A preliminary overview is presented of a long term research project being carried out among the Purepecha Indians (Tarascans) of the Lake Patzcuaro Basin in Mexico. The approach includes not only a description of the ecosystems of the study area but also the ways in which the Purepecha Indians know and utilize their ecological environment. Beginning with a description of the geographical and
... [Show full abstract] ecological conditions of the area, the authors describe and analyze some aspects of Indian knowledge about soils, metereological aspects, plants and animals. They continue with an analysis of the way the Indians take possession of their environment expressed in eight types of productive activity. -English summary
