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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 1 1 



obtain in different portions of the Quiroga area. 

 With these prehminary observations out of the way 

 we will try to set forth the statistics of field crop- 

 ping in Quiroga. Of one thing we are certain, that 

 our figures are better than most official figures that 

 have been compiled for the area at the times of 

 the various censuses, because those figures were 

 compiled by remote control. 



UNITS OF AGRICULTURAL MEASUREMENT 



The system of agricultural measures of area, 

 capacity (volume), and weight is in a state of 

 anarchy because of the variable conversions of old 

 Spanish units into units of the recently adopted 

 (only about 50 years officially) metric system. 

 The conversions are variable (1) because of the 

 fact that the old Spanish units varied from one 

 province of Spain to another, (2) because of 

 variations in the weights and sizes of different 

 grains (with wliich we are familiar through the 

 different weights of a bushel), and (3) because of 

 individual variations in amount of grain planted 

 per unit of area. During the colonial period and 

 until about 1896 it was customary for an official 

 to make an inspection {vuita) once a year to each 

 jurisdiction or municipality and check the local 

 standards of weights and measures against master 

 units which he carried with him. This was known 

 as the visita de Jiel contraste. During the nine- 

 teenth century each ayrmtamiento of a munici- 

 pality kept a number of weights (marked pieces of 

 metal) and boxes of different volume content which 

 served as the standards for the municipality. 

 In 1869 Quiroga adjusted its local grain measures 

 {medidas para semillas) to the standards obtaining 

 in Morelia, but despite this adjustment there are 

 numerous differences today between values in 

 Morelia and in Quiroga, and even from one part of 

 the Quiroga municipality to another. The basic 

 measurements of volume were a small lidless and 

 strongly constructed wooden box which held 

 approximately 2 liters, and another which held 

 about double this amount. These units were 

 termed cuartillo and cvarteron, and the cuartillo 

 originally represented the fourth part of a celemin 

 or Spanish peck, which in turn was about the 

 twelfth part of a, fanega or Spanish bushel. Ap- 

 parently the present sizes or capacities of these 

 measures have been altered so as to conform with 

 certain even parts of the metric system, e. g., 50 

 cuariillos make & fanega of 100 liters in most cases. 



The medida is the actual metric counterpart of the 

 douhle-cuartillo or cuarferon, and contains 5 liters 

 of dry measured grains. In table 26 we give the 

 range in interpretation current in the Quiroga 

 area; those values that are official or which are 

 most commonly accepted in the case of several 

 values are shown in italic. We have not presented 

 the units of planting area since there is extreme 

 variation in this group of measurements. For 

 example, a planted bushel of maize (Janega de 

 sembradura de maiz) seldom conforms with actual 

 practice, and is valued from about K (0.64) to 4 

 (3.6) hectares. Also, a tercio de sembradura de 

 trigo (a planting unit for wheat) varies from about 

 4 to 8 hectares and a yunta de semhradtira de trigo 

 (yoke — of oxen — of wheat planting) varies from 

 about 3.5 to 6.0 hectares. 



Table 26. — Agricultural weights and measures 

 VOLUME OF C.\PACITY ■ 



WEIGHT OR MASS 



' Values that are official or which are most commonly accepted are in italic. 

 MAIZE OR INDIAN CORN 



The chief crop since prehistoric times has been 

 maize or Indian corn {Zea mays), which is com- 

 monly termed maiz, although the Tarascan name 

 tsiri is used occasionally. From a check of the 

 fields, a number of home granaries, stores kept by 



