Authentic Huichol ArtCall (702) 521-5606
Unique Art from the Huichol Indians of west central Mexico
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
by Lorena Benitez
beadwork at Zia Traders
Purchase Huichol Art from Zia Traders
Find the finest Huichol art at Zia Traders
Look no further.
Gold – was the 'fortune' in the movie: "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre." But, the real treasure there is a fragile, indigenous culture, a window open to the natural world of pre-Colombian times, that has been preserved for centuries high in the isolated mountain ranges of the Sierra - the Huichol Indians. They have been overlooked and dismissed in the quest for the hidden gold and silver mines of the Incas and Aztecs. The value of the Huichol, is ancient wisdom that has evolved from thousands of years of total immersion in nature.
The Huichols have no word for "god," but incorporate into their religious philosophy the natural wonders of their environment. The mountains and rocks of the Sierra Madre are the physical embodiments of their ancestors who stand guard with love, willing to teach and guide their descendants in the obligation to care for the Earth. Their rivers are veins of "Mother Ocean", and convey her life-giving blood inland to their lands. Father Sun warms the earth and produces the crops. Offerings are given to Grandmother-Nakawe who brings the rains to balance the sun.
It is known they were in the Sierra when the first Spanish conquistadores reached the west coast in 1531. The Spaniards, came seeking the rumored lost gold mines of the Aztecs; finding only desolate mountains, they soon left. Indians wars led by the shamans in 1500's, further reduced the Spaniards' interest in the Sierra's interior. During the 1860's, Jesuit missionaries were repulsed by the Indians, leaving behind the shells of small chapels. It was not until l890 that European anthropologists penetrated the Sierra and, with camera and pen, documented the Huichol culture.
In the 1970's, the Mexican government, decided to integrate all indigenous peoples into mainstream society, and opened schools, clinics and agricultural stations to introduce new ways to the Huichols. Air strips brought small planes bearing tourists and government officials into the most remote areas of the Sierra. Ranchers coveted the high, grassy plateaus on which the Huichols lived as new grazing lands for their increasing cattle herds. Religious zealots sought to convert the "pagans." But through it all, the Huichol held to their ancestral beliefs.
As the megacity of Guadalajara drained water from the mountains, and forests disappeared, game died, illness and poverty beset the Huichols and rumors of pollution and environmental devastation reached them from the outside world, the Huichols felt at fault. Their pact with their nature-deities had been broken. The white-tailed deer could no longer be found in the Sierra forests, and the Huichols were unable to perform their ancient ceremonies to please their deities and heal the Earth.
To see more of the astounding art of the Huichol Indians, visit: www.ziatraders.com
Huichol: the Healers
The Huichols call themselves "the healers." For centuries, hidden away from the modern world and protected by the natural barrier of the Sierra Madres; they have performed ceremonial rituals they believe heal the Earth and keep nature in balance. Key to the ceremonies is the ritual love offering of the white-tailed deer to their nature-deities. The blood of the deer nourishes the earth.The Huichols have no word for "god," but incorporate into their religious philosophy the natural wonders of their environment. The mountains and rocks of the Sierra Madre are the physical embodiments of their ancestors who stand guard with love, willing to teach and guide their descendants in the obligation to care for the Earth. Their rivers are veins of "Mother Ocean", and convey her life-giving blood inland to their lands. Father Sun warms the earth and produces the crops. Offerings are given to Grandmother-Nakawe who brings the rains to balance the sun.
Huichol: Symbols of Nature
The Huichols embroider their clothing with the symbols of nature which offer them strength and life: - the flower, a prayer for rain; -- the deer, a request for love and bounty; -- the scorpion, to ask their protection. The origins of the Huichols are debated. Some believe they were nomadic wanderers recently arrived to the Sierra. Others hold the theory that they are a branch of the same family as the Aztecs, both having migrated from their original homeland near the Pacific coast. The Huichols themselves say they migrated north from the Valley of Mexico where they were forced to take refuge in the Sierra hundreds of years ago by warring Indian tribes.It is known they were in the Sierra when the first Spanish conquistadores reached the west coast in 1531. The Spaniards, came seeking the rumored lost gold mines of the Aztecs; finding only desolate mountains, they soon left. Indians wars led by the shamans in 1500's, further reduced the Spaniards' interest in the Sierra's interior. During the 1860's, Jesuit missionaries were repulsed by the Indians, leaving behind the shells of small chapels. It was not until l890 that European anthropologists penetrated the Sierra and, with camera and pen, documented the Huichol culture.
In the 1970's, the Mexican government, decided to integrate all indigenous peoples into mainstream society, and opened schools, clinics and agricultural stations to introduce new ways to the Huichols. Air strips brought small planes bearing tourists and government officials into the most remote areas of the Sierra. Ranchers coveted the high, grassy plateaus on which the Huichols lived as new grazing lands for their increasing cattle herds. Religious zealots sought to convert the "pagans." But through it all, the Huichol held to their ancestral beliefs.
As the megacity of Guadalajara drained water from the mountains, and forests disappeared, game died, illness and poverty beset the Huichols and rumors of pollution and environmental devastation reached them from the outside world, the Huichols felt at fault. Their pact with their nature-deities had been broken. The white-tailed deer could no longer be found in the Sierra forests, and the Huichols were unable to perform their ancient ceremonies to please their deities and heal the Earth.
 |
The story of their true-life 600 mile pilgrimage from the remote Sierra into the heart of Mexico City--the world's most populous and polluted city--to obtain 20 white-tailed deer from the city zoo in an effort to save the Earth from environmental destruction is a wonderful comment on the devotion and sacrifice of the Huichols for the betterment of all men. In 1988, the Huichols were awarded the National Ecology Prize of Mexico for their efforts to repopulate the Sierra Madre forests with white-tailed deer. |
| Beaded Ironwood Deer | |
To see more of the astounding art of the Huichol Indians, visit: www.ziatraders.com
