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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY PUBLICATION NO. 1 1 



between 15 and 17. Although the political- 

 economic district was abolished in 1917, the judi- 

 cial districts still obtain. 



During the colonial period the Indian popida- 

 tion of Quiroga paid their taxes in the form of 

 assessed tribute to the representatives of the 

 encomenderos and of the crown in Tzintzuntzan 

 and Patzcuaro. In 1824 Michoacan was divided 

 into 10 taxation regions, 1 of which had head- 

 quarters in Patzcuaro. In 1831 these head tax 

 offices or administraciones de rentas were given the 

 right to collect all forms of State taxes including 

 excise taxes on tobaccos and other items covered 

 by the alcabala. Under the head office were 

 several branch offices known as receptorias or 

 cabeceras de secciones rentisticas. By 1843 a 

 seccion rentistica had been established which in- 

 cluded all of the modern municipios of Quiroga 

 and Tzintzuntzan, and which had its headquarters 

 or receptoria in Cocupao-Quiroga. Such an ar- 

 rangement has continued to the present with but 

 few changes. For a brief period 1860-63 Quiroga 

 was the seat of an administracion subalterna de 

 rentas, and in 1862-63 Quiroga constituted a 

 distrito rentistico, during all of which period the 

 area covered included the municijnos of Quiroga, 

 Tzintzuntzan, Coeneo, Zacapu, and Teremendo 

 (=IIuaniqueo?). At present the receptoria in 

 Quiroga is the headquarters of the second taxation 

 section within the Patzcuaro tax district, and a 

 sub-receptoria exists in Tzintzuntzan. 



From the historical outline given above it is 

 apparent that Quiroga has gradually developed 

 from a small Indian community, dependent upon 

 Tzintzuntzan and Patzcuaro in nearly all matters 

 of government, to a position of importance and 

 comparative independence. Also, there has been 

 a general trend away from Patzcuaro and toward 

 Morelia. Where formerly Quiroga was dependent 

 upon Patzcuaro politically, judicially, and fiscally, 

 Quiroga is now a municipality responsible only to 

 the State government in Morelia, although 

 fiscally Quiroga is in the Patzcuaro orbit and 

 judicially in that of Morelia. (Only a few of the 

 more important sources for the historical resume 

 are listed in the Bibliography. To document the 

 foregoing pages adequately would require a 

 bibliographic essay covering many pages. Such 

 an essay has been worked up in coimection with 

 the historical part of our report on Quiroga, from 



which history we have summarized portions of 

 several chapters.) 



MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT 



The Municipio de Quiroga is one of the 102 

 municipios (which we will term municipalities, but 

 which are more like townships) into which the 

 State of Michoacan is now divided. As a mu- 

 nicipio it is, by National and State constitutions, 

 a basic political unit next in order below the State. 

 The municipality governs itself according to the 

 regulations provided by the State congress, in 

 conformity with the modified National and State 

 constitutions of 1917. The most recent law 

 regulating municipalities is the Ley de Gobierno 

 Municipal published in Morelia, December 18, 

 1941. 



The municipality of Quiroga is represented and 

 administered by an ayuntamiento, selected by 

 popular du'ect vote, which resides in the VUla de 

 Quiroga. The ayuntamiento consists of five regi- 

 dores or municipes who are elected for a term of 2 

 years. The municipality is divided into five 

 electoral precincts, which are numbered from one 

 to five, and each precinct or seccion elects one of 

 the regidores. A portion of the ayuntamiento or 

 council is renewed each year. On the odd years 

 three places are contested, and on the even years 

 two places are subject to vote. Precincts vote in 

 any given year accordmg to whether their number 

 is odd or even; e. g., in 1945 precincts 1, 3, and 5 

 elected regidores. To be a regidor it is not neces- 

 sary to reside in the precinct electing; but the 

 person must be a male citizen of Michoacan, 

 possessed of full civil and political rights, born in 

 the municipio or resident at least one full year 

 previous to the election date, able to read and 

 wiite, and not a State or Federal employee or in 

 active military service. Also, among individuals 

 who cannot be elected regidor are such as persons 

 convicted of a major (nonpardonable) crime, 

 those interested in municipal contracts, employees 

 of the council, etc. ; and not more than one person 

 from any partnership or family group can be on 

 the councU at the same time. An examination of 

 the records shows that some of the regulations have 

 not always been observed; e. g., there have been 

 regidores who could not wi'ite, individuals not 

 resident in the area, members of the military, and 

 two members of a family group on the council 



