﻿Vol.2] 
  CONTEMPORARY 
  QUECHUA 
  — 
  MISHKIN 
  453 
  

  

  respectful 
  and 
  rather 
  solemn 
  tone 
  toward 
  each 
  other. 
  The 
  father 
  

   receives 
  favors 
  from 
  the 
  godfather 
  and 
  allows 
  him 
  to 
  intervene 
  in 
  many 
  

   family 
  matters. 
  Many 
  cases 
  occur 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  padrino 
  compels 
  the 
  

   father 
  to 
  alter 
  his 
  treatment 
  of 
  his 
  son. 
  

  

  Generally, 
  there 
  are 
  three 
  varieties 
  of 
  padrinoship. 
  The 
  padrino 
  at 
  

   the 
  birth 
  of 
  the 
  child, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  of 
  the 
  three, 
  may 
  be 
  

   a 
  Mestizo 
  from 
  a 
  neighboring 
  place 
  or 
  a 
  man 
  of 
  wealth 
  and 
  influence 
  

   in 
  the 
  community. 
  Poor 
  men 
  who 
  would 
  be 
  capable 
  of 
  giving 
  little 
  

   help 
  to 
  their 
  godchildren 
  are 
  not 
  sought 
  as 
  padrinos. 
  The 
  second 
  

   padrino 
  at 
  the 
  haircutting 
  ceremony 
  of 
  the 
  son 
  is 
  Dot 
  especially 
  impor- 
  

   tant 
  in 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  godchild. 
  Often 
  he 
  is 
  an 
  itinerant 
  peddler 
  or 
  a 
  

   trader 
  from 
  a 
  distant 
  town 
  who 
  visits 
  the 
  village 
  once 
  a 
  year. 
  The 
  

   padrino 
  at 
  marriage 
  is 
  usually 
  a 
  relative, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  wealthier 
  members 
  

   of 
  the 
  family. 
  All 
  three 
  padrinos 
  must 
  make 
  the 
  necessary 
  expend- 
  

   itures 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  ceremonies 
  at 
  which 
  they 
  officiate. 
  

  

  Marriage. 
  — 
  The 
  Quechua 
  community 
  is 
  endogamous 
  by 
  preference 
  ; 
  

   relatively 
  few 
  marriages 
  are 
  contracted 
  outside 
  the 
  community. 
  

   Where 
  cases 
  of 
  exogamy 
  occur 
  the 
  great 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  couples 
  go 
  to 
  

   live 
  with 
  the 
  husbands' 
  families; 
  residence 
  in 
  the 
  wives' 
  communities 
  

   is 
  rare. 
  Strangers 
  are 
  always 
  undesirable 
  and 
  greatly 
  feared. 
  This 
  

   feeling 
  is 
  intensified 
  to 
  the 
  highest 
  point 
  by 
  the 
  Indian's 
  struggle 
  to 
  

   maintain 
  his 
  landholding. 
  Endogamy, 
  in 
  his 
  own 
  mind, 
  gives 
  him 
  

   some 
  security. 
  

  

  The 
  age 
  at 
  which 
  couples 
  marry 
  is 
  relatively 
  late 
  in 
  some 
  regions. 
  

   In 
  and 
  about 
  Kauri 
  men 
  and 
  women 
  marry 
  at 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  20 
  to 
  22, 
  

   although 
  marriages 
  of 
  boys 
  of 
  17 
  or 
  18 
  to 
  girls 
  of 
  16 
  are 
  recorded. 
  

   The 
  age 
  at 
  which 
  men 
  marrv 
  is 
  correlated 
  with 
  the 
  conscription 
  age. 
  

   Church 
  practice 
  defines 
  the 
  proximity 
  of 
  blood 
  relationship 
  permitted 
  

   between 
  man 
  and 
  wife. 
  Generally, 
  second 
  cousins 
  or 
  those 
  more 
  

   closely 
  related 
  are 
  not 
  allowed 
  to 
  marry. 
  Such 
  cases 
  seldom, 
  if 
  ever, 
  

   occur. 
  

  

  A 
  high 
  degree 
  of 
  freedom 
  in 
  selection 
  of 
  mates 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  most 
  

   Quechua 
  communities. 
  The 
  prospective 
  bride 
  should 
  be 
  proficient 
  in 
  

   her 
  housework, 
  should 
  know 
  how 
  to 
  spin 
  and 
  weave 
  with 
  passable 
  

   skill, 
  be 
  capable 
  of 
  helping 
  her 
  husband 
  in 
  the 
  fields, 
  should 
  be 
  diligent, 
  

   and 
  be 
  of 
  good 
  moral 
  character. 
  The 
  husband, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  

   qualities 
  of 
  steadiness 
  and 
  diligence 
  admired 
  by 
  the 
  Quechua 
  peasant, 
  

   should 
  either 
  own 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  land 
  in 
  his 
  own 
  right 
  or 
  belong 
  to 
  a 
  land- 
  

   owning 
  family. 
  These 
  are 
  the 
  minimum 
  qualifications 
  expected 
  of 
  

   marriage 
  partners. 
  When 
  they 
  are 
  fulfilled, 
  the 
  respective 
  families 
  

   are 
  likely 
  to 
  accept 
  their 
  sons- 
  or 
  daughters-in-law 
  without 
  objection 
  

   even 
  though 
  they 
  may 
  have 
  had 
  no 
  voice 
  in 
  their 
  selection. 
  There 
  

   are, 
  of 
  course, 
  families 
  possessing 
  wealth 
  and 
  social 
  status 
  who 
  seek 
  

   mates 
  for 
  their 
  offspring 
  from 
  among 
  families 
  with 
  similar 
  attributes. 
  

  

  