Culture and behavior: Applying log-linear models for transitions between offices in a Mexican festival system

The question of how well cultural models correspond with actual behavior is fundamental to anthropology, yet relatively little explored in the literature. For the cargo (religious festival) system of San Rafael Tepatlaxco (Tlaxcala, Mexico), data are available on both office-holding behavior and informants’ accounts of the system. We used log-linear models to analyze data on transitions between offices and investigate the degree to which behavioral data match the system as characterized in informants’ reports. Results suggested that the behavioral data are relatively consistent with the hierarchy of offices reported by informants, but that the hierarchy constrains moves between offices less than might be expected. The findings highlight the complexity of both the cargo system itself and the assessment of correspondence between behavioral data and cultural models.