Limited Good or Limited Goods? Response to Economic Opportunity in a Tarascan Pueblo¹

Abstract

This article describes the differential response to new economic opportunities in Cuanajo, a Tarascan Indian community in Michoacán, Mexico. It is argued here that blocks to development are primarily economic in nature, not cultural or cognitive (e.g., “limited good”) as has been asserted by others working in the area. When real opportunities became available, some individuals responded to them. Such positive forces lead us to reevaluate some basic premises concerning development which have been suggested in the areal literature.