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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 13 



place manioc toward the center of the mil pa, for 

 "it will not grow along the edges." At the end 

 of a year, it is ready for harvesting and the cycle 

 starts anew. If left unduly long in the ground, 

 the root becomes so woody that it cannot be eaten. 



SWEETPOTATO 



Three kinds of sweetpotato (camote, Ipomaea 

 batatas (L.) Lam., No. 260) are distinguished on 

 the basis of color : white, whose tuberous root has 

 white skin and white flesh; yellow, with yellow 

 skin and flesh ; and "purple." Of the latter, there 

 are two kinds, one with reddish skin and flesh, 

 and another with reddish skin and white flesh. 



The sweetpotato is planted in the maize field, 

 between December and February. Either the root 

 or cuttings may be used; "it is the same." A sin- 

 gle plant has an extraordinary extension and, as 

 one lad remarks, "one plant covers all the milpa." 

 Usually, one is sufficient for the needs of a house- 

 hold, and we know no family with more than 

 four plants. 



Of 37 families, 16 do not plant sweetpotato; 

 6 grow only for their own use; 5 still are not 

 harvesting; and the rest generally have a small 

 surplus for sale. The yield from a single plant 

 cannot be calculated accurately, for harvesting 

 takes place little by little, starting with All Souls' 

 Day, early in November, and continuing through 

 February, as needs arise. One informant thinks 

 he obtained about 2 almudes (24 liters) from his 

 two plants; another, 3 almudes (36 liters) from a 

 single plant. The sweetpotatoes are collected in 

 large wooden trays and generally are sold by the 

 cuartillo of 3 liters; the price varies from $0.50 

 to $0.65 pesos a cuartillo. 



YAM 



The yam (cabeza de negro, Dioscorea alata L., 

 No. 299) is said to "grow anywhere," to be planted 

 "any time," and to be available as food through- 

 out the year. Either the tuberous root or one of 

 the protuberances which form on the stem of the 

 vine is planted, usually in the spring, adjacent to 

 a tree on which the plant may climb. Frequently 

 the aerial tubers fall to the ground and take root 

 without further ado. It is they which are eaten, 

 rather than the rhizome. 



ARUM 



Another starchy plant, known only by the To- 

 tonac name of pisis, has been identified as an arum 

 (No. 4). The corms are planted in December, 

 along the edge of the maize field. They are eaten, 

 but the leaves are said not to be edible. 



ARROWROOT 



A further starch plant is Bermuda arrowroot 

 (perritos, Maranta arundinacea L. ( ?), No. 227), 

 whose edible tuber is planted in February, along 

 the edge of the maize field. 



POTATO 



The common potato is not grown at Tajin. How- 

 ever, it is said that some years ago an enterprising 

 soul tried planting and "a very good harvest re- 

 sulted." But he no longer is a resident, and his 

 example has not been followed. 



CHILI 



The Gulf coast evidently has been a source of 

 chili since pre-Cortesian times. Anciently, Tux- 

 pan and Papantla, together with other pueblos 

 of the same general zone, paid 800 loads of dry 

 chili annually as tribute to the Mexicans (Colec- 

 cion de Mendoza, 5:87). That there was no 

 diminution after the Spanish Conquest is clear 

 from a report of 1799 (D. P. E. P., p. 28), which 

 states that Papantla and several other towns are 

 heavy producers of chili. Five years later, chili 

 is mentioned as a major crop at Papantla, along 

 with maize, beans, and cane (Relaciones estadis- 

 ticas de Nueva Espana, p. 45). 



Tajin produces two kinds of chili. Of these, 

 the more important is the small, wild, excessively 

 hot form, which appears as a volunteer in the 

 maize fields. Our herbarium specimen (No. 214) 

 has been determined as Capsicum frictescens L. ; 

 but, on the basis of recent studies, Dr. Charles 

 Heiser, Jr., considers this chili a variant of C. an- 

 nuum. Sometimes, seed is tossed broadcast into the 

 milpa to insure a heavier crop. This essentially 

 wild product is collected in quantity and may have 

 been the chili which was given as tribute to the 

 Mexican overlords. Its exploitation has been 

 described previously (p. 82). 



