Huichol
Middle America and the Caribbeanother subsistence combinationsMap
expand_more Description
The Huichol are an Uto-Aztecan speaking Mexican Indian group located in the southern Sierra Madre Occidental (northern Jalisco and eastern Nayarit, and adjacent areas of Zacatecas and Durango states). The extended family, commonly living in dispersed compounds called [i]ranchos[/i], is the basis of Huichol social structure, with lineages organized into temple communities. A council of male elders, usually shamans, provides community leadership. Religion permeates all aspects of life, with peyote playing a central role, vividly expressed in the visual arts. Slash-and-burn agriculture along with hunting, gathering and fishing, was the traditional basis of the economy. Seasonal migratory wage labor, craft production for external sale, and animal husbandry have become increasingly important in recent times.
Identifier
Region
- Middle America and the Caribbean
Subregion
- Northern Mexico
Subsistence Type
- other subsistence combinations
Samples
Countries
- Mexico