Today as I sit watching another round of rain soak the earth outside I fondly recall the warmth of being in Mexico a full year ago now! Each year when money allows, we try to get to Mexico to stay with my husbands parents who live there for half of the year, this is such a gift to our family as the sun always seems to fix us right up for another year of living in a rainforest, and for this I am eternally grateful!
We have been going there for just over 10 years now, but it was only last year that I decided to have an adventure of my own that did not include the kids or my husband.
My mother in law Azra and I had always wanted to visit one of the Huichol{Pronounced Witch-hol} villages that lies deep up the Sierra Madre mountain range, which is 3,000 feet above sea level, in Nayarit.
My mother in law Azra and I had always wanted to visit one of the Huichol{Pronounced Witch-hol} villages that lies deep up the Sierra Madre mountain range, which is 3,000 feet above sea level, in Nayarit.
For me, this trip felt important because as I have deepened into my shamanic training I have come to appreciate all of the shamanic cultures from around the world, but the Huichol Indians from Mexico captured my attention years ago because of their stunning art and presence in Jalisco. Over the years I have brought back a few special pieces that have captured some of the spirit animals that I too work with, for there seems to be a universal connection to certain animals, regardless of the tradition you come from.
Joined by another friend of Azra’s it was decidedly an all woman day, and we set out at the break of dawn with no expectations, just an open mind and a great sense of adventure. We knew that the trip would take us about 12 hours and so we packed our backpacks with water, sun lotion and snacks and pesos.
Now don’t get me wrong, I realize that I am making it sound as if we were heading out on our own, and this was not the case, we were going up to a village that had given permission to our guide Don Miguel, a man raised from the time we was a small boy and adopted by the elder chief of the village. There were only a small handful of us, as I guess an 11 hour tour along dusty roads is not the usual things folks want to see and do when they go to Mexico, and this suited us perfectly.
What I appreciated most form this trip was the amount of time Don Miguel spent teaching us the history of the Huichol people, their culture and how to be respectful.
Don Miguel explained that the Huichol people are actually descendents of the Aztecs, as they migrated from as far away as Alaska and came to settle where they are now. The Huichol people still practice a pre-Columbian shamanic tradition that primarily uses peyote to receive visions forms a big part of their culture and who they are as a people. It has not been easy though because even though they withstood the Spanish Invasion, they are still striving to keep their culture alive.
Joined by another friend of Azra’s it was decidedly an all woman day, and we set out at the break of dawn with no expectations, just an open mind and a great sense of adventure. We knew that the trip would take us about 12 hours and so we packed our backpacks with water, sun lotion and snacks and pesos.
Now don’t get me wrong, I realize that I am making it sound as if we were heading out on our own, and this was not the case, we were going up to a village that had given permission to our guide Don Miguel, a man raised from the time we was a small boy and adopted by the elder chief of the village. There were only a small handful of us, as I guess an 11 hour tour along dusty roads is not the usual things folks want to see and do when they go to Mexico, and this suited us perfectly.
What I appreciated most form this trip was the amount of time Don Miguel spent teaching us the history of the Huichol people, their culture and how to be respectful.
Don Miguel explained that the Huichol people are actually descendents of the Aztecs, as they migrated from as far away as Alaska and came to settle where they are now. The Huichol people still practice a pre-Columbian shamanic tradition that primarily uses peyote to receive visions forms a big part of their culture and who they are as a people. It has not been easy though because even though they withstood the Spanish Invasion, they are still striving to keep their culture alive.
He told us his personal story about how he came to receive permission to take us to the village and made no bones about the fact that we were only allowed in because of his connection to them, and that how we behaved was a direct reflection on him, so we needed to be very respectful.
The drive took us five hours up dusty roads, and through ancient villages and into the jungle. I am not sure how he did I as I owuld have been motion sick, but Don Miguel stood up with his back facing the window and and gave us extensive history lessons on the Aztecs and Huicholes and generally preparing us on how to be respectful and on the protocol for entering their village.
As we came into the base of the dusty village I was struck by the red earth and the bricks that the Huichol people had made with it, as it tends to be very dusty, but makes the landscape very beautiful as well.
The drive took us five hours up dusty roads, and through ancient villages and into the jungle. I am not sure how he did I as I owuld have been motion sick, but Don Miguel stood up with his back facing the window and and gave us extensive history lessons on the Aztecs and Huicholes and generally preparing us on how to be respectful and on the protocol for entering their village.
As we came into the base of the dusty village I was struck by the red earth and the bricks that the Huichol people had made with it, as it tends to be very dusty, but makes the landscape very beautiful as well.
Slowly we climbed up the foot worn path, and made our way into the opening of the village. Here we stopped and bought some grain and sweets from a small building/canteen to bring to the oldest elder women in the village, for it would only be with her permission that would be allowed to come in.
Don Miguel explained this village and it’s people are not poor, it is only our perception of how we think things should be that makes us see them as poor
This is something I have spent a long time thinking about, and it was a revelation to realize that my only frame of reference for what I was seeing was media!
You see this is what media tells us,when they show images of people who live with no running water,or electricity, but often most of what we see is actually only half the story!
Don Miguel explained this village and it’s people are not poor, it is only our perception of how we think things should be that makes us see them as poor
This is something I have spent a long time thinking about, and it was a revelation to realize that my only frame of reference for what I was seeing was media!
You see this is what media tells us,when they show images of people who live with no running water,or electricity, but often most of what we see is actually only half the story!
Once we were given permission, we were taken to the very center of the village, where their sat a small altar and the village shaman came to cleanse us before being allowed to walk freely around the village.
Again this made a lot of sense to me, for who wants to invite strangers into your village if they are carrying unwanted energies in with them! Once we were cleansed and smudged we were welcomed into to their temple for a blessing{ no photos allowed!} and then into the village square to look and purchase their art.
Huichol art is truly something to behold as the larger framed pieces are made using beeswax and string and the sculptures and jewelry are done using beeswax and small seed beads. This makes bees very sacred to them, which I loved!
In the collage below are some special pieces I brought back with me. The string art has two shamans one male and one female. In the top left there is a honey bee, which looks a bit like a moth. The female shaman is making candle offerings and the male is using a stick with feathers attached to it, which is used to smudge/ cleanse.
The piece on my altar is a beaded peyote pot.
In the collage below are some special pieces I brought back with me. The string art has two shamans one male and one female. In the top left there is a honey bee, which looks a bit like a moth. The female shaman is making candle offerings and the male is using a stick with feathers attached to it, which is used to smudge/ cleanse.
The piece on my altar is a beaded peyote pot.
The trip was long and we were exhausted when we finally got back home, but I would say very worth it.
I felt that Don Miguel had done a very good job explaining and teaching us about the life and culture of the Huichol, and in a very respectful manner as well, but to be honest I will probably never do a tour like this again, unless I am personally invited.
It is an interesting experience to be in another culture, to want to be respectful and yet because of the severe damage done to most of our indigenous cultures to know that this is just simply not possible.
I was aware that we were welcome into the village because they were doing business, and that most of what was truly dear to them was hidden and kept secret, as it should be. But I am also aware that there were folks on the trip who felt disappointed by the day, those who wanted to see more of the people, who promptly went into their homes when we arrived, ruining their photo opp’s.
This seems to be the nature of visiting as a tourist, but to be honest my feeling is that to be the most respectful person I can be when traveling, is to come and enjoy the landscape of wherever I am, spend my money on the local economy, hang with the locals and try their food, keep an open mind, and then to go quietly home.
I felt that Don Miguel had done a very good job explaining and teaching us about the life and culture of the Huichol, and in a very respectful manner as well, but to be honest I will probably never do a tour like this again, unless I am personally invited.
It is an interesting experience to be in another culture, to want to be respectful and yet because of the severe damage done to most of our indigenous cultures to know that this is just simply not possible.
I was aware that we were welcome into the village because they were doing business, and that most of what was truly dear to them was hidden and kept secret, as it should be. But I am also aware that there were folks on the trip who felt disappointed by the day, those who wanted to see more of the people, who promptly went into their homes when we arrived, ruining their photo opp’s.
This seems to be the nature of visiting as a tourist, but to be honest my feeling is that to be the most respectful person I can be when traveling, is to come and enjoy the landscape of wherever I am, spend my money on the local economy, hang with the locals and try their food, keep an open mind, and then to go quietly home.
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