186 



INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. li 



bamboo, both overlooked by the original inform- 

 ant. Moreover, there is difference of opinion with 

 respect to roof withes, and a second informant cal- 

 culates them at about $55 pesos more than the 

 table shows. If we add these items to the total of 

 $325, the house would cost close to $400 pesos. 

 However, the investment may be reduced $100 

 pesos by the simple expedient of substituting the 

 less desirable palma redonda thatch for palma 

 real. 



In other words, the minimum cost for a house 

 this size, exclusive of labor, is close to $300 pesos. 

 If palma real is used for roofing, the price soars 

 $100 pesos, while misanteca thatch is intermediate. 



Table 12. — Cost of building materials 1 





Cost 



Cor- 



Materials 



in 



rec- 





pesos 



tions 



10 posts @ 

 $7.00. 



$70. 00 



$84. 00 



2 m o t h e r 



20.00 





beams @ 







$10.00. 







13 cross beams 



65.00 





@ $5.00. 







32 roof poles 



30.00 





@ $10.00 a 







dozen. 







100 roof withes 



30.00 



85.00 



1,000 leaves 



100. 00 





palma real. 







2 tercios (50 



10.00 





lianas each) 







of liana @ 







$5.00. 







60 bam boo 





8.00 



stalks. 







Total... 



$325. 00 





Remarks 



Error in calculation; a house 6X12 varas 

 requires 12 posts. Those of chijol ca. 

 $1.50 a vara; other woods somewhat 

 cheaper. 



Beams usually $1.00 a vara. 



Roof poles 4-5 varas long; another inform- 

 ant calculates cost at $6.00 a dozen, or 

 $9.00 delivered. 



Major disagreement; another informant 

 claims they cost $10.00 a dozen; are sold 

 in uneven lengths. 



Apparently the usual price; one man asks 

 15.00 a hundred. If palma redonda used, 

 4,000 leaves @ $1.00 the thousand; total 

 cost $4.00 instead of $100.00. Misanteca 

 leaf intermediate in nrice. Is pur- 

 chased as a lot, or by ter'cio, in this case, 

 the latter being the quantity one can 

 grasp in his two arms. 



Overlooked by informant; cost varies from 

 $5.50 to $10.50, dependent upon length. 

 If saplings used, price $10.00 to $15.00 a 

 hundred. 



1 Calculated by one informant for a house 6X12 varas. Corrections and 

 most remarks based on data from other informants. 



A house often is built on rented land. When 

 the oAvner moves, he dismantles the domicile and 

 takes with him any materials— such as posts and 

 beams — which may be used anew. Sometimes a 

 house is sold. Kutilio Olmos was asked $150 for a 

 down-at-the-heel building, which he finally 

 bought for $60 pesos ; according to him, only the 

 posts were in good condition. We ourselves pur- 

 chased a smaller house, likewise in poor condition, 

 for $30 pesos. This was considered a great bar- 

 gain by the neighbors. 



SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS 



The native house has much to commend it. 

 Above all, it is inexpensive and is constructed en- 

 tirely with local materials and with local labor. 

 Ventilation is good. Lighting is far below our 

 standards but probably is adequate for Totonac 

 needs. On the whole, the Totonac do little close 

 work and none of it by night. Weaving, sewing, 

 and general manufacture and repair of equip- 

 ment usually are performed by day, often in the 

 doorway of the dwelling. Few people read ; none, 

 as far as we know, with any regularity. Postal 

 service is virtually nil; newspapers seldom find 

 their way to the community; and books are few 

 and far between. In short, Totonac lighting re- 

 quirements are not the same as ours. 



Obviously, the native house has a number of 

 major disadvantages, but it would be unrealistic 

 to suggest drastic change, for, given the current 

 economy, the Totonac are forced automatically 

 to make shift, as best they can, with the materials 

 at hand. However, a few modest suggestions 

 might be noted. 



After having lived 8 months in a local dwelling, 

 we feel that probably its greatest drawback is the 

 earth floor. During the rainy months, this is 

 slightly humid, and throughout the year, it mani- 

 festly is unhygenic. In our opinion, the Totonac 

 are not good housekeepers, despite the fact that 

 they are remarkably clean personally. It seems 

 probable that local housekeeping would improve 

 immeasurably if some sort of hard-surfaced floor, 

 easily cleaned, could be installed. A stone pave- 

 ment is out of the question, for stones are scarce. 

 Concrete might be an excellent solution — but it 

 is impractical because of the difficulty of trans- 

 porting such heavy material from Papantla and 

 because no Totonac knows how to mix or pour 

 cement. If some sort of hard-surfaced stucco 

 could be prepared on the basis of the calcareous 

 subsoil, that might be a solution which would 

 be accepted with alacrity. 



The Totonac are not averse to changes in build- 

 ing materials. As will be seen below (pp. 187- 

 189), there is a considerable inclination to substi- 

 tute tile for the more common thatched roof, de- 

 spite the fact that a relatively heavy capital 

 investment is involved. The tile is purchased in 

 nearby El Chote and hauled to Taj in; and, owing 

 to its weight, it requires a much heavier house 



