168 INSTITUTE or SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 1 1 



include two kinds of earths, linseed oil, japan or hand, the tierra colorada of Quiroga seems to be 



japan drier, and lampblack. The earths may be very close to or identical with the hehuetacua of 



pm'chased from some individuals in El Calvario Uruapan, used for red exteriors and backgrounds. 



(from 10(if a half kilogram down to $2 for a burro- Both contain hematite or red ochre as the coloring 



load of two bags of uncertain weight), or the pigment. 



maqueadora may herself go to one of several hills The first step in the application of the slip or 



in the Quiroga-La Tirimicua area (La Muneca, mague is to apply the linseed oil (mixed with japan 



Gerro Chino, etc.) and dig whatever she needs. It drier in proportions of two to one) as priming, then 



was not uncommon to see a woman and several add the powdered tierra negra to the interior or 



children coming down the trail with hateas full of concave surface, and let dry in the sun for Iji to 2 



reddish or blackish earths. One of the earths was hours. A variation of this procedure is to apply 



referred to as tierra Colorado, and seemed to be the oil, then the straight tierra negra, and finally 



simply very hard clods of reddish earth. All that the tizne or lampblack which has not previously 



is done to prepare the tierra colorada is to grind it been mixed with the tierra negra. A common 



to a very fine powder on the metate. The other variation is to mix the linseed oil and japan drier 



blackish earth is called tierra negra and tierra prieta with the tierra negra and tizne and apply the 



de encino, and is country soil mixed with humus composition with the zalea. Thus far the main 



which is obtained beneath oak trees. This black- difference from the classic Uruapan technique is 



ish earth is burned or roasted, ground to powder that dolomite (teputzuta) and the rendered fat or 



on the metate, and mixed with lampblack. The grease of the axin Coccus are not used in the basic 



soot or tizne is obtained from petroleum (humo de composition. Although some people term the 



petroleo) , from pitch pine {humo de ocote) , from the mague composition a lacquer {laca) ov a varnish 



interior of corncobs {humo de olote) , etc. Through {barniz) , it is neither. No lacquer (exudation of a 



the courtesy of the Geological Institute of the Rhus) is used, and the only gummy or resinous 



National University of Mexico we obtained analy- material is that in the japan drier. Presumably 



ses of these two earths. The results surprised us, the oil of chia {Salvia) is superior to all others in 



especially as to the respective proportions of making the mague, but none has been used locally 



organic material, but we present them for whatever within the memoiy of any of the people. During 



they are worth. the nineteenth century or earlier chia oil was 



'^'ouZr '^'dTorUnra' Supplanted by oil from the chicalote poppy 



tocura charanda (^r^jemoTie), and uow this oillias been Supplanted 



„ ^ , , , . „„ , „„ almost completely by linseed oil. It is claimed 



HjO (water) 4.98 1.66 ,, . ,, '' t i- j , -i /u +t • r 



SiO (silica) - 35- 03 38. 35 ti^&t the common use of chicalote oil (both m slip- 



AI2O3 (alumina) 15.57 18.89 ping and in painting) ended some time prior to 



Fe203 (ferric oxide) 1.00 3.30 1918. On occasion chicalote oil is still used on 



FeO (ferrous oxide) 1.81 special orders (commonly from ameros), and then 



MnO(manganou3 oxide) .05 .08 it is for a green magwe or slip rather than the 



CaO (calcium oxide) 1.43 1.79 , . , , , m ,, ■ ., 



MgO (magnesia) .04 .07 predommant black. To prepare this oil some 



Na (sodium) .19 .10 chicalote seed is toasted, ground on a metate, 



NH3 (ammonia) .15 mixed \vith hot water, and the oil that rises to the 



Ti02 (titanium dioxide) .05 .08 surface is absorbed by a rag which is squeezed into 



CI (chlorine) ---. .30 .15 ^ calabash tecomate. Somethnes the ground 



PjOs (phosphoric pentoxide) 1.00 1.33 ,. , , . 1 ,. 1 ,1 , , ,1 -i 



SO (sulfur trioxide) 1. 43 1. 49 chicalote or masa is placed in a cloth bag and the oil 



Unidentified organic 36.99 32.76 is squeezed out. The green for this special mag^/e 



is obtained by mixing naples yellow, prussian blue, 



100. 02 100. 05 j^mj gypsum. The final step for the interior 



It is quite evident from the above analyses that maguea (black or green) is to polish vigorously with 



the people of Quiroga do not use two earths pre- the cloth or traj^o. The exterior maque is invari- 



sumably very important in the Uruapan tech- ably red, and is always applied after the interior 



nique, namely a dolomite known as teputzuta, and has been slipped. The procedure is essentially the 



a ferruginous lime called igiletacua. On the other same as for the black mauqea, excepting that only 



