XII 



INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 13 



Gonzalez, who was shared by the different mem- 

 bers of the field party. Upon occasion, other in- 

 dividuals were asked to give us a full day of their 

 time, for which we paid at the current local rate 

 of $5.00 pesos. 



All information was recorded in Spanish and 

 was typed, in duplicate, on 5- by 8-inch sheets, 

 which then were filed according to the invaluable 

 key published by Murdock. In addition, we at- 

 tempted what proved to be an over-ambitious 

 census, which Miss Alvarez was able to fill for 

 close to 40 families. However, it was not feasible 

 to apply this census to the entire community — be- 

 cause the original questionnaire required a session 

 of at least 2 hours; because many people were 

 alarmed by inquiries concerning property and 

 crops, fearing that an increase in taxes might 

 result; and because of the diffuse settlement pat- 

 tern, which made it impossible, for want of time, 

 to visit all houses of the community. For lan- 

 guage, age, costume, and provenience of parents 

 and grandparents, all families of Tajin are repre- 

 sented in our census, but more detailed informa- 

 tion is confined to about 40 households. In 1948, 

 as a byproduct of our field investigations, Mr. 

 Palerm took about 60 psychological tests, some 

 Rorschach, some Thematic apperception. 



In collecting data and in preparing the report, 

 our interests have been relatively broad. We feel 

 that our first obligation is descriptive, and we have 

 attempted to formulate as clear and detailed a pic- 

 ture as possible of the modern community. Few 

 ethnographic studies of Mexican groups are ade- 

 quate from the simple descriptive aspect, and on 

 all sides, one is frustrated for want of comparative 

 material. 



Secondly, we are particularly interested in the 

 problems which beset the modern Totonac, and 

 sprinkled throughout the report are suggestions 

 concerning possible improvement in agriculture, 

 diet, marketing, housing, and other themes. These 

 have been made to the best of our ability, on the 

 basis of first-hand knowledge of the local com- 

 munity. In all cases, final judgment of a specialist 

 is required, but we have attempted to marshal the 

 data so that he will be sufficiently oriented to form 

 an opinion. 



With the recent establishment of the Institute 

 Nacional Indigenista, under the directorship of 

 Lie. Alfonso Caso, Mexico now has the mechanism 



for effecting reforms among indigenous commu- 

 nities. We hope that the current report may pro- 

 vide the Institute with fodder, so that the Govern- 

 ment may take steps designed to improve the local 

 standard of living and to incorporate the Totonac 

 into national life. 



As a rule, the Totonac hardly think of them- 

 selves as Mexicans — except in rare cases, when one 

 drink too many has been passed, and an individual 

 may express strong nationalistic sentiment. To 

 most Totonac, the Mexicans are the city dwellers — 

 the mestizos of Papantla, with whom the Tajin 

 folk have their closest outside ties. 



Yet, if given an opportunity, the Totonac might 

 contribute a good deal to national life. Commer- 

 cially, they already are making a major contribu- 

 tion, for virtually the entire vanilla production 

 in the Papantla zone lies in their hands. 



Apart from commercial aspects, the Totonac 

 have many admirable human qualities. They are 

 eager for learning. Almost every man hopes that 

 his son — not his daughter — may have an education. 

 At least two men, one at considerable sacrifice, send 

 their sons to school in Papantla, for local training 

 does not extend beyond the third grade. Over a 

 period of years, the Totonac applied for Federal 

 and State funds to assist in the construction of a 

 school. When, after a long series of temporizing 

 letters, no aid was forthcoming, the community 

 built its own school. Stone was gathered through 

 communal labor; land was rented, and again 

 through public labor, maize was grown. From 

 the proceeds of successive harvests, masons were 

 brought from Papantla to erect the building. 

 Work went slowly, but in the course of a few years, 

 Tajin had a substantial stone school building, with 

 tiled floor, a sidewalk, and cedar shutters. At long 

 last, a small Government subsidy was forthcoming, 

 and apparently is to be used for the purchase of 

 school furniture. 



Many Totonac are genuinely talented. Al- 

 though none has formal training, several of our 

 acquaintances draw with skill. Virtually all the 

 men are musical, and Tajin boasts a surprising 

 number of semiprofessional musicians who, with 

 a minimum of training, play assorted instruments. 



Not only are the Totonac gracious and thought- 

 ful hosts, but they adopt orphans and take elderly 

 indigents into their homes with a generosity quite 

 unknown among us. Families in far from pros- 



