TARAHUMARA INDIANS OF NORTHERN MEXICO
The Tarahumara Indian people live in the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountain range, it is known as the Sierra Tarahumara.
There are about 50,000 Tarahumaras.
The Tarahumara´s normal diet is corn, beans and squash, although as in other parts of the Americas, their diet has now changed drastically to flour products and sodas. They have herds of goats and sheep which they use to fertilize their corn fields. Those that have cattle use them for plowing and manure.
The Tarahumara have long been know for their races called "rarajipa". The Tarahumara men run with a 3 inch wooden ball made from the base of oak trees, they pick the ball up with their feet and throw it at a distance of about 100 feet in front of them. They will kick the ball during the duration of the race. Some races will last as long as 3 days. A large amount of betting takes place during these races.
As a rule, the Tarahumara are shy people, they do not interact freely with strangers. Though there are Tarahumaras who live close to the towns that are beginning to lose some of that shyness.
The Tarahumara people have still retained a lot of their native ceremonies and beliefs. Even though their beliefs are mixed with Catholic beliefs and rituals they retain a lot of their native culture, at least for now. A visit to the area will allow you a brief look at these unique people. Even though all year round is a good time to visit this area, if you would like to see a glimpse of the Tarahumara the best times to visit the area is during Holy Week and during Christmas vacation. During these times the Tarahumara have celebrations in the town and mission churches. For these ceremonies they dress us in fanciful costumes, which they use with reverence to celebrate their ceremonies. These ceremonies will go on day and night for a few days.
The area where the Tarahumara live is beautiful. It is a mountainous region with high mountain sierras and hot humid canyons. The opportunity to see these people and the beautiful sierra where they live is something that you will remember for years to come. We sincerely encourage you to make a visit to the Sierra Tarahumara, we guarantee it: you won´t regret it.
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