﻿m 
  

  

  446 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  the 
  electorate 
  of 
  the 
  community 
  chooses 
  a 
  new 
  man 
  to 
  fill 
  his 
  place 
  

   and 
  the 
  Governor 
  of 
  the 
  district 
  formalizes 
  the 
  selection. 
  

  

  As 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  intimated, 
  the 
  primary 
  qualifications 
  for 
  elec- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  the 
  alcaldeship 
  is 
  full 
  participation 
  in 
  the 
  religious 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  

   community. 
  The 
  candidate 
  must, 
  from 
  childhood, 
  have 
  taken 
  part 
  

   in 
  the 
  yearly 
  round 
  of 
  fiestas. 
  He 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  mayordomo 
  of 
  the 
  

   major 
  fiestas 
  and 
  after 
  having 
  taken 
  the 
  lead 
  at 
  Santiago 
  and 
  Kosario, 
  

   in 
  Kauri, 
  he 
  may 
  culminate 
  his 
  career 
  with 
  serving 
  as 
  alcalde. 
  In 
  the 
  

   meantime, 
  he 
  has 
  already 
  gained 
  experience 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  branches 
  of 
  

   political 
  office 
  as 
  regidor, 
  alguacil, 
  or 
  as 
  segunda 
  and 
  mandon. 
  

  

  In 
  some 
  Quechua 
  areas, 
  the 
  functions 
  of 
  the 
  community 
  political 
  

   officers 
  have 
  gradually 
  grown 
  less 
  important 
  with 
  the 
  years. 
  The 
  

   alcaldes 
  have 
  been 
  deprived 
  of 
  all 
  responsibilities. 
  The 
  Governor 
  of 
  

   the 
  district 
  intervenes 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  affairs 
  of 
  the 
  community. 
  In 
  these 
  

   communities 
  the 
  Varayocc 
  are 
  mere 
  messengers 
  and 
  agents 
  of 
  the 
  

   Governor 
  without 
  any 
  independence 
  of 
  action. 
  Even 
  minor 
  quarrels 
  

   that 
  break 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  community 
  must 
  be 
  settled 
  by 
  the 
  Governor. 
  

   Consequently, 
  political 
  office 
  is 
  deemed 
  undesirable 
  and 
  unworthy, 
  and 
  

   is 
  not 
  sought 
  by 
  the 
  most 
  able. 
  Indeed, 
  the 
  alcaldes 
  have, 
  in 
  these 
  

   communities, 
  become 
  so 
  much 
  the 
  creatures 
  of 
  the 
  Governor 
  that 
  they 
  

   are 
  completely 
  distrusted 
  by 
  their 
  fellows. 
  It 
  is 
  easily 
  understandable, 
  

   then, 
  why 
  many 
  men 
  wish 
  to 
  refuse 
  the 
  office 
  and 
  must 
  be 
  pressed 
  into 
  

   service. 
  To 
  earn 
  the 
  epithet 
  of 
  "dog 
  and 
  an 
  alcalde" 
  (one 
  of 
  the 
  

   milder 
  terms 
  applied 
  by 
  his 
  co-villagers) 
  , 
  to 
  waste 
  weeks 
  of 
  his 
  time 
  in 
  

   performing 
  the 
  demeaning 
  tasks 
  associated 
  with 
  his 
  office, 
  to 
  expend 
  

   a 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  wealth 
  in 
  necessary 
  feasting 
  — 
  these 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  

   alcaldeship 
  do 
  not 
  attract 
  even 
  those 
  who 
  enjoy 
  wearing 
  shoes, 
  or 
  

   bearing 
  the 
  vara. 
  Yet 
  the 
  fiesta 
  mayordomos 
  must 
  almost 
  inevitably 
  

   pass 
  to 
  the 
  alcaldeship. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  way 
  of 
  preventing 
  this 
  final 
  

   reward 
  for 
  having 
  held 
  religious 
  office. 
  

  

  It 
  would 
  appear 
  that 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  avoid 
  the 
  alcaldeship 
  when 
  the 
  

   office 
  has 
  fallen 
  into 
  disrepute 
  men 
  would 
  also 
  refuse 
  to 
  participate 
  in 
  

   the 
  religious 
  events. 
  This 
  is, 
  however, 
  rarely 
  the 
  case. 
  The 
  mayor- 
  

   domos 
  win 
  great 
  prestige 
  in 
  the 
  performance 
  of 
  their 
  duties 
  (cargos). 
  

   Everyone 
  esteems 
  their 
  sacrifices 
  of 
  wealth 
  and 
  property, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  

   thought 
  that 
  the 
  saints 
  they 
  serve 
  will 
  bring 
  benefits 
  to 
  the 
  community 
  

   as 
  a 
  whole. 
  In 
  addition, 
  the 
  church 
  exercises 
  both 
  subtle 
  and 
  overt 
  

   pressure 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  mayordomos 
  in 
  line. 
  A 
  mayordomo 
  who 
  decides 
  

   to 
  forego 
  the 
  recognition 
  of 
  the 
  community 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  save 
  himself 
  

   from 
  eventual 
  bankruptcy 
  will 
  be 
  discriminated 
  against 
  by 
  the 
  Gov- 
  

   ernor, 
  judged 
  harshly 
  by 
  the 
  priest, 
  and 
  cursed 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  them- 
  

   selves. 
  

  

  Where 
  formal 
  political 
  organization 
  has 
  broken 
  down 
  or 
  where 
  the 
  

   offices 
  have 
  become 
  devoid 
  of 
  any 
  real 
  significance 
  and 
  have 
  been 
  shorn 
  

   of 
  their 
  essential 
  authority, 
  as 
  in 
  Kauri, 
  a 
  sub-rosa 
  political 
  machine 
  has 
  

  

  