ords in the total name. For example, Lago de Chapala is listed
as "Chapala (Lago de)" and Cerro de Tancitaro is listed as "Tancitaro
(Cerro de)." Insofar as has been possible, the following information is
given for each locality: geographical co-ordinates to the nearest minute
of north latitude and west longitude, elevation in meters above mean sea
level, a description of its geographical location, type of dominant
vegetation, and in some cases comments concerning collecting sites in
the vicinity. Distances are in kilometers; all are map (air line)
distances, unless otherwise indicated. Many localities visited on mule
trips are given as being a certain number of "mule hours" in a general
direction from another town or village. In order to reach most of these
localities today, one would have to go by mule, and this is the way the
muleteers determine their distances. Some of the elevations are taken
from maps, but most of them were obtained from one or more readings of
altimeters that we carried in the field. The terms used for describing
the vegetation are those defined in the section of the natural
landscape.

[Illustration: FIG. 11. Map of Michoacan showing important localities
mentioned in text. Localities not on this map can be located by
directions given in the gazetteer.]

My primary cartographic sources have been: the provisional edition of
maps published by the American Geographic Society (Colima, Guadalajara,
Mexico, and San Luis Potosi sheets published between 1933 and 1940),
scale 1:1,000,000; the preliminary sheets (Colima, Guadalajara,
Guanajuato, and Mexico) published in 1949 with a scale of 1:500,000 of
the Carta Geografica de la Republica Mexicana (Direccion de Geografia y
Meterologia, Secretaria de Agricultura y Ganaderia); and the Carta de
Cuenca Tepalcatepec (Scale 1:250,000) prepared in 1958 by the Comision
del Tepalcatepec, Secretaria de Recursos Hidraulicos. I have visited
most of the 181 localities and have gathered data pertaining to
vegetation, altitude, and location. I think, nevertheless, that the
accuracy of some of the locations and elevations as given in the
gazetteer is questionable. This situation can be rectified only by
detailed geographic studies.

Most of the important towns, villages, rivers, and high mountains are
shown on the accompanying map (Fig. 11). Places not shown on this map
can be located from directions given in the gazetteer.

Acahuata.--Lat. 19 deg. 10', long. 10