THE TAJIN TOTONAC PART 1 — KELLY AND PALERM 



83 



for the brisk trade which accompanies the celebra- 

 tion of All Souls' Day. 



Even more important is the zapote chico 

 (Achras, No. 191), which grows either in monte 

 alto or monte oajo and seems never to be planted 

 deliberately. When young, it is said to bear in 

 August ; but if 25 or 30 years old, it produces fruit 

 as early as April. As a rule, the fruit is cut green 

 and is ripened artificially. A hole is dug and corn- 

 husks burned in it. The fruit is placed in the pit, 

 cold ash added, and the whole well covered. If 

 the vendor is in a great rush to sell his wares, he 

 may light a fire on top to speed ripening. Gener- 

 ally, both the zapote cabello and the zapote chico 

 are sold by elderly women who are in need of sup- 

 plementing their slim resources. 



Other wild fruits are less exploited (pp. 162- 

 163). A few (Nos. 37, 85, 315) are collected and 

 occasionally are sold on very reduced scale — by the 

 cupful, for example. Others (Nos. 10, 18, 21, 41, 

 51, 52, 57, 106, 156, 162, 163, 186, 187, 198, 207, 

 208, 218, 221, 283, 327) are gathered occasionally; 

 children and adults nibble on them, but they are 

 not a major item in the diet. Most fruits are eaten 

 fresh, although some (Nos. 79, 98, 124, 172) seem 

 invariably to be made into a preserve. 



CHICLE AND RUBBER 



The utility of wild plants is not limited to 

 medicines and foods, and the zapote chico (No. 

 191) produces chicle, as well as fruit. A tree must 

 be about 10 years old before it is tapped. Gener- 

 ally this takes place in the fall. Several men may 

 decide to collect chicle; if they tap trees other 

 than their own, they arrange the price with the 

 owner in advance. Not every owner is interested, 

 because if the tree is cut carelessly, it may die. 

 However, if the operation is performed correctly, 

 no evident damage results, and the yield of fruit 

 continues as usual. 



Starting at the base of the trunk, a series of 

 diagonal, intersecting incisions (fig. 7) is cut with 

 the machete. Virtually every zapote chico in 

 Taj in has a ladder- work of scars, in the form of a 

 giant featherstitch, running up the lower trunk. 

 In the first, or lowest cut, a stiff leaf is placed, to 

 serve as a canal. This may be the pulpy leaf of 

 one of the bromelias (No. 301) or of an unidenti- 

 fied plant called Aapatie. Through this channel, 

 the dribble of latex is carried to a bamboo on the 



893477—52 7 



ground. The bamboo is left at the foot of the tree 

 for 4 days, at the end of which the latex is col- 

 lected. To it is added the "milk" of the ebano 

 (No. 152), dbalo (No. 349), or one of the figs (No. 

 221). The resulting mixture is boiled and poured 

 into molds "as though it were brown sugar." The 

 cakes are allowed to set and then are sold to stores 

 in Papantla. 



Chicle is not of major economic significance to 

 the community, but, from time to time, individuals 

 benefit from its sale. Of 39 families, only 3 have 



Figure 7. — Zapote chico tree tapped for chicle. 



sold chicle ; 1 derived $10 pesos, but the 2 others 

 claim to have realized $400 and $540 pesos, 

 respectively. 



Rubber {hule, No. 345) is even less exploited. It 

 is not cultivated in Taj in, although there are a 

 number of trees, especially on the lands of Por- 

 firio Morales and Arnulf o Garcia. One informant 

 has heard that rubber can be planted "when the 

 fruits are ripe." 



If one happens to have a tree, he taps it, and 

 the proceeds come as a pleasant windfall. Of the 

 same 39 families, only one derived income from 

 rubber, and the total proceeds were $12 pesos. 

 Tapping may take place at the end of 5 years, but 



