qtjiroga: a Mexican Mtnsricrpio — brand 



83 



to 7 to Zirandangacho. The ranches received 

 63 persons from outside the municipality, but most 

 of these came from nearby ranchos; e.g., 10 from 

 La Noria to Atzimbo less than a mile away, 9 

 from Cuenembo and Puerta de Cuenembo and 7 

 from Patambicho to Zirandangacho, etc. Sanam- 

 bo is most strongly native with but 10 individuals 

 out of a population of 299 who were not born in 

 that rancho. Zirandangacho resembles a labor 

 camp, since one-half of the population of 52 were 

 born elsewhere. 



In Quiroga town proper 713, or 22.44 percent, 

 were born outside of the town. These figures are 

 reduced to 574, or 18.15 percent, who were born 

 outside of the municipality. Cuartel I, in the 

 southwestern and most distant quarter of the 

 town, had the fewest people from the ranchos (13), 

 while cuartel II had the most (50) for no obvious 

 reason. The largest rancho, Sanambo, contrib- 

 uted the most to Quiroga (40 persons); La Tu'i- 

 micua, which has the closest economic and social 

 connections with Quiroga, contributed the most 

 proportionately (26 persons compared with a total 

 population of 98) ; and the smallest rancho, 

 Zirandangacho, provided but 2 persons. The 

 largest number and proportion of outsiders are 

 to be found in cuartel IV (196 persons, or 28.53 

 percent). This cuartel is the newest and poorest 

 in Quiroga. During and since the revolution there 

 has been a considerable immigration from the 

 ranchos of Tzintzuntzan, especially Cuenembo (27), 

 Patambicho (12), and El Tigre (9); and it is here 

 that the migrants from the more distant parts of 

 Michoacdn tend to settle. There are less striking 

 concentrations in the other quarters, although 

 people from Morelia and Zacapu tend to settle in 

 cuarteles II and III; and there is a certain concen- 

 tration of people from Pdtzcuaro, Coeneo, and 

 outside of Michoacdn in cuarteles I and II. 



Some idea of the social and economic relation- 

 ships between Quiroga and surrounding commun- 

 ities can be obtained from a hsting of the com- 

 munities which have contributed most import- 

 antly to the population of Quiroga and its ranchos. 

 This hsting is given in two categories (table 20): 

 the first is of cities, towns, and villages including 

 the persons born*in dependent lesser communities 

 in the immediate area; and the second is of the 

 individual communities no matter what their size 



or status. The municipality is indicated in paren- 

 theses. 



The contributing communities fall into a number 

 of groups, but all of the important sources are 

 highland settlements of temperate to cool climate 

 in the surrounding area, mestizo population, and 

 a basic agricultural economy. They constitute a 

 region of common economy, history, and customs, 

 and consequently have introduced few new or 

 extraneous elements into the culture of Quiroga. 

 The most important group comprises the com- 

 munities which formerly were within the munici- 

 pality of Quiroga, but which at present are in 

 Tzintzuntzan. Next is the group made up of 

 communities along the main routes to the State 

 and district capital of Morelia, such as El Correo, 

 Iratzio, Capula, and Alorelia, as well as El Tigre 

 of Tzintzuntzan which lies athwart of a main 

 highway. In third place are the communities 

 along the old route northward from Lake Pdtz- 

 cuaro to Lake Cuitzeo via Sajo, Tzintzimacato 

 and Chucdndiro. The fourth important grouping 

 is of settlements along the road southward to the 

 local metropolis and former capital of Patzcuaro 

 and onward into the hot lowlands via Santa Clara 

 and Ario de Resales. It is noteworthy that the 

 highest and most Indian area (the Sierra Tarasca) 

 to the west and south has made practically no 

 contribution to the population of Quiroga. 



