QUIROGA: a MEXICAN MTINICIPIO — BRAND 



177 



has been leather working in Quiroga from the 

 earliest times on record. At present there are 28 

 shoemakers and cobblers (zapateros), 14 tanners 

 (curtidores) , and 3 harness makers and saddlers 

 (talabarteros) . There are six tanyards (tenerlas), 

 four of which are in the homes of the proprietors, 

 and all of which are in the western part of cvarteles 

 I and II near sprmgs and piped water. The 

 equipment varies from tannery to tannery, but 

 the essentials consist of a supply of water, several 

 vats, a number of wooden horses or tanner's 

 beams, an assortment of knives (fleshers, scrapers, 

 curriers, trimmers), and smoothing irons (instead 

 of rollers) . More than three-fourths of the prime 

 materials are oxhides fresh from the slaughterhouse 

 which sell for an average of $ 1 . 60 a kilogram . The 

 average oxhide, moist and smeared with blood 

 and dirt, w'eighs about 30 kg. and costs $45 to $50. 

 Possibly sheepskins rank second, and these are 

 purchased at from $3.50 to $5 apiece. A few 

 horsehides are tamied, and also some skins of 

 pigs, goats, and an occasional wild animal (deer, 

 raccoon, fox, wildcat, etc.). Most of the tanners 

 use vegetable tannins, principally cascalote {Caesal- 

 pinia coriaria (Jacq.) Willd.) from the tierra cali- 

 ente at 80fi a kilogi'am, and timben or raicilla (men- 

 tioned previously) at $2 an arroba. A few tanners 

 use potassium dichromate and other chromium 

 compounds, which are expensive ($20-$27 a kilo- 

 gram) but which reduce the tanning time by at 

 least one-third. Other materials include hme, 

 dyestuffs (black, yellow, and brown), and dog 

 dung. The first operation is to wash and soak 

 the hides in limewater, which loosens the hah' and 

 the scarfskin, plumps the true skin, and neutral- 

 izes the fats. Next, the hides are placed on the 

 horses or beams and hau- and scarfsldn are scraped 

 and shaved oflF the hair side and the fatty com- 

 pounds and flesh are removed from the inside. 

 Then the hme remaining in the hides is removed 

 or neutraUzed by soaking the hides in water in 

 which dog dung has been dissolved. Finally the 

 hides are placed in the tanning solution, where 

 they are left for about a month if vegetable tan- 

 nins have been used. We cannot describe the 

 dyeing process (which is done simultaneously with 

 the tanning) because the hides in Quiroga are not 

 commonly dyed, and we did not see the process. 

 The principal uses of Quiroga leather are for sole 

 leather, thongs, belts, and some uppers. Some of 

 the tanners do their own splitting and currying, 



but many of the tanned hides and skins are sold 

 in that form to the zapateros and talabarteros. 

 The entire cueros are sold at $4.50 to $4.80 a 

 kilogram of tanned leather. It is claimed that a 

 green hide of 30 kg. will yield 16 kg. of leather. 

 This would amount to an income (after deducting 

 for the cost of the green hide) of about $28.80 

 per tanned hide, from which must be deducted 

 the cost of water, tannins, lime, etc. We were 

 unable to obtain satisfactory figures for these 

 costs. The average tanner can complete 8 to 12 

 hides each month. We would hazard a net return 

 for labor of about $4 or $5 a day. However, the 

 total number of oxen slaughtered in the munici- 

 pality each year is not sufficient to keep all of the 

 tanners working at capacity, and there is rela- 

 tively little purchase of hides from neighboring 

 municipalities. 



With the decline of arrieria there has been a 

 great decline in the number of talabarteros, and 

 at present there are only three who claim this 

 occupation. Actually, only one maintains a for- 

 mal shop or talabarteria in his home, and the other 

 two do only occasional jobs where the leather is 

 provided by the customer for some specific manu- 

 facture. Equipment consists of awls, knives, 

 punches, sharpening steel, wedge, rule, compass, 

 triangle, hammers, mallet, and wooden vise or 

 form. Materials embrace leather of various 

 weights and quality purchased in Quiroga and 

 Morelia, thongs, pita (Agave) cordage, and bucldes. 

 Various types of belts and straps constitute the 

 bulk of the present manufacture. Mending riding 

 saddles, making men's belts which cost $1 in 

 materials and seU for $2, and retailing a variety 

 of leather goods constitute the business of the 

 leading talabartero. The others make occasional 

 sets of harness to order. The equipment for pack 

 animals (jato) comprises cinches, martingales, back 

 straps, blinkers, saddle or packing pads, crude 

 pacldng trees, etc. The exact number of these 

 items varies with the customer, his pocketbook, 

 and his occupation. Arrieros who drive burros 

 and mules on long trips over rough roads are the 

 most exacting in their requirements. The set of 

 harness (aparejo) used locally on burros can be 

 made in 5 or 6 days, and costs the leather and 

 pita involved plus $3 a day wages. On some sets 

 there is almost more agave fiber used than leather. 



The 28 shoemakers, cobblers, and makers of 

 leather sandals (himraches) work in 16 shops, all 



