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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 11 



own pinceles from the hair of dogs, cats, and 

 squirrels. The principal materials are the pig- 

 ments and paints. For backgrounds, other than 

 the black or green of the maquea, prepared paints 

 are commonly purchased in tins. Locally prepared 

 pigments of vegetable, mineral, and animal origin 

 prevailed into the nineteenth century. Among the 

 more important of these were lampblack and bone- 

 black, red and yeUow ochres, yellow from tiripo 

 (Cuscuta), blue from indigo (hidigofera) , carmine 

 from cochineal, and white from gypsum. At 

 present practically all pigments are purchased in 

 powdered form from the local stores at rates 

 varying from $0.20 to $1.60 an ounce according 

 to the color and quality. Local pigments have not 

 been used within the memory of living persons. 

 The most important colors are black, red and 

 orange, green, yellow, white, blue, pink, and 

 purple. The black is lampblack; most of the red 

 is Vermillion, with some rouge and Venetian red; 

 green is compounded from blue and yellow; 

 yellow includes ochres and naples yellow; the 

 white is zinc, lead, and some gypsum; most of 

 the blue is prussian blue, with some ultramarine 

 and cobalt; carmine and the reds are used in 

 developing pink tints; and purple is compounded 

 from blue and the red-rose-pink pigments and 

 mixtures. Linseed oil ($L90 to $2.50 a hter), 

 turpentine ($1 to $L30 a liter), and japan ($0.25 

 an ounce dry; $1.20 a liter liquid) complete the 

 list of materials used. A typical painting mixture 

 consists of 1 liter of linseed oil, 1/5 liter of japan, 

 500 gm. of coloring pigment (this amount varies 

 greatly) , and a little turpentine. 



If not yet varnished, one coat {una mano) of 

 barniz is applied to the batea and then it is placed 

 in the sun to dry — which usually takes about 4 

 hours. Most of the painters decorate directly 

 on the varnished surface, which has the black 

 tone of the maque underneath. The few who 

 occasionally paint on a cream, yellow, or other 

 base, must apply this background. Normally 

 the next operation after varnishing is the final 

 decorating, which consists of painting designs in 

 two or more colors. The most common design 

 is a number of conventionalized flowers with 

 leaves and stems which fill most of the field. The 

 grouping varies from painter to painter, but 

 most of the flowers are either clustered near the 

 center or are distributed in a peripheral circle. 

 There is little formal division of the field, or 



aiTangement of decorative elements in zones. 

 Most of the flowers are fanciful, colorful, and 

 resemble (in petal arrangement) either roses or 

 composites. The orchid, contrary to practice in 

 Uruapan, seldom is depicted. A few painters 

 have attempted landscapes, which range from 

 local lake and village scenes to scenes that must 

 have been copied from postcard or other iUustra- 

 tions of the Alps, Japan, etc. Some painters 

 include birds (fanciful, generalized, parrots, hum- 

 mingbirds, etc.) among the flowers. We heard 

 that at one time there was considerable depiction 

 of humans, birds, snakes, butterfhes, grasshoppers, 

 fish, coyotes, and other animals, and the employ- 

 ment of mottoes and sentimental phrases, but 

 we savv no examples of such work. The decora- 

 tion is done entirely by free-hand painting and 

 there is none of the encrustation such as is done 

 in Uruapan, or incision as in Olinala. The 

 dominant colors for the flowers are yellow, white, 

 blue, pink, and combinations of these colore. 

 The normal sequence is to first paint the flowers 

 (large ones, then the smaU flowers), then the 

 buds if any, and finally the foliage. Some 

 families with several painters are organized some- 

 what like an assembly line. One member paints 

 only one or two elements, and then passes the 

 batea to a second painter who adds his quota, and 

 so on. If the drier used is of good quality and 

 there is ample sunshine a completely painted 

 batea wiU dry in 4 or 5 hours, but sometimes up 

 to 8 days is needed. Painters (who apply varnish, 

 background, and decoration) average $1 a dozen 

 for the cuartas which the^'jturn out at rates from 

 2.5 to 6 dozen a day aftcan average of about 4 

 dozen. They receive $1.50 a dozen for the 

 cuatros, of which they paint 2 to 4 dozen a day 

 and average about 3 dozen. The average painter 

 can turn out 2 dozen No. 3 bateas a day, for which 

 he gets $2 a dozen. Gross earnings run from $3 

 to $10 a day, with the average probably being a 

 little more than $4. Net earnings may average 

 around $3.50 a day. i 



The bateas go from th^ painters to local "tourist 

 shops," traveling merchants or agents who sell on 

 commission, purchasers from the large curio 

 stores in Mexico City, Morelia, Guadalajara, 

 Zamora, and elsewhere, and are sold to or con- 

 signed to a number of small merchants who may 

 keep a few on display in their gi-ocery stores, 

 restaurants, etc. Local wholesale prices (as of 



