QUIKOGA: a MEXICAN MUNICIPIO — BRAND 



139 



(absentee landlord with mayordomo, various 

 types of medieros, ejidatario, etc.), sizes of farming 

 families (i. e., labor resources), and other impor- 

 tant factors. It would be misleading to present 

 conclusions for all of the Qunoga area on the basis 

 of oiu- sampHngs which incompletely covered only 

 some 130 farmers. However, for whatever it is 

 worth, we will summarize the results of our 

 observations and interviews with farmers. There 

 were approximately 350 farmers (owners, renters, 

 and ejidatarios) who planted maize in 1945. The 

 amount planted by each farmer varied from less 

 than 0.2 of a hectare to more than 25 hectares. 

 Both the median and the modal acreage planted 

 to maize was 2.5 hectares, i. e., the typical or 

 normal farmer cultivated 2.5 hectares of maize in 

 1945. What the average was we are not cer- 

 tain- — probably somewhere between 2.2 and 3.0 

 hectares, and most probably closer to the first 

 figure. The modal, median, and typical maize 

 farmer spent about 50 days of labor per hectare 

 (everything from barbecho to harvesting), which 

 represents 125 man-days for the typical farm. 

 Probably 70 to 80 of these man-days were provided 

 by the farmer himself and members of his family, 

 and the remaining 40 to 50 man-days were 

 provided by hired labor. The average cost of 

 farm labor per day in 1945 was $2. Seed maize, 

 if retained by the farmer from his previous harvest, 

 cost him merely its nominal value. During the 

 year there is considerable fluctuation in maize 

 prices (highest just before the harvest and lowest 

 during and just after the harvest), but an average 

 of $21 wholesale (from farmer to merchant) and 

 $23 retail (from merchant to consumer) a fanega 

 obtained during most of 1945. Prices went up 2 

 centavos a hter in the winter of 1945-46. At 20 

 liters of seed per hectare the seed would be worth 

 about $4.20 per hectare or $10.50 for the 2.5 

 hectare parcel. The amortized cost or value of 

 equipment used in a year (plow, yoke, harness, 

 machete, etc.) probably would not amount to 

 more than $9, which includes the depreciation 

 due to use on other crops besides maize. About 80 

 percent of the proprietary farmers own at least 

 one yoke of oxen, nearly 30 percent own two or 

 more yokes, while practically all of the share- 

 croppers must rent work animals. Work oxen 

 commonly rent at $4 a yoke per day plus their 

 food. The typical farm owner probably rents 

 oxen for the equivalent of 25 yoke-days, which 



would amount to $100 ox rental for the maize 

 season. The typical farm owner also owns one 

 or two burros and/or horses, and has no need to 

 rent these animals. The typical cultivated parcel 

 probably is listed on the tax rolls as temporal de 

 segunda, valued at $80 a hectare, and the total 

 annual taxes will amount to $3.38 for the 2.5 

 hectare parcel. There is little point in consider- 

 ing capital investment (the real sales valuation of 

 the land) and return or interest on the investment 

 since (a) it is exceedingly difficult to obtain the 

 sales valuation, and {b) the farmer does not think 

 in such terms. ActuaOy he is inclined to think 

 of his returns on an annual basis and in terms of 

 how much maize he has left for himself after 

 paying maize (or cash equivalent) for hired labor, 

 rental of animals and equipment, and whatever 

 else called for immediate expenditures. His 

 time, and that of members of the family, and the 

 value of his land, animals, and equipment on hand, 

 do not enter into his accounting. Roughly, 

 expenditures and returns per typical hectare and 

 parcel of 2.5 hectares might be as shown in table 27. 



Table 27. — Expenditures and returns per typical areas 



• The cash value of the maize crop minus expenses of hired labor, rented 

 animals, and taxes. 



' The cash value of the maize crop minus all estimated costs. In addition 

 the farmer will profit on beans and pumpkins interplanted with the maize, 

 elotes taken out before the main harvest, and the rastrojo fed to his own 

 animals or sold. 



WHEAT 



Common wheat {Triticum vulgar e Vill. or 

 Triticum aestivum L.) is the second field crop by 

 acreage and is the leading cash crop since the 

 majority of the farmers do not eat wheat bread 

 but sell their entire harvest to the local flour mill. 

 Mediterranean or turgid type wheat was being 

 cultivated in the Patzcuaro Basin before 1534, 

 and has continued to be highly important through- 

 out most of northern Michoacan to the present 

 day. Diu-ing the entire colonial period Michoacan 



