154 



INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 1 1 



Three types of oxen are recognized: (a) the 

 criollo which is the local dominant breed, (6) the 

 raza pura or Jina (thoroughbred) which may be an 

 occasional imported Hereford or Shorthorn, and 

 (c) the cruzada which is the local criollo stock im- 

 proved by breeding with some animal of pre- 

 sumably pure blood. Practically all of the cattle 

 are criollos of middle-size Iberian type, probably 

 mixed with Roman draft blood, with long horns 

 (not so long as those of the related Texas long- 

 horn) , and solid colors normally ranging from buff 

 and dun to reddish and black. We saw no pure 

 breeds but there was evidence in the cruzadas of 

 Hereford, Shorthorn, and possibly some other 

 admLxtm-es. Few head of cattle are pastured on 

 the "range" or conunon monies y pastos, and most 

 of the animals are rounded up or brought in from 

 work to corrals daily. About one-fourth of the 

 solares in town and nearly all of the households in 

 the ranchos possess corrals. Cattle pasture on 

 the wild grasses (chiefly various species of An- 

 dropogon, Panicum, Paspalum, Aristida, Muehlen- 

 bergia, Bouteloua, Bromus, Eragrostis, Pennisetum, 

 Setaria, Festuca, and related species) and maize 

 stalks left standing in the fields, and are fed 

 rastrojo in the corrals. In normal years there 

 may be as much as a 20 percent loss (chiefly March 

 to June) due mainly to lack of water, poor pas- 

 tures, and several epizootics (especially anthrax 

 and the related blackleg). Practically all oxen 

 (as well as horses and mules) are branded. This 

 is done in the first or second year after birth, and 

 usually in October and November. Despite the 

 laws on brands and registrations (see item 6 under 

 Municipal Finances, p. 113) only 115 head of 

 cattle were registered in the tax collector's office 

 in 1945, and but 325 were registered in 1946. 

 According to our census the distribution of oxen 

 in 1945 was: 



Bullocks or work oxen (bu- 381 in 119 households. 

 eyes) . 



Cows (vacas) 189 in 108 households. 



Bulls {loros) 10 in 7 households. 



Calves, yearlings, young bulls, 149 in 84 households, 

 heifers {becerros, ierneros, 

 novillos, and the feminine 

 forms) . 



Total 729 in 132 households. 



Although 11 cattlemen or ganaderos were re- 

 ported in the census of 1940, these people called 

 themselves merely agricultores in 1945. The 

 largest number of cattle any one person claimed 



to own was 20. Bullocks are commonly owned by 

 two's, most of the owners having but one yoke and 

 the largest number claimed being four yokes. 

 Occasionally a farmer will have but one or three 

 bullocks, which usually represents the recent death 

 or slaughter of one. Nearly six-sevenths of the 

 cattle are owned in the ranchos, including all 10 

 bulls. The Quiroga mUk supply comes principally 

 from the cows owned in town and in the neighbor- 

 ing ranchos of Atzimbo and Zirandangacho. 



PACK ANIMALS 



Horses, mules, and burros are used for packing, 

 riding, and threshing, and very seldom for draw- 

 ing carts or any other wheeled vehicle. The 122 

 horses (including mares and colts) are owned by 

 96 persons, chiefly in the ranchos. The largest 

 munber owned by one person was six. Horses 

 are used principally for riding, threshing, and 

 packing produce to town. The local horse (Equus 

 cahallus) is of medium size with a considerable 

 variety in color and markings, and midoubtedly 

 represents the local development of the peninsular 

 arab. Mules (mula in the feminine and macho in 

 the masculine) practically do not exist in Quiroga. 

 Officially there is only one muJa, that o%vned by 

 the municipality. However we saw at least two 

 others in the ranchos; they were being used in 

 threshing wheat. Apparently mules were rather 

 common in Quiroga until the coming of the rail- 

 roads reduced the arriero profession and burros 

 supplanted mules. Burros (asno, jumento, burro 

 and the feminine equivalents) are the chief pack 

 animals. In addition to bringing in the crops, 

 they are used by the carboneros, leneros and batel- 

 leros to bring charcoal, firewood, and bateas to 

 town. In fact burros pack about everything that 

 is to be transported locally excepting water in 

 town (they are used to pack kegs of water in the 

 dry season in the ranchos) and carcasses of 

 slaughtered beeves which are carried from the 

 abasfo to the meat shops on the backs of horses. 

 The local small and usually dun or mouse-colored 

 burro (Equus asinus) is of the Andalusian strain 

 which predominates in Mexico. The 203 burros 

 are owned by 1 18 individuals. Farmers commonly 

 own but 1 burro, and the score of arrieros own 

 from 1 to 10 burros each. The arrieria busi- 

 ness was maintained on the basis of a much larger 

 munber of burros imtil the highway was com- 

 pleted 1937-38, after which most of the arrieros 



