Cultural Information
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To be a good neighbor you not only need to help your neighbor,
you need to know your neighbor. We know and love our American culture
but most of our ministry is done in Mexico with the Mexican and Indian
people. So, in order to carry out the mission God has set us on we needed
to learn about our new neighbors. This is some of what we have learned
and we hope you find this cultural/Governmental/travel information interesting
(even the facts!) and helpful to you as you follow our ministry physically
or prayerfully. This information will also be handy if you decide to visit
Mexico!
Posted May 16, 2008
Perhaps the most significant religious event of
the Colonial period was the apparition of the Virgin Mary (1531) to a
newly converted Indian baptized with the name Juan Diego. While walking
across Tepeyac, a hill located just north of the capital, he is said to
have beheld a resplendent vision of a dark-skinned woman. She entreated
him to go to Bishop Zumárraga and request that a temple be built
in her honor on the sacred grounds where the Aztecs had worshipped their
mother goddess Tonantzin. As evidence of the miraculous appearance, Juan
Diego retrieved an armload of roses from the normally barren hillside,
gathering them up in his tilma (cotton cloak). When he unleashed the cascade
of flowers at the bishop's feet, he revealed a stunning image of the Virgin
imprinted on the cloak. Not unlike the Shroud of Turin, the image of La
Virgen de Guadalupe still defies scientific explanation. La Guadalupana,
Reina de Mexico (Queen of Mexico), has since become the religious patroness
of all Latin Americans.
In the aftermath of the Conquest the Spaniards began to set up Nueva España's
political, social and economic structure. While the Ciudad de Mexico was
being erected on the ruins of the old Aztec capital, the remainder of
the conquered territory was gradually divvied up into grants for huge
estates, known as encomiendas, operated under a feudal system by some
500 Spanish landlords. Under the original scheme, title reverted to the
Spanish Crown upon the death of the ecomendero (estate owner), but in
time heirs were allowed retain rights by inheritance.
The encomendero was entitled to reap whatever benefit he could from the
estate, including the unpaid labor of the native inhabitants for working
the fields or mines. Theoretically, they were also obliged to look after
the physical, intellectual and spiritual well-being of the Indians. With
a few exceptions, most exploited their privileges without fulfilling their
obligations. Communal village ownership of tillable lands--known as the
ejido system--was also established during the early Colonial Period. All
of these would become significant factors in subsequent events in Mexico's
history.
In any case, although the encomienda system continued into the 18th century,
its importance in the overall economy of New Spain was short-lived. The
Spanish soldiers responsible for the conquest of Tenochtitlan--along with
thousands of new Spanish adventurers who emigrated in the century following
the Conquest--took little interest in working the land, preferring instead
to set out northward in search of gold and other riches in the fabled
Seven Cities of Cibola. The quest for this mythical land of plenty, probably
invented by natives as a ploy to send earlier adventurers onward, ultimately
proved fruitless.
As colonial society grew, a well-defined caste system developed. The top
stratus was formed by Spaniards born in Spain, called peninsulares or
gachupines, most of whom came from titled families and held the highest
ranking posts in both the government and the clergy. Next came the criollos,
those born in Mexico of Spanish parents. While few of the criollos who
came to occupy official positions were able to rise above a secondary
level, many others managed to prosper by becoming landowners and merchants
. A growing number were able to enjoy lives of leisure thanks to the toil
of Indians who turned their farms, ranches, mines and commercial ventures
into productive enterprises.
The dearth of Spanish women at the start of the Colonial era led to numerous
unions between Indian women and Spaniards. An immediate consequence was
the birth of many mixed-blood--mostly illegitimate--offspring. These so-called
mestizos made up a rapidly growing socioeconomic class that, for the most
part, were considered inferior by pure-blood Spaniards. Mestizos --who
today make up the vast majority of Mexico's population--were to remain
poor and uneducated for many generations.
The native Indians were delegated to the next rung down New Spain's social
ladder. Considered wards of the Crown and the Church, the law required
that legal authorities, the clergy and the encomenderos protect their
welfare. Nonetheless, the Spaniards depended heavily upon native labor.
Scarcely looked upon as human beings, hundreds of thousands of Indians
were literally worked to death. Others succumbed to new diseases introduced
by the Spaniards: smallpox, measles, plague, tuberculosis, and even the
common cold. At the time of the Conquest, about nine million indigenous
people inhabited Mexico's central plateau. By 1600 they numbered a scant
two and a half million.
The devastation of the Indian population created
a significant labor shortage. This situation was remedied by importing
thousands of African slaves. (Curiously, slavery of the Indians had been
prohibited in the mid-16th century by Nueva España's second Viceroy,
Luis de Velasco.) Although they came at a premium, due to high transportation
costs, the Spaniards willingly paid for slaves who seemed to withstand
both hard labor and harsh working conditions better than the Indians.
With the remuneration received for their steadfast labor, many Blacks
were eventually able to purchase their freedom.
Diverse racial subgroups originated in subsequent generations, including
mulattos (Spanish-African), castizos (Spanish-Mestizo), zambos (Indian-African).
Added to this mix were the large numbers of Filipinos, Chinese and Europeans
of assorted nationalities who emigrated to Mexico during the era. Having
emerged from this singular fusion, modern Mexican society has garnered
the tag la raza cósmica--the cosmic race.
For centuries Mexican Indians have had contact
with Christian missionaries and all the agricultural Indians of northern
Mexico are nominal Roman Catholics except for a few communities of pagan
Tarahumaras, called “gentiles,” and the majority of the Huichol.
Even pagan groups, however, have incorporated Christian ideas. Even though
the constitution guarantees separation of church and state, Roman Catholicism
is practiced by more than 95 percent of the population. The shrine of
the Virgin of Guadalupe, the nation's patron saint, is located in Mexico
City and is the site of annual pilgrimage for hundreds of thousands of
people, many of them peasants. A significant proportion of Indians retain
traditional religious beliefs and practices, despite their adherence to
Roman Catholicism. Protestant missionaries are active in the country and
have been especially successful in converting the urban poor. Religion
plays a major role in the Mexican culture!
MEXICO'S COLONIAL ERA
Religion & Society in New Spain
Soon after the Spanish conquistadores
conquered the Aztec empire militarily the cultural conquest of Indians
began.
The Spaniards were devoutly Roman
Catholic. Spain's rise to power came as a direct result of regaining the
Liberian peninsula from Moslem rule. In return for having driven out the
Moors, the Pope granted the Spanish Crown authority over the Church within
its domain, effectively making it the arm of the State. Thus Carlos V
conquest of the Americas was more than just a quest for territory and
material riches. His personal mission as an agent of the Vatican was the
pursuit of souls for salvation.
At that time the Church's organization
was divided into two distinct branches. Under the Papal grant of power
to the Spanish Crown, the secular clergy was comprised of priests who
served under their bishops. The missionary orders, on the other hand,
were designated as self-governing bodies under the separate authority
of their respective superiors, as decreed by Pope Leon X in 1521. Secular
priests were prohibited from interfering with the regular clergy, on penalty
of ex-communication. Thus, during Mexico's colonial era, the secular clergy
worked hand in hand with civil authorities, while the missionary friars,
laboring independently, tended to have greater influence over the common
people.
The first Franciscan missionaries,
sent by Carlos V at Cortez request, arrived in Mexico in 1523 and 1524.
By 1559 there were 300 Franciscan friars at 80 missions throughout Nueva
España. They were followed by the Dominicans (1525), the Augustinians
(1533), and finally, the Jesuits (1571). Altogether some 12,000 churches
were built during the three centuries of Spanish rule over Mexico.
Although their chief goal was to
perform the sacraments and introduce the Indians to the fundamentals of
Christian doctrine, in many respects the missionary friars laid the groundwork
for the fusion of the Spanish and Indian cultures. They also took responsibility
for the basic education of the Indians, an effort greatly enhanced by
their intense study of Indian languages. They established schools where
youngsters learned to read and write and were introduced to European music
and the arts. Adults were trained to practice agriculture and trades,
learning European methods in masonry, carpentry, ironwork, weaving, dying,
and ceramics.
The first archbishop of Mexico, Fray Juan de Zumárraga,
was another steadfast advocate for the indigenous people who, in conjunction
with Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza, established the renowned Santa Cruz de
Tlatelolco School for the sons of Indian nobles. He earned the moniker
"Protector of the Indians" after founding of the Santa Fe hospices
in Mexico City and Paztcuaro, where aid was dispensed to the poorest of
natives. He also set up the first printing press in the Americas.
Since it was customary for Mesoamerican cultures
to adopt the religion of conquering tribes, the Indians were not naturally
inclined to resist conversion to Christianity. There were in fact certain
similarities in doctrines and rituals that facilitated matters. Human
sacrifice--a practice the Spaniards found particularly distasteful --
predisposed the Aztecs to readily accept the concept of consuming the
body and blood of Christ in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Likewise,
it was not a stretch for the Indians to substitute adoration of the Virgin
Mary for worship of Tonantzin, their mother figure.
Although the church tried hard to put an end to
most pagan practices, some ancient religious customs were assimilated
in the celebration of Christians holidays. For example, All Souls Day,
November 2nd, closely coincided with the Aztec's autumn rituals in honor
of departed ancestors, giving rise to the unique Day of the Dead festivities
still observed in Mexico today.
Look for part 2 in December update.
As of the early 1990’s in Mexico, some Indian
peoples still play instruments made by their ancient relatives. Their
songs and dances are a tribute to their ancestors and tell of uprisings
against their masters. They play African hand pianos and do the dance
of the black people. They also sing “corridos” (song stories)
of slave uprisings.
These are little known facts and traditions that
quietly show the African presence is still alive and well in Mexico.
It seems that history of Mexico from the beginning
of the 16th century was formed by three cultures. The indigenous peoples,
the Europeans and the Africans.
The late University of Veracruz professor, Gonzalo Aguirre Beltrán
calls Africa the third root of the Americas.
Usually people think of early Africans in the
Americas as associated with the slave trade in the United States. The
slave trade was also a part of life in Caribbean, Central America, Peru,
Columbia, Brazil and Mexico.
You won’t find it in many history books,
but Mexico was also a key port of entry for slave ships and thus had a
large population of Africans. Actually, during the colonial era there
were more Africans than there were Europeans in Mexico.
It is said that blacks did not leave the country,
but in fact took part in forging the great racial mixture that is Mexico
today.
Because of inner marriages, much of the African
presence is no longer visible except in a few places such as Veracruz
and the Costa Chica in Guerrero and Oaxaca.
In Mexico, many of the Africans that entered came
to what are now the states of Yucatan, Michoacan, Tlaxcala, Mexico, Chiapas,
Veracruz, Guerrero and Oaxaca. Contrary to popular thought, they did not
remain in the south but migrated throughout the whole of Mexico, where
they were employed in occupations such as mining, the textile industry,
ranching, fishing and agriculture. Blacks in Mexico weren't just slaves.
Many were explorers and cofounders of settlements as far north as Los
Angeles and other parts of what is today the Southwest United States.
Prior to independence from Spain, there were numerous
slave rebellions in Mexico. The first documented slave rebellion in Mexico
occurred in 1537; this was followed by the establishment of various runaway
slave settlements called "palenques." Some rebellions were in
alliance with Indians and mestizos even as far north as Chihuahua. In
1608, Spaniards negotiated the establishment of a free black community
with Yagna, a runaway rebel slave. Today, that community in Veracruz bears
its founder's name.
The principal guerrilla fighters for Mexican independence
from Spain were Indians, mestizos and mulattos. One of the primary leaders
of the independence movement, José María Morelos y Pavón,
was mulatto, or of African ancestry, as was Vicente Guerrero, Mexico's
second president, who officially abolished slavery in 1822. Slavery was
actually not done away with until 1829.
Also, often left out in history is Mexico's role as a sanctuary to African
American slaves during the 19th century. Unknown to even most historians,
descendants of these slaves still live in Mexico.
In the summer of 1850, the Mascogos, composed of runaway slaves and free
blacks from Florida, along with Seminoles and Kikapus, fled south from
the United States, to the Mexican border state of Coahuila. Accompanying
the Seminoles were also 'Black Seminoles' -- slaves who had been freed
by the tribe after battles against white settlers in Florida.
The three groups eventually settled the town of
El Nacimiento, Coahuila, where many of their descendants remain.
Note, much information in this article is from
the research of University of Veracruz professor, Gonzalo Aguirre Beltrán.
His research was not well received in Mexico, states Gabriel Moedano Navarro,
director of ethnohistory at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico.
By 1946, the psyche of the Mexican nation was a mixture of Indian and
Spanish blood.
Sonora’s most representative
dance, which has distinguished the region for years, is the Mazoyiwua
dance, or “dance of the deer”.
Popular festivities
and Celebrations
Almost 200 popular festivities
are celebrated in Sonora per year. Most of them revolve around patron
saints and are combined with civic celebrations moreover, each region
gives each festivity unique characteristics.
Local Dance
Sonora’s most representative
dance, which has distinguished the region for years, is the Mazoyiwua
dance, or “dance of the deer”.
The Dance of the Deer consists
of an Indigenous Dance and it is attributed to the Yaqui Culture.
Clothes:
The deer costume consists
of cotton shorts or trousers and a “rebozo” (piece of cloth)
that covers the forehead and the back and is kept in place using a belt,
from which deer hooves hang. Dry butterfly cocoon threads are coiled on
the calves and give the movements of the bare feet a peculiar sound. They
clasp two candy rattles, with which they mark the rhythm, and the dancer
covers his head with a white rag with a dissected deer head, adorned with
ribbons, on top of it. The individual that performs this dance has to
represent a deer to the point of practically becoming said animal.
Instruments:
The "baa-wehai" or “bueja” (water drum), is a large
ceramic or wood container that remains fixed to the seat and is filled
with water. A “jicara”, with a cord attached to a small orifice
so that it won’t drift away (and which the musician controls with
his left hand), floats on the water. The “jícara” is
then drummed, on its convex side, with a "baa jiponia", which
is a small piece of wood covered with a dry corn leaf, and tightened with
an “ixtle” string. The "baa jiponia" rests on the
musician’s right hand.
There are also the "hirúkiam",
which are made out of grooved Brazil twigs (one is thin and long and the
other smooth and smaller in size). One end of the longer, serrated twig
is placed on the “jicara”’s convex side, with the “jicara”
facing downwards (which will work as an acoustic box), and the other end
is held by the musician’s left hand. With the right hand, one strokes
the longer twig with the smooth short one which produces a sound that
resembles a deer’s agitated breathing.
There are typically two
"hirúkiam" musicians. The first musician plays the primitive
chants and sings them in Yaqui dialect.
Because they are completely
natural, the dancer’s instruments produce sounds that bear a resemblance
to those of the earth, water and air and deeply touch the audience.
Dance: It begins with reed flute music and a drum. The deer appears with
the sound of the rattles and the dancer imitates the animal’s movements.
After being stuck by an arrow, the deer begins a battle against death.
Vigorously attempting not to die, its strength vanishes and it rises tremulously
at which point one can hear a drum throbbing, symbolizing the deer’s
heartbeats. Despite its attempts to live, the deer begins to quiver and
is enveloped in spasms until it lies motionless. The instruments and the
chanting continues and gives way to the dancer who, with his bloodied
hands, becomes a medium for the deer’s spirit and thus reconstructs
its movements, which can be timid, careful, feral and/or playful, giving
the dance a unique and colorful individuality.
Tradition: The dance must be performed by a male
Yaqui Indian whose parents have destined him for such an endeavor since
early childhood. The aforementioned person is taught, from childhood,
to always behave like a deer and even receives a special diet enabling
him to develop a thin and agile body which will allow him to better imitate
animal’s movements. The deer is considered to have a compilation
of qualities that are harmonious as a whole: reality, truth and beauty.
The ideal of the Yaqui Indian is to be a deer-dancer.
Crafts: Sonora has a great variety of crafts that
have been passed on from generation to generation, allowing the State’s
identity to persist. Each of these skills is related to the lifestyle
and traditions of each region.
Crafts that can be found in our State:
• Pottery
• Indigenous crafts such as Paskola masks, Fariseo masks, leather
key rings, Mayan lottery, leather sandals (huaraches), chairs, cots, dresses
made by the Yaqui tribe, Chapayeca masks, bed rolls
• Ceramic crafts (bowls, pitchers, pots)
• Reed crafts (bed rolls and curtains).
• Crafts made out of tree roots.
• Marine crafts: made out of sea shells, figures elaborated out
of sea products (shells and snails among others)
• Leather articles (jackets, vests, and slippers)
• Trays
• Fabric embroidering
• Hammocks and bed rolls
• Cowboy boots
• Baskets
• Brooms
• Wood Figurines
• Horseshoes
• Fine wood furniture
• Wood clocks
• Copper objects such as ash trays, paperweights, shields
• Pine wood products
• Chairs and tables
• Hats
• Leather mounting chairs, belts, harness and saddles
• Palm articles such as hats and baskets
The Culture
Whether you are being God’s hands and feet or just vacationing
in México (or any foreign country) it is important to be culturally
sensitive to the people and their traditions. It can be fun, interesting
and educational (but don’t tell the kids about the educational part).
It may even keep you from getting into trouble!
The Cultural page will not bore you or load you down with a lot of stuff
you have to remember. Hopefully the information we pass on to you will
be entertaining and helpful.
We love the Mexican people, their culture (even if we don’t understand
or agree with all of it) and enjoy living and being a part of it. We hope
you will, too.
Most Americans are outgoing, question-oriented, fun loving people, even
when we meet strangers.
Not so in the Mexican culture. While being fun loving and outgoing with
their family and friends, when meeting and being around strangers the
Mexican people can be quiet and reserved. This is a sign of respect, not
arrogance or unfriendliness. Once you get to know them, there is plenty
of laughter and joking. So, please be respectful of and patient with their
quietness.
What would you do if someone pulled up in front of your house and blew
their car horn or stood there and called out your name? I might think
they are rude or lazy!
To be polite and respectful in the Mexican culture, you rarely walk up
to someone’s home unannounced (especially in the barrio). The proper
thing to do is to stand in front of their home and call out or honk your
car horn to announce your presence and then wait for their reply and invitation
to come in, “pasele”.
When you get to know someone well, then it may be proper to go into their
yard and approach their house to announce your presence.
Family is of primary importance to most Mexican people. They are very
relational and family time together has much more importance than material
possessions. And they treat each other accordingly.
Whether we Americans are in the tourist areas or in the barrio, the Mexican
people will be watching to see how we treat each other and our children.
Manos de Dios and our representatives will carry ourselves in a manner
that reflects our Christian roots. We show respect to the Mexican people
and their culture. We also show respect and honor to our families and
friends. Your best witness will be in your actions.
We find most people in the barrios of Mexico are decent, hard working
and compassionate. Even in the face of adversity they are joyful, positive
and hospitable to friends and strangers a like. We may notice some things
about the people that we do not understand. If you do, please don’t
make unfounded judgments.
You may notice people and children with yellow or brown teeth. This may
be caused by minerals in the water, not poor hygiene. The people in the
barrio are usually clean and well dressed. If you notice someone that
has dirty hair, clothes or skin the reason could quite possible be that
they live in an area where water is very scarce or not available for bathing
and laundry.
Many Mexicans do not treat dogs as family/household pets. They are animals
that are left alone to fend for themselves. In the barrios, they eat whatever
they can find in the streets and garbage cans. For this reason we suggest
that you do not feed the dogs or other animals. If they are fed dog food,
it may mess up their digestive tract and you know what happens then!
Donations: if someone asks for a donation of food, clothing, or money,
etc. we suggest you advise them to seek assistance from their local pastor.
Manos de Dios helps to stock the church food pantries and clothing banks.
Pastors know who truly has a need in their area and have equitable methods
of distributing items to the needy. You may also see children as young
as five or six years old selling things in the streets, on the beach or
even bagging groceries in a market. The sight will tug at your heartstrings
and you may want to buy something from them or give them a large tip for
their assistance. Before you do, please be advised of the following. If
the children are successful selling items or make a lot of money from
tips, it is quite possible the parents will keep them out of school so
they can work the streets. While this is an immediate fix and adds needed
money to their income, the children will be hurt in the long run. Working
instead of going to school will deprive them of an education that could
increase their chances of a brighter future. Speaking of children, we
suggest that you don’t give them candy. Most children do not have
access to a dentist or regular oral hygiene. If you want to give them
a treat, purchase fruit from a local street vendor (helping the local
economy) and pass it out to the children.
My name is….Robert Me llamo…Roberto
What is your name? Como se llama?
Out of respect, always use these phrases when meeting people you don’t
know and the elderly:
Good morning (sun up till noon) Buenos dias
Good afternoon (noon till dusk) Buenas tardes
Good evening (dusk till dawn) Buenas noches
If you are with friends, you can say “hola” instead of the
formal greeting. Many people say “bueno” when answering the
phone in place of our “hello”.
Where is the restroom? ¿Donde esta el baño?
There are 9 tribes in Sonora, and 8 of them still populate the state
and continue with their history and traditions.
The villages they use to live in were constructed according to the temperature
of the region; towns and villages were founded on the river banks and
agriculture was their economy.
They are rich and varied in their culture and extremely artistic.
We will highlight two tribes each month.
There can be friction between the Mexican people and the Indians of Mexico.
Be very cautious when speaking about one people group to another. It is
best not to take sides but to realize both groups may have valid reasons
for their particular views.
The same as their neighbors, The Jovas and the
Eudeves, the Opatas have already disappeared as a distinct ethnic unit.
The Opata dialect, classified within the Yuto-astec
family of the Taracahitiano group of the Sonora subfamily is nowadays
a dead language. Ever since 1950, Opata-speaking individuals have not
been registered and only some phrases and isolated words have been preserved.
The Opata dialect is part of the Taracahitian of Uto-Aztec branch. The
word Opata means “hostile people” in Pima dialect, and this
was the term used by the Pimas when they referred to the Opatas.
Opatas do not make any crafts except for their
basketwork. The pottery they make is for their own personal use. They
also make trays and wooden spoons.
The meeting points for the Opatas religious activities
are the catholic temples.
San Isidro Labrador is the most popular and venerated Saint in the whole
area and surrounding villages.
Seris refer to themselves as “KonKaak”
which means “the people”.
Seri means “the one that really runs fast” in Opata dialect.
The Konkaak dialect is part of the filum or Hokano
lineage, which also includes the Coahuilteco (Northwest of Mexico) and
the Tlapaneco.
According to several experts, Seris are part of
the Yumano group of the Sioux-Hokana.
Their craftmanship focuses primarily in iron-wood-carving, knitting and
weaving of “coritas” (baskets) and the necklace production.
Iron-wood carving started, as stated by people sayings, in 1964 by Don
Josè Astorga Encinas in a critical moment for the tribe, who needed
incomes to survive.
Seris people never developed a very complex festive-religious
government system. Their interpretation of the world , their rituals,
their festivities and cultural manifestations are closely related to nature
and the biological and social concept of the group’s reproduction.
Their major festivities are still those celebrating the “puberty”,
the arrival of the seven edges cahuama, the rite of the dead man and those
related to the Seri’s New Year and the end of the “coritas”
production.
The term Pima means “there is no”,
“it doesn’t exist”, “I don’t have”,
or probably “I don`t understand”. Pimas call themselves O’ob,
which means “the people”.
The Pima dialect is partof the Yuto-Aztec stem, composed of the Taracachita(Corahuichol),
Nahua and Pima or Pimana branch or subgroup.
Long ago Pima women made pots, palm products and
woolen garments . Pimas make products with vegetable fibers, such as hats,
mats, suitcases or rectangular baskets with lids or covers to store all
kinds of things.
Christianity taught by the missionaries had to
be adapted to their native language and mentality. In addition , the diverse
indigeneous groups added substancial elements of their own religion, rituals
and ceremonies, and finally the Pimas ended up accepting San Francisco
as their patron saint.
The conflicts between native and non native populations,
in addition to other less symbolic manidifestations, appear dramatized
in their festivities and celebrations. Celebrations held at the ceremonial
centers differ from those observed in the communities.
Some festivities organized in the ceremonial centers are:
. La Santa Cruz (May 3rd)
. Holy Week ceremonies
. The celebration of San Francisco (October 4th),
. The Virgin of Guadalupe Day” (December 12)
The community celebrations are agrarian rituals that commemorate relevant
stages of the agricultural cycle, such as:
. The “Yoreme”, or the San Juan Bautista festivity (June 14)
which is celebrated with ritual bathes honoring the rain.
 According
to the group’s tradition, the word “Mayo” means “people
from the shore”. Mayos refer to themselves as “yoremes”,
“ people who respect tradition”, and call white men “yori”
“those who show no respect”.
The Mayo dialect is part of the Taracahitiana
family, of the cahita sub-family with Uto-Azteca roots, and it is related
to the Yaqui and the Guarijìo dialects.
Craftsmanship is not the main activity for the
Mayo`s economy. Wool blankets, dyed wool strips woven in waist looms,
water pots,stick mats, different kinds of baskets, harps and violins.
In their rites, chants and dances, the nature
has a provider role. It is the world supplier. This is expressed in the
character that dancers represent as deer and the pascola.
One of the Mayo legends tells how “God created
gold for the Yoris and working instruments for the Yoremes”
The Mayo religion is structured around their ceremonial
centers or traditional towns, composed of small commnunities congregated
around their saints.
 Pàpagos
call themselves “Tohono O’odham”, which means “people
of the desert”.
This ethnic group lives in the desert of Sonora
and
Arizona. They occupy Caborca, Rocky Point, Sàric, Altar and Plutarco
Elìas Calles. This group has two nationalities, but most of them
live in Arizona (United States of America). Its territory extends to the
mid-valley and the elevated portion of the Gila River.
O’odham dialect is closely related with
Pima dialect, and both comprise the Pimana branch of the Yetonahua .
In July they celebrate the traditional ritual
to invoke the rain “Vi ikita”, and on October 4th they have
a celebration honoring their patron saint, San Francisco de Asis.
 They
call themselves “Macurawes or Macuraguis”, which means “those
who hold the soil”. Several historical documents refer to them as
Ehíos, Varojíos, Warojios and Gaurijios.
Linguistically speaking, Guarijíos belong to the group Nahua-Huitlateco,
Yulo-Nahua stock and Pima Cora family. They make handcrafts with natural
materials like palm, clay, branches, and fibers, with which they weave
baskets, mats, hats, angarias or angarillas (baskets made with three hoops
of braided branches) and a natural fiber net used to carry objects hung
on the back.
They are very religious, combining pre-Hispanic and catholic elements.
Their main festivities are:
-
The Tuguardas
-
Wakes
-
End of the year celebrations
-
Cava pizca celebration.
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The Tuguarda or Tuburada is the major celebration with greater presence
throughout the year. The Guarijì man must have three of these
celebrations in his lifetime, while women must have four because they
are considered to have “more of a tendency to sin and must pay
for it”. This festivity is held for diverse community reasons,
in addition to those marked by the catholic calendar.
 The
history of the Yaqui is full of acts of heroic resistance in order to
defend their territory and culture, an ancestral culture enriched by its
rites and traditions, where the “Danza del Venado” (The Deer
Dance) stands out; this is the symbolic representation of the deer hunt,
and its artistic richness has generated an enormous interest around the
world.
In 1523, the first white man trying to conquer the Yaqui territory was
Diego de Guzman, but he failed. During the 17th century, Diego Martìnez
de Hurdaide made a second military incursion, but was defeated again;
yet, this time a Peace Treaty was signed with the Yaqui people. This smoothed
the progress for the acknowledgment of two Jesuit missionaries, Andrès
Pèrez and Tomàs Basilio, who also influenced the organization
of the group. They started the concentration and regrouping of the Yaqui
people.
Given that they were scattered in 80 communities and 8 villages: Cocorit
o Espíritu Santo, Santa Rosa de Bacum, San Ignacio de Torim, La
Natividad del Señor de Vicam, Santísima Trinidad de Potam,
La Asunción de Rahúm, Santa Bárbara de Huirivis and
San Miguel de Belén.
They make pottery and woven baskets, as well as carved-wood masks and
drums used in their dances and festivities.
Yaqui tribes are very religious people, and their spirituality extends
to all their activities and is apparent primarily in their collective
dances and festivities. The Virgen del Carmen is their patron saint.
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