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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 13 



At this time, any timber which is to be salvaged is 

 dragged away. Firewood also is cut. Some cut sufficient 

 for their own use ; some hire a man to do the job ; others 

 cut to sell ; still others sell the wood, and the purchaser 

 attends to the cutting. 



Quemar. — Burning is the fourth and last step. After 

 the monte has been leveled, it is allowed to dry at least 

 2 weeks, generally more, dependent upon the weather. 

 Firing must take place before the heavy rains start, or 

 the debris will not burn. 



During these 2 weeks, a belt is cleaned around the edge 

 of the field and all vegetation — green or dry — is removed, 

 so that the fire will not spread to the surrounding forest. 

 A similar clearing surrounds any particular tree in the 

 field which is to be spared — a cedar, for example. In addi- 

 tion, some cut saplings and lean them vertically against 

 the trunk of the favored tree, to protect it from the heat. 



When the monte is sufficiently dry and when the fire 

 lane has been completed, the debris is burned. Unlike the 

 Maya, who consider a stiff breeze necessary (Morley, p. 

 144), the Totonac select a windless day, to avoid danger 

 of general conflagration. Fires are started at several 

 spots along the edges of the field, with the aid of corn 

 husks and dry palm leaves. 



After the burning, the field is ready to be planted, im- 

 mediately the rains start. If one delays, subsequent 

 clearing may be required, for the monte oajo sprouts with 

 incredible rapidity. The half-burned branches which re- 

 main strewn over the field (pi. 5, o-d) are, in the course 

 of time, hauled to the house, to serve as fuel. The charred 

 stumps are left in place and the planter avoids them as 

 best he can. 



PLANTING 



Once the field is burned and the rains come, the 

 time is ripe for summer planting. The actual day 

 depends upon two factors other than the rain: 

 the religious calendar and the phase of the moon. 



The planting season is thought of in terms of the 

 church calendar. For example, one plants fol- 

 lowing St, Peter's Day (June 29) and prior to the 

 Day of Our Lady of Carmen (July 16), or per- 

 haps even as late as the Day of Our Lady of the 

 Snows (August 5). Within these time limits, the 

 Totonac farmer usually selects for planting the 

 day dedicated to a favorite saint. St. Isidore, gen- 

 erally considered the patron of agriculture, re- 

 ceives scant attention in Tajin, perhaps because 

 he is so strongly associated with the plow. 



Moreover, it is judicious to take into account the 

 state of the moon, although there is no general 

 agreement as to which is its most favorable phase. 

 Some recommend planting when the moon is wan- 

 ing, others, when it is full. Some plant 3 or 4 

 days before the full moon. If one waits until that 



satellite reaches maximum size, "then it is waning 

 when the field sprouts. In any case, there is a 

 crop, but it may be less plentiful." Most think 

 that the moon has very particular bearing on fruit 

 trees ; Modesto Gonzalez suggests that it is closely 

 associated with the successful planting of vanilla 

 and flowers, such as rosebushes. As far as he can 

 see, his corn crop is the same, regardless of what 

 day he plants. 



There are two maize crops a year, and fall plant- 

 ing is governed by substantially the same consider- 

 ations. Many, perhaps most, plant the Day of 

 St. Andrew (November 30) . Lauro Ramirez pre- 

 fers this date, but last year, because of the moon, 

 he was moved to plant 3 days earlier. The Day of 

 Candlemas (February 2) is considered the latest 

 possible date for planting. 



So little time elapses between harvest and plant- 

 ing that the storage of seed presents no problem. 

 The best ears — the largest and the fullest, with- 

 out hint of malformation — are set aside for seed 

 and are not shelled until planting time. If the 

 crop has been mediocre, an exchange or a loan is 

 arranged with a more fortunate neighbor. Under 

 no circumstances is maize seed purchased outright, 

 "for it will not produce." 



Kernels from the tip and the butt are considered 

 unsatisfactory for seed, and the latter comes from 

 the central part of the ear. Before planting, the 

 corn is shelled and is placed with water in a 

 wooden tray ( hatea) . If the container is of harder 

 material, such as pottery or metal, the resulting 

 maize crop "will be hard, and difficult to grind on 

 the metate." On top of the soaking corn are stuck 

 two unlighted candles (of the wax of the Old 

 World bee) , each supported by a corncob. 



The following day, the seed corn is placed in a 

 box lined with leaves of banana or of papatla (No. 

 128), and more leaves are used as a cover. The 

 box is moved to the sun for a day, and with the 

 heat, the corn starts to sprout. When the root is 

 visible, the maize is sprinkled with a solution of 

 creolin or coal oil to protect it from the ants 

 (hormigas). In the meanwhile, the candles are 

 moved to the family altar, but they are not lighted 

 until the following day, when planting takes place. 



Some plant corn without this forced germina- 

 tion "so that it will endure drought. If the corn 

 is soaked, it may not grow ; or it may grow upside 

 down." 



