QUIROGA: a MEXICAN MUNICIPIO BRAND 



223 



the homes, that personal cleanliness could be im- 

 proved upon greatly. Although there is one public 

 bathhouse at present (and one was recorded for 

 Quiroga as early as 1878), its limited facilities are 

 not taxed. In this connection it is interesting to 

 surmise why the sweat bath {temezcal in Mexicano 

 and kuringuequa in Tarascan) has not survived in 

 this portion of Mexico. It was kno^vn and used 

 prehistorically by the Tarascans, and the sweat 

 bath was a part of the various Indian hospitals in 

 the colonial period. 



Apparently the first resident physician was Dr. 

 Octaviano Valdes (who had studied abroad), who 

 took up practice in Quiroga as early as 1874, and 

 by 1877 there was one resident pharmacist. 

 Before the end of the century six other doctors had 

 practiced in Quiroga, at least three of whom were 

 natives of Quu-oga who had obtained their educa- 

 tion in Morelia (Dr. Francisco Calvillo, Dr. 

 Victoriano Le6n, and Dr. J. Jesus Garcia Pita). 

 Doctors Le6n (ca. 1887-1910) and Garcia (ca. 

 1890-1914) were the leading and often the only 

 doctors in Quiroga for some 20 years prior to the 

 revolution. From about 1914 or 1915 until 1936 

 there were no resident physicians excepting two 

 about 1926-27. Beginning in 1936 there has 

 been at least one physician in residence, and a 

 total of six different doctors have lived in Quiroga 

 between 1936 and 1945. The physician now in 

 private practice is Dr. Arturo H. Ilasc6n (degree 

 from the Escuela Medico MUitar), who first came 

 to Quiroga with the Ejidal Medical Service 1939- 

 41. In 1945 there was also Dr. Genaro Hernandez 

 Rodriguez serving a 5-month "internship" with 

 the Social Medical Service. 



FOOD, DRINK, AND DRUGS 



Since we did not make a definite survey of food 

 and drink habits in the Quiroga area, the following 

 remarks (based on sporadic observations) are to 

 be considered as approximations of the situation. 

 Starch foods must comprise at least three-fifths 

 by dry weight of all food consumed. The chief 

 sources of starch are maize (more than half of aU 

 the food by weight), wheat, beans (kidney, horse, 

 lima, etc.), bananas, rice, potatoes, and sweet- 

 potatoes. Proteins are provided by meats (princi- 

 pally beef, followed distantly by pork, and then 

 poultry), beans, fish, cheese, eggs, peanuts, 

 pumpkin seeds, etc. Most of the calcium is 



derived from the nixtamal, and smaller quantities 

 are obtained from dried fish (charal) and various 

 greens. Chile peppers are important sources of 

 carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and ascorbic 

 acid. Lard is the most used cooking fat, in addi- 

 tion to which some fat is introduced into the diet 

 from various meats, milk, peanuts, avocados, 

 pumpkin seeds, etc., Brown cane sugar is the 

 chief form in which sugar is consumed and some 

 sugar is obtained from the most popular fruits — 

 various citrus fruits and bananas. Tomatoes, 

 cabbages, pumpkins, onions, peas, and carrots 

 predominate among the cooked vegetables. Chile 

 peppers, tomatoes, onion and garlic, marjorams, 

 coriander, and cinnamon are the most common 

 flavorings. Maize atoles, coffee, milk, and choco- 

 late are the leading nonalcoholic beverages. 



Among the everyday dishes there are no novel- 

 ties not found elsewhere in Mexico. Since there 

 are adequate descriptions of all of the common 

 Mexican foods available in cookbooks and ethno- 

 graphic monographs (see Beals, 1946, and Foster, 

 1948), there is no point in discussing recipes. 

 Maize enters into a majority of the prepared foods, 

 which run the gamut from breadstuffs (tortillas, 

 etc.), through stews (hominy in pozole), to parched 

 corn (pinole) and popcorn, and various gruels 

 and drinks (atoles) . For some reason the Mexican 

 Government has concerned itself with the number 

 of people who commonly eat wheat bread (pan 

 de trigo) either in addition to or to the exclusion 

 of tortillas. According to the 1940 census there 

 were in Quiroga and its ranchos 541 people who 

 commonly ate wheat bread and 3,358 who did not. 

 The proportion of wheat eaters has increased 

 somewhat since the 1940 census. The number of 

 dishes or foods consumed in a Quu-oga family 

 increases with the wealth of the family. The very 

 poorest live most of the time on tortillas with chile 

 and atoles, supplemented by gathered greens and 

 fruits. The poor add beans and a few other items 

 to the basic diet. Those somewhat better off 

 add meat, fish, and wheat bread and a number of 

 vegetables, fruits, flavorings, etc., and so on up 

 progressively. Contrary to popular opinion in the 

 United States, tamales are not a common everyday 

 food, and when tamales are eaten they usuaUy 

 do not contain a meat filler. Chile and other 

 sauces, and bean paste are often used in tamales. 

 The number of meals and the hours of eating 

 vary greatly with wealth and occupation. The 



