QUIROGA: a MEXICAN MTJNICIPIO — BRAND 



113 



registering births in the office within regular 

 office hours; and, at least within recent years, all 

 births have been so registered. Where the fee is 

 variable, the law allows the scribe of the civil 

 registry and the municipal treasurer to determine 

 which quota is applicable. This has been done 

 in Quiroga with reference to civil marriages. 

 Apparently aU civil marriages are performed in 

 the office within regular hours. Within a munici- 

 pality of the second class such marriage cere- 

 monies cost the members of the richest families 

 $20 to $25, while the families of intermediate 

 economic position pay $10 to $15, and poor 

 families pay $4. The marriage application costs 

 $1. The recognizing or legitimizing of "hijos 

 naturales," the inscription of an adoption, certifica- 

 tion of age, and comparable items carry a fee of 

 $5. The inscription of a record of divorce costs 

 from $10 for the poor to $50 for the rich. A 

 search for some specific record, when the year is 

 not known, costs $1 for each year examined, but 

 the total cost is not to exceed a maximum of $5. 

 The income from the civil register is minor, and 

 does not equal the salary of the encargado del 

 registro civil. There is no charge for the inscrip- 

 tion of a death. However, there are attendant 

 charges which are discussed under the next 

 heading. 



5. Derechos de panteones. — The cemetery belongs 

 to the municipality. Ever since 1833 it has been 

 illegal to bury in churches, and the construction 

 of cemeteries apart from the grounds in front of 

 and around the churches was required. However, 

 Quiroga did not construct a cemetery until 1850, 

 and rumor and tradition have it that persons were 

 buried in and near the parish church occasionally 

 even after that date. By law there are some four 

 types of burial the fees for which vary with the 

 capacity to pay. A burial, which will be undis- 

 turbed for 5 years, in the general burial area costs 

 the three economic classes, respectively, $4, $10, 

 and $20. All of the recent burials in Quiroga have 

 been of this type. Burial, for 5 years, in an isolated 

 or "distinguished" part of the cemetery costs $10 

 to $40. A perpetual sepulcher, in whatever 

 location, costs $50 to $200, and the annual quota 

 per body must be paid in addition. Annual 

 renewals, after the first 5 years, cost 25 percent 

 of the original charges. Burial in the "potter's 

 field" or fosa de cuarta clase is free. Permission 

 to remove a cadaver from the municipio of death 



to another costs $50 to $100. There are no charges 

 for marriages or burials of State and municipal 

 employees or pensionaries. The individuals in 

 charge of the cemetery (the caretaker and scribe 

 of the civil register) must keep a recoi-d of all 

 burials with category and fee paid. The scribe 

 of the civil register must make public monthly 

 a list of aU inscriptions of death and burial, mar- 

 riage, bu'th, etc., and copies go to the municipal 

 archives, the municipal treasurer, and the State 

 auditor's office. While we were in Quiroga we did 

 not see such hsts. 



6. Derechos de registro y refrendos de patentes de 

 Jierros. — Ever since 1870 the municipalities have 

 been required to keep records concerning the num- 

 ber of livestock owned and the brands employed 

 in the municipality. All large livestock or ganado 

 mayor (oxen and equines) must be marked by a 

 branding iron within the first 2 years after birth, 

 or else upon acquisition of a nonbranded animal. 

 Within 15 days after establishing a livestock busi- 

 ness (commonly, five or more animals), the cattle- 

 man must select and present a unique brand 

 before the municipal secretary. Then, in the 

 book entitled "Matricula de duenos de ganados," 

 there must be registered the name and address of 

 the owner, the location of his pastures, the kind 

 and number of cattle, the date, a sketch of the 

 brand, and a statement of the charges. This must 

 be signed by the municipal president, secretary, 

 and treasurer. No brand may be identical with 

 or confusingly similar to another valid brand 

 within the municipality. Wlien a man ceases to 

 own cattle, he must extinguish the brand by formal 

 notification. The tax rate, upon registering a 

 brand, is for 1 to 5 head of livestock, $3 ; for 6 to 10, 

 $5; 11 to 20, $10; 21 to 40, $15; 41 to 60, $25; 

 61 to 100, $40; and on in this fashion, until a man 

 with more than 1,000 head pays a tax of $500. 

 Every year in the second half of December the 

 municipal president must post a list of all persons 

 with valid brands, and these men must revalidate 

 {rejrendar) their brands and number of cattle the 

 ensuing January. Fees for this refrendo de patente 

 are: for 1 to 5 head, $2; 6 to 20, $4; 21 to 50, $8; 

 51 to 100, $20; 101 to 150, $30; and on, until the 

 man with more than 1,000 head pays $300. 

 Practically no new brands have been matriculated 

 in recent years, and apparently it has become the 

 custom to make a flat charge of $5 no matter what 

 the number of livestock owned. These derechos 



