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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 11 



but 4 of which are in the homes of the proprietors. 

 The number of workers, including the proprietor 

 or patron, varies from 1 to 4. There is very little 

 shoemaking, and most of the work is repairing 

 shoes and sandals. Several shops concentrate on 

 making sandals and these are known as huara- 

 cherias. The equipment is very simple and is 

 restricted to metal and wooden lasts and forms 

 and hand tools such as awls, knives, and hammers. 

 A few shoemakers have sewing machines. The 

 majority of the shoes and probably a large part 

 of the huaraches in Quiroga are brought in from 

 Mexico City, Guanajuato, Jalisco, and other towns 

 in Michoacan. 



TAILORS AND DRESSMAKERS 



There are eight tailors who work in five shops 

 or sastrerias which are installed in the front rooms 

 of the homes of the proprietors. They make a 

 variety of clothing for males, repair clothing, and 

 do cleaning (removal of spots) and pressing. 

 When a suit, or overcoat, or some shirts are made, 

 commonly the customer supplies the cloth, which 

 may be purchased in Quiroga or Morelia, and 

 probably was made in Guanajuato, Queretaro, the 

 Distrito Federal, Puebla, or Veracruz. The basic 

 equipment consists of hand and pedal sewing 

 machines, irons heated with charcoal, and an 

 assortment of shears, scissors, needles, and tape. 

 Most of the articles of female dress (other than 

 the rebozos and fajas worn by the poorer women, 

 and the fine shawls or mantillas and stockings 

 worn by a minority) are made in the home. In 

 the town of Quiroga there are 107 hand and 87 

 pedal sewing machines, or about one sewing 

 machine for every three households. In addition 

 to skirts, blouses, dresses, and undergarments for 

 the female members of the family, a large propor- 

 tion of the work trousers, shirts, and underwear of 

 the males are also made in the home. Women who 

 do not own sewing machines commonly borrow 

 or rent from their neighbors. Some housewives 

 do occasional sewing for others. However, there 

 were five professional dressmakers or modistas, 

 two seamstresses, and an uncertain number of 

 women and girls who would go out to others' 

 homes to sew. 



The above categories practically exhaust the 

 list of cottage crafts. Although nearly all of the 

 baking is done in home establishments, this and 

 other forms of food elaboration have been grouped 



together for discussion. Since Quiroga is nearly 

 surrounded by important pottery-making com- 

 munities (Santa Fe, Capula, and Tzintzuntzan) 

 not a bit of pottery is made locally, although some 

 of the pottery made in Santa Fe is decorated by 

 Quiroga painters. The total picture of cottage 

 crafts in Quiroga is somewhat inconsistent. Only 

 in the wood industries (chairs, bateas, and turned 

 objects) is there a constant surplus for export. A 

 number of crafts exist which only partially supply 

 the local needs (e. g., weaving, blacksmi thing, and 

 leatherworking) . In a few fields there is still de- 

 pendence on communities which have specialized 

 in certain commodities since colonial times (e. g., 

 metates and manos from San Nicollis, musical 

 instruments and chocolate beaters from Paracho, 

 etc.). However, the improvement of communica- 

 tions and the development of large and diversified 

 industries in such cities as Mexico, Leon, Guada- 

 lajara, etc., have combined to bring about a general 

 reduction in most cottage crafts. This trend 

 probably will continue in Quu-oga until there will 

 be left practically no true cottage crafts. Making 

 of wooden items for tourists will become more and 

 more concentrated in central shops, while such 

 crafts as weaving and leatherworking will disappear 

 completely, shoemakers will be simply cobblers, tai- 

 lors will be principally menders, cleaners, and press- 

 ers of clothes, and blacksmiths will do little more 

 than shoe equines, etc. 



FOOD PROCESSING 



Other than the milling of wheat flour and the 

 grinding of maize, the chief form of food processing 

 is the baking of breadstuffs from wheat flour. 

 There are 25 bakers or panaderos, including one 

 repostero or maker of tarts, cookies, and other sweet 

 confections. These 25 bakers work in 13 bakeries 

 or panaderias, all but 2 of which are in the homes of 

 the master bakers. There is 1 large bakery, 7 of 

 middle size, and 5 small ones. Each bakery has 1 

 or 2 hornos or Spanish bake ovens, about 4 meters 

 in diameter and 1.30 meter in height, which are 

 located in the yard or patio. The dough is mixed 

 in wooden bowls and a large wooden trough (artesa 

 or canoa). Other equipment included poles and 

 long spatulas or paddles (hojas), flour boards, 

 baskets, and mantles. The regular bakeries made 

 small crusty French rolls, smooth floured circular 

 breads something like a large biscuit in appearance, 

 roundish breads glazed and encrusted with white 



