QUIROGA: a MEXICAN MXFNICIPIO — BRAND 



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chilacayote macho has black seeds and a very 

 fibrous flesh which is prized for cooking with 

 brown sugar to produce a dulce or candied dessert. 

 A less fibrous and sweeter form, chilacayote 

 calabazo, with Islack and with white seeds is cooked 

 like ripe pumpkin. Another native pumpkin is 

 the purvxin-zecna{1) , talayote, or calabaza tamala- 

 yote, which we know as the musky pumpkin, 

 cushaw, and winter crookneck {Cucurbita mos- 

 chata Duch.). This pumpkin is raised only in the 

 solares and is not very common. A prized but 

 not commonly raised pumpkin (really a squash) 

 is the South American Cucurbita maxima Duch., 

 which was introduced by the Spaniards and is 

 known as calabaza de castilla and calabaza turbante 

 and improperly as ayotli and tamalayota. This is 

 the species to which belong our autumn and winter 

 squashes, Hubbards, Mammoth Chileans, and 

 Turbans. Various strains of this species are 

 cultivated, and often they are planted in January 

 and February and harvested in May and June. 

 Probably the native Mexican Cucurbita mixta 

 Pang, is present but we were not able to identify it. 

 Nor were we able to identity the pumpkins known 

 to the Tarascans as tzopome and itzuz. The 

 related calabash gourd (Lagenaria vulgaris Ser., 

 Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standi., or Lagenaria 

 leucantha Rusby) was known to the prehistoric 

 Tarascans, and water bottles (guajes or bules) 

 of this gourd are used in Quiroga, but all are 

 imported. Tarascan names for the bottle gourd 

 include ihuan-itzuz, xuren, and timapo. 



The ne.xt most important plant in the solares is 

 the chayote (Sechium edule Swartz.) which is also 

 a native Mexican cucurbit known to the Tarascans 

 as apupu and apupio. It is a perennial which 

 produces both fruits and tuberous roots for 6 to 8 

 years. Although it can be planted at any time of 

 the year, usually it is planted between October 

 and March. A hole is dug in the yard and an 

 entu'e fruit is planted. Then a protective cage 

 and trellis is constructed of poles which keeps 

 animals from damaging the growing plant and 

 gives support to the multitudinous ramifications 

 of the vine. Some fruit is gathered about August 

 of the first year of planting, but the crop is not 

 important until the second year when harvesting 

 goes on commonly from July to December. The 

 fruits are somewhat pear-shaped, 10 to 20 cm. in 

 length, with a greenish wrinkled and furrowed 

 skin, and contain one large flat seed. In the 



second year can begin the collection of some of the 

 minor tuberous roots (chinchayote, guards) in 

 December and Januarj', but the large roots are 

 not gathered imtil the plant has seen its best 

 producing days and is cut down. Chayotes are 

 not so common in Quiroga as in many other parts 

 of Mexico and we counted only 230 plants in 101 

 solares. Both the chayote and the raiz de chayote 

 are cooked and eaten as vegetables, but they are 

 always considered as something of a delicacy. 

 The chief source of outside supply is Santa Fe, 

 whose women sell the cooked fruit and root in the 

 Quiroga plaza. 



The third most important vegetable of the 

 solares is the chile pepper in several of its many 

 varieties. Chile or aji {chilli in Mexicano and 

 cahuds in Tarascan) can be lumped in one species 

 Capsicum frutescens L., or divided into two or 

 three species each with several subspecies. All of 

 the chiles cultivated in Quiroga are of the annual 

 type (C. annuum), and belong to the long (C. 

 longum) and bell (C. cordijorme or C. grossum) 

 subtypes. The chiles are green when immature, 

 and are red or yeUow when ripe. The most 

 common forms raised are known by the names 

 peron (also amarillo and chilcoztli), jalapeno or 

 mango, and pasilla or guajillo. Also such names 

 as ancho, chipotle, poblano, mulato, verde, and seco 

 are encountered, which merely represent shape, 

 size, maturity, color, and preparation of the above 

 types. The ancient Mexicans recognized seven 

 distinct species of which five seem to be present in 

 Quiroga. Chiles are planted at various seasons of 

 the year, most commonly in February, June, 

 September, and December, and usually take 4 

 months to mature, after which the fruit can be 

 harvested for about 5 months. The main chile 

 harvest is through the months from June to 

 December. However, probably the bulk of the 

 chile consumed in Quiroga is imported from out- 

 side of the Patzcuaro Basin. 



The other important vegetable crops will be 

 discussed briefly in alphabetic order: 



Beets (Beta vulgaris L.), known locally as acelga and 

 betahel. Quite minor. Roots and leaves used. 



Cabbages {Brassica oleracea L.), col, repollo, and xacua. 

 The general Tarascan term for an edible leafy herb is 

 xacua. Common, in the form of kales, and white 

 cabbages. Used in soups and stews. 



Carrots (Daucus carota var. saliva DC), zanahoria. Minor. 



Coriander (Coriandrum salivum L.), culantro and cilandro. 

 A common flavoring for soups and stews. 



