THE TAJIN TOTONAC PART 1 KELLY AND PALERM 



59 



DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSES AND FIELDS 



Less than one-fifth of the total population of 

 Taj in resides in the fundo legal which, at the time 

 of our count, had 206 individuals divided among 

 35 families. The rest live widely scattered on 

 outlying parcels of land, the more remote as much 

 as 3 hours on foot from the fundo. These dis- 

 persed houses are built in secluded clearings, gen- 

 erally some distance from the main trails and well 

 hidden from them. 



A graphic representation of the distribution of 

 dwelling and of fields is given in map 8. 93 It shows 

 the ragged and somewhat shifting boundary be- 

 tween the lands of Taj in and Ojital. It also dem- 

 onstrates that certain Tajin Totonac plant on 

 lands outside the community — not only within 

 Ojital property, but completely outside the Ojital 

 y Potrero subdivision. Furthermore, it indicates 

 that a few nonresidents plant on Tajin lands. 

 Owing to these complications, the discussion below 

 will be somewhat involved. 



The map accounts for a total of 167 households 

 (exclusive of two in Papantla and one in Tlahua- 

 napa, which plant on Tajin lands). For want of 

 space, the houses of the 35 families of the fundo 

 legal (map 7) are not entered, but the arrows which 

 radiate from the latter represent families who live 

 in the urban center and who plant on outlying 

 parcels or on lands outside of Tajin. The 35 fami- 

 lies of the fundo must be added to the 167 house- 

 holds shown on map 8, giving a total of 202. How- 

 ever, of these 202 households, 16 live on Tajin 

 lands but give communal labor in one of the Ojital 



93 Petroleos Mexicanos generously made available a detailed 

 map, inherited from its predecessors, -which shows the individual 

 parcels of the Ojital y Potrero subdivision. Thanks to it, the 

 distribution of population and plantings can be shown clearly. 



The original map identifies parcels only by number. In part 

 through a study of state tax records — not only incomplete, but 

 often incorrect as to parcel number — and in part through inter- 

 rogation of informants, each parcel within Tajin has been 

 identified by owner. 



centers ; the Totonac consider, therefore, that they 

 belong to Ojital, not to Tajin. Because of this, 

 these 16 families are not covered by our general 

 census, which includes 186 families. 



Map 8 shows a total of 114 parcels of land which 

 either belong to Tajin or which are exploited in 

 part or fully by the Tajin Totonac. This total 

 includes 2 half parcels (map 8, Nos. 55, 58) 

 claimed by Tajin ; the remaining halves belong to 

 Ojital, as do six entire parcels, which are planted 

 by Tajin residents. Naturally, some of these are 

 further exploited by residents of Ojital, but this 

 is not indicated on our map. The total of 114 

 does not include the half dozen plantings which 

 fall outside the bounds of the Ojital y Potrero sub- 

 division. According to use, these 114 parcels may 

 be grouped as follows : 



Vacant 13 



Parcels with houses, no plantings 2 



Parcels with plantings, no houses 31 



Parcels with both houses and plantings 68 



Total H4 



84 We determined why these 13 parcels were not exploited : 



Nos. 90, 174. Owned by a non-Totonac Papantla resident, who 

 apparently is holding them to resell at a profit ; he refuses to rent 

 No. 174, because it contains monte alto. 



Nos. 134, 155. Each owner has another parcel closer to the 

 fundo, which is handier to plant. 



Nos. 167, 204. These have been cleared almost completely 

 within recent years. The first was rented on large scale, and 

 the monte must have time to reestablish itself before the land can 

 be further planted. The second was purchased by "a foreigner," 

 who cleared it completely, preparatory to large-scale cane plant- 

 ing. His death interrupted the project, and the land now is in 

 the name of a non-Totonac Papantla resident, who desires to sell. 

 No one is interested in purchasing, because the monte will have 

 to grow for several years before it warrants clearing and planting 

 anew. 



No. 173. Parcel abandoned by the owner following the murder 

 of his son. 



Nos. 178, 179. Cherished because they are largely monte alto. 

 The owner has two other parcels adjacent to the fundo, suf- 

 ficient for his immediate needs and those of his sons. 



No. 186. Owner likewise owns No. 185 and does not require 

 the adjacent parcel at present. 



Nos. 188, 191. Owners have moved to Papantla ; their lands 

 not utilized at present. 



No. 192. Parcel in process of being sold. 



Legend to map 8 



Distribution of dwellings and fields. Stippled parcels belong to the Ojital centers; the remaining parcels are Tajin 

 lands. 



The key to land ownership appears on the map. A square indicates the plantings of a household within a given parcel; 

 individual fields are not shown, and several may be represented by a single square. Similarly, a circle represents a house- 

 hold, although the latter may consist of one or of several buildings. No attempt has been made to show the relative 

 position of dwellings and fields within each parcel. If a family lives in one parcel and likewise plants there, the circle is 

 contained within a square (for example, No. 113, whose plantings are exclusively within the parcel where the dwelling is 

 situated). If a family plants outside the parcel, an arrow leads from the domicile to the field or fields. Thus parcel 89 

 contains six households; one family plants exclusively within this same parcel; three plant both there and elsewhere; 

 and two plant only on other lands. 



For want of space, households within the fundo legal (see map 7) are not shown, but arrows radiating from it rep- 

 resent families who live in the urban center and plant on outlying lands. 

 893477—52 6 



