Essays in Population History: Mexico and California: Volume Three "d0e26116"

Region VIII

Michoacán. This region is Tarascan Michoacán, except for the area south and west of the Tepalcatepec River. The region is true plateau, but in aboriginal times was separate from the core of the Central Plateau because of the clear independence of the Tarascan state from the Triple Alliance and the cultural divergence of the inhabitants from the Nahua linguistic groups. Even today it has regional individuality.

Our data are in Table 1.1, Region VIII, parts A–E. Part A shows 35 places which occur in both the 1568 and 1646 lists. In 1568 the population of these 35 plaees is 138,364; in 1646 it is 34,310. The ratio 1646/1568 is 0.248. According to part B, the 1646 report contains the names of 3 places not found in the 1568 list. The population of these 3 places is 1,033, making the total for the 1646 list 35,343. Conversely, part C shows 20 places which occur in the 1568 list but are not found in the 1646 report. The total 1568 population of these 20 places is 60,596. The aggregate for 1568 would be 138,364 plus 60,596, or 198,960, of which the towns missing in the 1646 list would account for 30.5%.

TABLE 1.1, REGION VIII, PART A
Towns Found in Both 1568 and 1646 Lists
Name	Loc.	Population in 1568	Population in 1646	Ratio
Acámbaro	Gto.	7,897	5,140	.651
Capula	Mich.	2,280	167	.073
Chilchota	Mich.	1,914	597	.312
Chucándiro, Cupándaro	Mich.	1,409	68	.098
Comanja	Mich.	3,102	361	.116
Cuitzeo	Mich.	5,735	1,302	.227
Cutzco	Mich.	2,162	1,405	.650
Huacana	Mich.	1,043	112	.107
Huango	Mich.	1,960	156	.080
Huaniqueo	Mich.	1,330	190	.143
Indaparapeo	Mich.	944	240	.254
Jacona	Mich.	15,329	906	.059
Jaso, Teremendo	Mich.	1,281	313	.244
Jiquilpan	Mich.	1,129	1,119	.992
Jirosto	Mich.	6,489	2,322	.358
Maravatío	Mich.	3,142	544	.173

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Name	Loc.	Population in 1568	Population in 1646	Ratio
Necotlán	Mich.	604	298	.494
Sevina, Pomucuarán	Mich.	6,050	3,188	.527
Taimeo	Mich.	1,205	648	.538
Tancítaro	Mich.	2,129	1,549	.728
Tarécuato	Mich.	1,690	910	.539
Tarímbaro	Mich.	3,934	471	.120
Tepalcatepec	Mich.	930	673	.724
Tigüindín	Mich.	1,716	510	.297
Tiripitío	Mich.	3,509	340	.097
Tlazazalca	Mich.	1,950	541	.278
Turicato	Mich.	2,247	536	.229
Ucareo	Mich.	3,775	430	.114
Uchichila, Tzintzuntzan, Santa Clara	Mich.	35,759	5,296	.148
Uruapan	Mich.	4,752	1,495	.315
Yuriria, Celaya	Gto.	4,488	945	.210
Zacapu	Mich.	2,820	476	.169
Zinagua	Mich.	726	284	.391
Zinapécuaro	Mich.	2,105	308	.146
Zirándaro, Guayameo	Mich.	829	471	.569
Total		138,364	34,310	0.248
Number of cases	35

TABLE 1.1, REGION VIII, PART B
Towns on the 1646 list for which there is no corresponding figure for 1568, or which should be omitted from Part A, for various reasons .
Name	Loc.	Population in 1646	Comment
Huanajo	Mich.	474	Not in 1568 list
San Francisco del Rincón	Gto.	241	Not in 1568 list (new town)
Tacámbaro	Mich.	318	Not in 1568 list
Total		1,033
Number of cases	3

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TABLE 1.1, REGION VIII, PART C
Towns on the 1568 list for which a population is given but which are not found on the 1646 list. Towns on the 1568 list for which no separate population is given are omitted .
Name	Loc.	Population in 1568
Ario	Mich.	2,123
Bacaneo	Mich.	800
Coeneo	Mich.	3,515
Chiquimitío	Mich.	1,082
Erongarícuaro	Mich.	2,592
Guayangareo	Mich.	310
Iztaro	Mich.	706
Jerécuaro	Mich.	122
Matalcingo	Mich.	1,835
Mutzantla	Mich.	980
Pajacuarán	Mich.	14,120 (from 1580 list)
Pátzcuaro	Mich.	13,200
Peribán	Mich.	3,944
Pómaro	Mich.	2,492
Puruándiro	Mich.	1,690
Suchi	Mich.	267
Tanátaro	Mich.	1,062
Taximaroa	Mich.	8,455
Undameo	Mich.	1,037
Xichú	Gto.	264
Total		60,596
Number of cases	20

We calculate the probable true population of Region VIII in 1620–1625 by using proportions and assuming that the ratio between the two sets of data was the same for all towns alike (in totals). This would mean that 198,960 × 0.248 = 49,342. The difference between this value and that of the actual list (35,343) is moderate and probably can be accounted for mainly by the omission on the 1646 list of fairly large towns, such as Pajacuarán and Pátzcuaro, which continued to exist throughout the colonial period.

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Our resort to 1595 data for verification is in parts D and E. Part D shows the population of 17 places which are in both the 1568 and 1595 reporting. The total of the former is 63,188 and of the latter 38,182. The ratio 1595/1568 is 0.604. By proportion, the entire Indian population of Region VIII in 1595 would be 198,960 × 0.604 = 120,172. Part E shows similar data for 1595 and 1646, with 14 places. Here the totals are respectively 30,586 and 18,330, and the ratio 1646/1595 is 0.599. The entire Indian population of Region VIII, calculated from the total in the 1646 data (35,343 ÷ 0.599), would be 59,003. This is very different from the value obtained from the 1568 data.

TABLE 1.1, REGION VIII, PART D
Towns Found in Both 1568 and 1595 Lists
Name	Loc.	Population in 1568	Population in 1595	Ratio
Acámbaro	Gto.	7,897	3,480	.441
Comanja	Mich.	3,102	1,391	.448
Cuitzeo	Mich.	5,735	2,086	.364
Huacana	Mich.	1,043	344	.330
Indaparapeo	Mich.	944	525	.556
Jirosto	Mich.	6,489	4,428	.682
Peribán	Mich.	3,944	2,482	.630
Pomucuarán, Sevina	Mich.	6,050	6,110	1.010
Puruándiro	Mich.	1,690	795	.470
Suchi	Mich.	267	993	3.715
Tancítaro	Mich.	2,129	2,014	.947
Tarécuato	Mich.	1,690	994	.588
Tarímbaro	Mich.	3,934	1,082	.275
Taximaroa	Mich.	8,455	4,310	.510
Turicato	Mich.	2,247	2,093	.933
Uruapan	Mich.	4,752	3,184	.670
Zacapu	Mich.	2,820	1,871	.664
Total		63,188	38,182	0.604
Number of cases	17

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TABLE 1.1, REGION VIII, PART E
Towns Found in Both 1595 and 1646 Lists
Name	Loc.	Population in 1595	Population in 1646	Ratio
Acámbaro	Gto.	3,480	5,140	1.478
Comanja	Mich.	1,391	361	.259
Cuitzeo	Mich.	2,086	1,302	.625
Huacana	Mich.	344	112	.325
Indaparapeo	Mich.	525	240	.457
Jirosto	Mich.	4,428	2,322	.524
Sevina, Pomucuarán	Mich.	6,110	3,188	.522
Tacámbaro	Mich.	984	318	.323
Tancítaro	Mich.	2,014	1,459	.769
Tarícuato	Mich.	994	910	.915
Tarímbaro	Mich.	1,082	471	.435
Turicato	Mich.	2,093	536	.256
Uruapan	Mich.	3,184	1,495	.469
Zacapu	Mich.	1,871	476	.254
Total		30,586	18,330	0.599
Number of cases	14