INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY PUBLICATION NO. 13 



(1: 111), not an eyewitness, merely identifies the 

 five individuals as of "Cempoala." But shortly 

 thereafter (1:127), when Cortes and his party 

 visit "Quiahuixtlan," he remarks that the language 

 spoken there and in all "that mountainous area" 

 was Totonac. This would indicate that the term 

 was current at least by the middle of the sixteenth 

 century. 



Several sixteenth- century descriptions of the To- 

 tonac, found in the relaciones geogrdftcas, are far 

 from flattering. Those of Papantla are said to 

 be "rustic and rough," but hard-working. The 

 Totonac of Misantla are described as people "of 

 very little understanding, who want only to eat 

 and drink" and who, moreover, "flee from work." 

 Much the same is said of those of "Matlatlan" and 

 Chila. 



A far more sympathetic account is given by Las 

 Casas (p. 465), on the evidence of an eyewitness, 7 

 who lived among the Totonac (or "Totones") in 

 the years immediately following the arrival of the 

 Spaniards : 



He [the informant] declared, however, one thing, that 

 in all that time, he never saw an ugly and unjust thing 

 which they did to one another, nor offense, nor wrangle 

 (renilla), nor affront of words, nor of deed, but that all 

 lived in great peace, calmness, and concordance, humble 

 and amiable with one another, taking care in nothing but 

 to keep their laAVs and to occupy themselves in the acts 

 and practice of their religion. 



The area inhabited by the Totonac was called 

 by the Mexicans Totonacatlalli (Sahagiin 3 : 296). 

 Generally, however, the old sources use the term, 

 Totonacapan, of which there are variant spellings : 

 Totonapan (Ixtlilxochitl 2:196) and Tonacapa 

 (Epistolario 9:28). Later, we shall try to indi- 

 cate the extent of Totonacapan in the sixteenth 

 century and, subsequently, to define the area in 

 modern times. 



Until a physical anthropologist undertakes a 

 serious study of the Totonac, little can be said 

 concerning the physical characters of the people. 

 Our observations below are casual and inexpert; 

 and our acquaintance is limited to the Totonac of 

 Tajin. 



' ". . . lo hobe <le persona que siendo mucliacho lo virlo por sus 

 ojos estando solo entre aquellas gentes sin otro espanol alguno, al 

 principio que en la Nueva Espafia entraron eristianos . . ." (Las 

 Casas, p. 4G0). We suspect that Las Casas' informant may have 

 been the young page left by Cortes in "Cempoala," to learn the 

 language. In any case, the informant is said to have remained 

 4 years (Las Casas, p. 465). 



Here, the population consistently is short and 

 slight. The two tallest men in the community — 

 noticeable in a group because of their stature — are 

 about 172 cm. in height. Others average several 

 centimeters less, with the women still shorter. 

 Most of our acquaintances are slim ; one man and 

 several women would be considered stout. There 

 seems to be a markedly higher frequency of corpu- 

 lence among women than among men. On the 

 whole, the group is short and appears frail in 

 build. 



This frailness is deceptive, for the Totonac have 

 extraordinary physical stamina. All are excel- 

 lent and rapid walkers, but the outstanding 

 endurance is found among the native dancers. 

 For example: 



A group of Negrito dancers once invited us to accompany 

 them to a neighboring village, where they were to perform. 

 We left at dusk and spent a brisk two hours walking over 

 hill and dale ; the dancers scampered abead and, puffing 

 and wheezing, we barely were able to keep up with 

 them. 



Once arrived, our companions changed to their dance 

 raiment and danced all night, without a break. The 

 Negrito dance is a particularly vigorous one, for it is 

 essentially a rapid tap dance, with few rest periods. At 

 dawn, the Negi'itos capered back to Tajin, leaving us far 

 in the rear. 



The amount of energy required by such a performance 

 is very considerable, especially during tbe excessive heat 

 of the spring and summer months. Every Negrito dancer 

 carries a handkerchief in one hand, with which to mop 

 perspiration. And between numbers, he wrings the hand- 

 kerchief, leaving the sounding board on which lie stands 

 spotted with perspiration. 



These all-night performances are routine work for the 

 Negrito. Ordinarily, at least during several months of 

 the year, there is practice once a week, interspersed with 

 public appearances. 



Moreover, when necessity arises, the Totonac are 

 able to do with little or no sleep. An extreme case 

 is presented by our friend, Agapito Perez : 



Agapito is, like most of the Totonac, a farmer, but 

 he also is a musician. He is violinist with one of the 

 local orchestras and, moreover, with one of the groups of 

 Negrito dancers. 



The latter gave a performance for us one Friday. 

 Actual dancing started in the morning, between 10 : 30 and 

 11 : 00, and lasted until 5 in the afternoon. Except for 

 an hour or so for dinner, Agapito played constantly. 

 That evening, the same Negritos made a public, all-night 

 appearance in honor of a visiting image of St. Joseph. 

 The following morning, tbe orchestra, including Agapito, 

 played in honor of the saint. That night, the same 

 orchestra played for a dance given for the benefit of tbe 



