QUIROGA: a MEXICAN MUNICIPIO — BRAND 



117 



sions {Caza y Pescn or Game and Fish) have been 

 in existence for 50 or more years. The Ust con- 

 sists of Hacienda (Finance), Alumhrado y Ornato 

 (Lighting and Decorations), Educacion, Carreteras 

 y Caminos (Highways and Roads), Caza y Pesca, 

 Abasto y Mercados (Slaughterhouse and Markets) , 

 Aguas (Water supply), Espectdculos Piiblicos 

 (Public Entertainment), Salubridad (Health or 

 Sanitation), and Basques y Arboledas (Woods and 

 Plantations). As of April 24, 1945, a Junta de 

 Mejoras Materiales (Board of Public Works) was 

 organized which has replaced the former Comision 

 de Obras Publicas. The junta has taken over all 

 business formerly associated with Aguas and 

 most of that of Alumbrado y Ornato, but it is 

 especially concerned with the deficient water 

 supply. The composition of the junta in 1945 and 

 1946 was: Dr. Arturo H. Rasc6n (president), Jose 

 Medina Gaona (secretary), Rafael Villicana (treas- 

 urer), and Ramdn Fuentes Medina, Antonio 

 Castellanos (the local collector of State taxes), 

 and the incumbent syndic. The treasurer of the 

 junta now collects the water-use tax, formerly 

 collected by the municipal treasurer. The mu- 

 nicipality itself supplies all of the public services 

 and utilities excepting education and health 

 (which are Federal) and electricity (which is 

 purchased) although there is Federal and State 

 aid for such items as roads. 



MUNICIPAL JUSTICE 



The lowest order or unit of justice in the State 

 of Michoacan is the alcalde or judge in the tenen- 

 cias and the two jueces menores (formerly alcaldes 

 and jueces de paz) in the municipal capital. 

 Formerly the alcaldes or jueces menores were 

 locally elected by direct popular vote and were 

 members of the ayuntamienfo, but they have 

 ceased to be a part ol the ayunfamiento and they 

 are no longer elected. Some time in January the 

 new ayunfamiento submits a slate of four names 

 to the State supreme court. Normally the court 

 will approve the slate, and will designate two as 

 proprietary judges and the other two as sub- 

 stitutes. The two judges alternate monthty in 

 serving in the local court or juzgado menor. 

 Usually the same judges will be reappointed for 

 a second year. In 1943 and 1944 the proprietary 

 judges were Efren Chagolla Campuzano and 

 Tomas Garcia Torres, although the substitutes, 

 Gilberto Romero and Jose Rivera, handled the 



court in 1944. The judges in 1945 and 1946 were 

 Jose Calder6n and Indalecio Chagolla. The office 

 of the local court is on the upper floor of the 

 municipal building. The records and the paper 

 work there are taken care of by the secretario del 

 juzgado whose salary is paid by the ayuntamiento. 

 The judicial archives in Quiroga consist of: 

 Copies of the Ley Orgdnica de Tribunales, the 

 Constitucion Politica del Estado de Michoacan de 

 Ocampo, penal and civil codes, scattered laws and 

 edicts of the State congress (including some for 

 1826-29), and scattered numbers of the Peri6dico 

 Official de Michoacan. Also there are papers per- 

 taining to criminal cases dating back to 1764, 

 intestate judgments for 1880, and registers and 

 coiTespondence concerning civil and criminal 

 cases, prisoners, sentences, inventories, etc., for 

 scattered years. Unfortunately, we did not have 

 the time to study the records or determine the 

 frequency of different types of crimes. Apparently 

 most of the cases are civil, or involve offences 

 against the public order such as committing a 

 nuisance, disorderliness, rape, theft and robbery, 

 attacks resulting in wounds, homicide, and 

 abductions. Cases may be tried in this court 

 which do not result in fines of more than $300 or 

 jail sentences of more than 6 months. Cases may 

 be appealed to the court of first instance in Morelia 

 (to which judicial district Quiroga belongs), 

 but apparently many cases are carried to the 

 juzgado de ■primera instancia in Patzcuaro. Perti- 

 nent documents or comprobantes in civil cases 

 pertaining to real estate are filed with the local 

 office of State tax collection. 



STATE GOVERNMENT 



The State government (governor or congress) 

 may and often does intervene in the municipal 

 affairs, especially with respect to the election of 

 ayuntamientos. The records indicate that in 

 addition to the ayuntamientos of 1935-37, there 

 were other impositions as in 1930, 1889-90, 1875, 

 1870, etc. We have already outlined the financial 

 relations between the municipality and the State 

 government. The ultimate court of legal appeal 

 is the State supreme court in Morelia. There is 

 direct public election of State congressmen every 

 3 years and of the State governor every 6 years. 

 Michoacan is divided into 11 State electoral 

 districts, presumably one for about every 100,000 

 people. At the moment, and for a number of 



