THE TAJIN TOTONAC PART 1 KELLY AND PALERM 



49 



their precious woods, such as cedar and mahogany, 

 few remain at Tajin. The examples we have seen 

 have a somber magnificence. Undergrowth is not 

 particularly heavy, perhaps because little sun pene- 

 trates, but the tall trees are festooned with a great 

 wealth of vines, and sometimes with orchids and 

 bromelia. Map 6 gives a rough indication of the 

 patches of monte alto which remain at Tajin, but 

 with the exception of three plots on the south- 

 western fringes, these are of very limited extent. 



Most of the land has been cleared in years past, 

 and the areas not actually under cultivation are 

 covered by second-growth timber, known as monte 

 oajo. When virgin stands are felled, reforestation 

 is relatively slow, and the first vegetation to appear 

 is a profusion or "ortiga, wild papayo [Appendix 

 C, Nos. 56, 172], and a plant called Santa Cata- 

 lina." However, second growth, when cut, returns 

 with rapidity, to the great inconvenience of the 

 Totonac farmer. The field which is being cleared 

 in plate 6 has been abandoned only 25 to 28 

 years, yet the size of the trees and the density 

 of the vegetation are impressive. Owing to this 

 rapid reforestation, Tajin has virtually no erosion 

 problem, although a lone farmer complains that 

 there is considerable washing in his hillside milpa. 



As the name implies, monte bajo does not reach 

 the elevation of the virgin forest. To a certain 

 extent, it includes some of the same trees and vines, 

 but it is, moreover, characterized by a dense mass 

 of shrubs and low trees. Monte alto appears ef- 

 fectively to resist the introduction of extraneous 

 plants, but once it has been cut, the way is opened 

 for a large assortment of intrusive elements. As 

 a consequence, the plant associations are largely 

 distinct. At the end of Appendix C will be found 

 a list of trees and vines which Modesto Gonzalez 

 considers characteristic of virgin forest. 



The Totonac are well aware of the danger of 

 losing a clearing to grass, yet this seems not to be 

 a very grave threat in Tajin. When a maize field 

 is abandoned because of weed competition, the 

 blame is not laid on grass. Naturally, if grass sod 

 once becomes established, it is many years before 

 the monte is able to regain possession of the plot, 

 and during this long interval the field cannot be 

 exploited. The incursion of grassland is dis- 

 cussed in greater detail in connection with 

 agriculture (p. 114). 



The Totonac make fairly extensive use of their 

 plant resources, as will be seen below (pp. 81-84) . 

 The fauna, however, is less susceptible to exploita- 

 tion. There no longer are any game animals 

 worthy of mention in the vicinity of Tajin. For- 

 merly, it is said, when the pyramids were forested, 

 there were deer and peccary ; and when monte alto 

 still was extensive, jaguars were common. But 

 these days are long since past, and of game ani- 

 mals, even a lone rabbit is sufficiently rare to cause 

 excitement. 



Birds are plentiful and many are recognized by 

 the Totonac; a partial list, with some suggested 

 identifications, will be found in Appendix D. 

 Snakes, both abundant and varied, include the 

 coralillo, the mazacuate, and the cuatro narices. 

 Although various of our acquaintances have suf- 

 fered from snake bite, we know of only one fatality. 

 Also venomous, but never fatal, is the sting of 

 the scorpion (alacrdn) ; the latter is plentiful, 

 especially in the thatched roofs. 



Of insect pests, some providentially are wanting, 

 others depressingly abundant. Strangely enough, 

 flies are rare. Mosquitoes are found only in cer- 

 tain parts of Tajin, generally near springs, where 

 they are both a nuisance and a menace, because of 

 malaria. Fleas are said to abound during Holy 

 Week. At this time, the laurel (Appendix C, No. 

 130) blossoms, and since it is believed to breed 

 fleas, it is held directly responsible. Bedbugs are 

 unknown. Head lice are not infrequent, especially 

 among children, and during our stay, occasioned 

 a bitter spat between parents and the local school 

 teacher. What apparently is an infinitesimal form 

 of chicken louse (coruco, mat^aiya^) sometimes 

 is troublesome, especially to children. Fowl ordi- 

 narily have the run of the house, and the latter 

 becomes infested unless well swept. Since many 

 Totonac sleep on palm mats spread on the earth 

 floor, the lice thus have access to them, and from 

 the bites unpleasant sores may result. 



The repertoire of pests also includes ticks, both 

 large (garrapata, istakalan, lanqaskapa) and small 

 (pinolillo, lak'suskapa) , which rain upon one as 

 he passes along the narrow forest trails, particu- 

 larly in the spring. If not removed promptly, they 

 cause tremendous discomfort. So also do almost 

 invisible red insect pests known as aradores (skati- 

 nat). They attack children and adults alike; they 

 also infest baby chicks, sometimes causing death. 



