The people of the Sierra Tarahumara, the Raramuri are a shy, retiring people centered in a 35,000 square kilometer area of this portion of the Sierra Madre (containing the spectacular Copper Canyon complex), about one-half of their original lands before European contact. Various estimates of their numbers range from 50,000-60,000.

They live primarily in rectangular stone or log-framed, wood sided homes often clustered into small groupings, or ranchos, and engage in subsistence living with small plots of cultivated land and small herds of animals. Cave dwelling was once the preferred way to live (some caves continue to be utilized), suiting a nomadic lifestyle in which moving households seasonally was not unusual—from mountains to plateaus to canyon bottoms.

Like the Mayo, their language is of the Uto-Aztecan group. While there has been an archaeological link to the Native culture of the American southwest, and tradition holds they came from Apache country, there is no definitive evidence.

Their first contacts with Jesuit missionaries were primarily positive, but then greed and exploitation created unrest and then full-scale rebellion. More than once the Chabochi (foreigners) were totally wiped out. But the discovery of some of the world’s richest ore deposits ensured continued intrusions. And the Jesuits also persisted, influencing the cosmology and beliefs of many, if not most of the Raramuri, even though most of the nineteenth century was devoid of a missionary presence.

Raramuri is the term used for the people originally sent down by God (associated with the sun) from the uppermost plane of existence, along with plants and animals for their survival, and sometimes is meant to include all Native Americans. God’s elder brother, the devil (riablo or diablo), holds dominion over the bottom plane, and the earth is in the middle.

There are seven planes in total, all are inhabited, and none are inherently bad places, including that of the devil. Chabochi, or non-Raramuri people, are the children of the devil who cares for them and welcomes them to his heaven when they die. The Raramuri God does not trouble the Chabochis, but the devil does all kinds of evil and mischief to the Raramuri and must be placated through offerings.

The Tarahumara are legendary long-distance runners, and sharing is a vital part of their ethic. Even when living widely spaced, they frequently gather to help one another and to have parties. Central to these parties, and their famous rituals and celebrations surrounding Easter and other holidays, is the consumption of a brew of fermented corn called tesquino.

The Tarahumara are well known for being one of the indigenous cultures of North America most resistant to culture change. Some say that in remote corners of the Copper Canyon system there remain those who refuse to make contact with the dominant Mestizo culture and will flee if approached. The government has established about 80 ejido communal land holdings for the Tarahumara in the Sierra and its canyons, and their councils, individually and collectively, are responsible for the political well-being of the people.

Read: "Running Tradition of the Tarahumara"