen, together with 37 burros, 29 horses, 

 and 1 colt. To finish the picture there should be 

 mentioned the 96 dogs (owned by 43 families) and 

 43 cats (in 27 houses). 



Other than in the dry season, Icuacato presented 

 a pleasing scene with the houses distributed 

 irregularly over the slopes broken by the four 

 arroyos, and with a few houses built on the margin 

 of the lava flow at the northwest side. Each 

 house was surrounded by a fairly large solar which 

 provided space for a yard or patio, a small plot 

 for maize or beans, and scattered ornamental and 

 fruit trees, shrubs, and herbs. The distribution 



