ABSTRACT Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) is an oleaginous plant of economic importance due to its different industrial applications. Edaphic characteristics are used to determine the viability of places considered as suitable to obtain castor oil. The objectives of this study were to determine the edaphic characteristics and oil content of R. communis, and to evaluate elicitation with salicylic acid (SA) in El Marqués, Querétaro, Mexico. Sampling was carried out in a direct way, selecting sites where castor bean plants were found. Samples of 1.5 kg of soil were taken and 3 clusters of castor bean in a mature state were collected from 21 accessions. The physicochemical characteristics of the soil and oil content of seeds were determined. Finally, 300 plants of the Guanajuatoil variety were planted and elicitated with different SA concentrations under greenhouse conditions in order to determine oil content. The physical analysis of the soil samples indicated dark-colored soils, Mollisol and Vertisol types, with different textures: clay, clay loam, sandy clay loam and sandy loam. Soil chemical analyses showed the following soil characteristics: pH 7.22; electrical conductivity 0.52 dS m-1; organic matter 7.17%; cation exchange capacity 26.77; calcium 38.62, magnesium 6.81, sodium 13.41and potassium 6.97 cmol kg-1; and nitrogen and phosphorus contents of 16.32 and 54 mg kg-1, respectively. Castor oil content was higher in clay soils (41.46%). The plants elicited with SA presented oil contents ranging from 28.99% to 52.9%, obtained with 100 and 900 ^M. In conclusion, elicitation with SA is an adequate method to increase oil content in castor bean seeds. The locality of El Marqués has good potential for the production of castor oil.

ResumenEn este artículo se analiza la presencia del general Porfirio Díaz en la historiografía masónica mexicana. Para la redacción de este texto se recurrió a las obras de José María Mateos (Historia de la masonería en México desde 1806 hasta 1884), Richard Chism (Una contribución a la historia masónica de México) y Luis J. Zalce (Apuntes para la historia de la masonería en México, de mis lecturas y mis recuerdos). El cuestionario es básico: ¿Qué fuentes documentales utilizaron los autores para redactar sus textos? ¿Cómo examinan la actuación del general Díaz, como actor de un régimen o un hermano masón? Pese a lo elemental de las preguntas, éstas colaboran para situar parte de los tópicos y de las formas en que fueron redactadas las historias de la masonería en México. El artículo está integrado con dos secciones. En la primera se esboza una biografía del general Díaz y se presentan las obras que se definen como historiografía masónica mexicana. La segunda sección presenta la descripción de las obras y cómo examinaron la presencia de Díaz en la masonería.

AbstractThis article analyses the presence of General Porfirio Diaz in Mexican Masonic historiography, using the works of José María Mateos (History of Freemasonry in Mexico from 1806 to 1884), Richard Chism (A contribution to the Masonic history of Mexico) and Luis J. Zalce (Notes on the history of Freemasonry in Mexico, my reading and my memories). The line of questioning is basic: What documentary sources were used by the authors to write their texts? How did they examine the performance of General Diaz, as an actor of the regime or a brother Mason? Although these are elemental questions, together they elucidate the ways in which Freemasonry was written about in Mexico. The article comprises two sections: The first outlines a biography of General Diaz and the works that are defined as Mexican Masonic historiography are presented. The second section presents a description of the work and how it examined the presence of Diaz in Freemasonry.

¿Cómo concurrió la masonería para hacer sociedad en México? La situamos en singular para mostrar que era una asociación, una entre varias, que emergió en el tránsito de la sociedad colonial y el periodo de la formación del estado nacional. Para responder asentamos una serie de notas que examinan las actividades masónicas en varias entidades del centro-norte de México. Primero se registran los rasgos organizativos de las grandes logias de esas entidades y las actividades que realizaron sus integrantes. La revisión atiende las llamadas logias simbólicas que laboraron con el ceremonial del Rito Escocés Antiguo y Aceptado. En el transcurso de la descripción también se explora la interacción entre la vida interna de las logias y lo que su documentación llama el mundo profano.

How did Freemasonry come to fruition in Mexico? We refer to this process as a single event but just to show how this association, one among others emerged during the transition from a colonial society through the makings of a nation state. In order to answer this question we present some notes that examine masonic activity in several organizations in the north of Mexico. First, we registered the organizational traits of the grand lodges and their membership’s activities. This revision covers the symbolic lodges that operated within the ceremonial Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite. In this description we also explore the interaction of life within the lodges and that of what their documents call secular world.