QUIROGA: a MEXICAN MTJNICIPIO — BRAND 



207 



Christians in many other parts of the world. Un- 

 fortunately, we did not have the time to investi- 

 gate the folklore of Quiroga. From what we saw 

 and heard, local beliefs seemed to represent a 

 mixture of European and Indian elements, but 

 often it was impossible to identify the origins. 

 There is some belief in witches, but this could be 

 either European or Indian in origin, and actually 

 seems to contain elements from both sources. A 

 considerable number of animals enter local folk- 

 lore, among which we might mention the owl, 

 which is considered a bird of ill-omen, and the 

 rattlesnake, which is feared and respected for more 

 than just its potent poison. If one sneezes in a 

 crowd there will be heard a chorus of "Jesus, 

 Marfa, Jose." A few houses have "horse shoes" 

 above the doors, and a considerable number of 

 houses have one or more crosses on the roof for 

 protection against lightning. In comparison with 

 many parts of Mexico, there are remarkably few 

 crosses along the roadsides, in the mountain passes, 

 and on the hilltops. In summaiy, the people of 

 Quiroga seem to be predominantly devout God- 

 fearing Catholics whose theology is best repre- 

 sented by a bloody Christ on the cross, and the 

 Virgin Mary in such guises as Our Lady of Sorrows, 

 Our Lady of Succor, and the like. Here the 

 Christian religion is one of pain and sorrow, under 

 the constant shadow of death, but paradoxically 

 relieved by the lighthearted music, dancing, fire- 

 works, and drinking that commonly accompany 

 so many of the religious festivals. 



BAPTISMAL NAMES 



The use of first names, forenames, or given 

 names, goes back to great antiquity. The prac- 

 tice, developed during the first centuries of 

 Christianity, of combining baptism and the giving 

 of a forename with Christian associations has 

 given rise to the term "baptismal name" (nombre 

 de pila) or so-called Christian name. Such usage 

 became almost universal within Christendom when 

 Pope Gregory the Great urged the use of only 

 given names with Christian antecedents; and such 

 usage was stressed by Cardinal Jimenez in Spain, 

 and by the Council of Trent for all Roman Cath- 

 olics. Consequently, from the time of the Spanish 

 Conquest of Mexico to the present time, all Euro- 

 peans, mixed bloods, and converted Indians and 

 their descendants have baptismal names of the 

 generalized Christian type. This type includes 



not only saints but also certain ancient heroes 

 such as Romulus, Caesar, Hannibal, Alexander, 

 and the like. In connection with saints' names, 

 it must be kept in mind that comparatively few 

 saints of the Christian church have received formal 

 canonization at Rome. During the medieval 

 period popular veneration and the approval of 

 the local bishop were sufficient basis for consider- 

 ing any given individual as a saint. Consequently 

 the various calendars of saints issued in different 

 Roman Catholic countries and areas differ widely 

 as to individuals included and excluded. 



In Mexico, and specifically in Michoacan, cer- 

 tain trends can be noted. In general the lists of 

 saints approximate those current in Spain. The 

 most popular source of names in Mexico during 

 the independence period has been the Calendario 

 Galvdn, with its lists of feast days, patron saints, 

 and the general list of saints. Locally, the parish 

 priests and their personal likes and dislikes have 

 conditioned the choice of baptismal names. On 

 a larger scale, the various missionary orders have 

 exerted great influence. Each order has its 

 favorite saints, whose names were widely used 

 in baptizing the Indians, and in the selection of 

 patron saints for churches, convents, hospitals, 

 and communities. Quiroga and the surrounding 

 area was under the Franciscans from the 1520's 

 until nearly the end of the colonial period. Natu- 

 rally, such Franciscan saints' names as Francisco, 

 Antonio, and Luis, were widely used. Apparently 

 there was some influence from the Augustinian 

 area a few miles to the southeast, and from the 

 Jesuits in Patzcuaro. However, of greatest im- 

 portance were the baptismal names of general 

 Christian usage; i. e., derived from Jesus the 

 Christ, the remainder of the Holy Family, the 

 sainted apostles, the archangels, the early Chris- 

 tian Fathers, and various events and personages 

 of the whole Bible. The relative importance of 

 these various types of Christian names will be 

 discussed after the names actually used in the 

 Quiroga area have been presented. Although 

 often an individual might be given the name of 

 one of the saints of the day upon which he was 

 born, such practice was not true in the majority 

 of the cases studied. As a result, most individuals 

 celebrate two "birthdays" — their actual birthday 

 or dia de cumpleanos, and their saint's day or 

 feast day of the saint after whom they were 

 named. There was noted some tendency to name 



