LOS INDÍGENOS HUICHOL DE MÉXICO

Arte de lana

Historia de los Huichol  Sought refuge in the Sierra Madre Mtns. around the time that the Spaniards arrived in Mexico (1520’s)  OR Already lived in the mountains but became more hidden as the Spanish encroached on their lands  Made up of 4 or 5 distinct tribes  Stayed mostly isolated as Mexico grew and developed  Mestizos (part Indian/part white) began to try to take the native lands

Jalisco, Nayarit, y Zacatecas

Historia de los Huichol  During the Mexican Revolution (around 1913) mestizos sided with Pancho Villa, The Huichol sided with Carranza. The Huichol were victorious in driving the mestizos from their territory.  In the 1950’s, the Catholic Church began the task of modernizing the Huichol world.  In the 1960’s, the National Indian Institute (INI) began a plan to integrate the Huichol into the mainstream of Mexican national culture  Today, they are tied to the national economy as artisans (making crafts) or as migrant laborers. They are still trying to gain legal title to their lands.

La ropa indígena de los Huichol

El arte de los Huichol  Yarn Paintings:  Yarn pressed into boards coated with wax  Beading:  Originally, beads made from clay, shells, coral, and seeds  Now, modern beadwork consists of jewelry, masks, wood sculptures covered in ceramic beads  Materials have changed, purpose has changed-from religious to commercial  Designs have changed very little in hundreds of years

Historia de los Huichol  Today, they number about 50,000  Name comes from Wirriarika which means “medicine man” in their native language  Why are their ways still intact? Because they are so isolated and because there were no minerals in the mountains for the Spanish to mine  They have maintained their ancient belief systems better than any other indigenous group in Mexico.