Puerto Vallarta Go Back In Time With The Huichol

D eep in the rainforest of         Potosi to celebrate their          the Sierra Madre Mountains,     ancestors. Some evidence also      one of the world’s last         suggests that the Huichol may be   remaining indigenous cultures         direct descendents of the great    continues to practice their           Aztec culture. Today,              unique customs. For centuries,        approximately 7,000 Huichol        the Huichol Indians have resided      continue to reside in their        in isolation, resisting the           mountainous villages, while        influences of the modern world.       another 13,000 have relocated      As home to many famous Huichol        throughout Mexico. When visiting   artists and just a short flight       the Huichol civilization on a      from the ancient villages, Puerto     tour from Puerto Vallarta, there   Vallarta has long been the best       are three settlements that         destination to experience Huichol     tourists will have a chance to     culture. Each year, adventurous       experience: San Sebastián          tourists visit the Huichol not        Teponohuastlan (Wautüa), Santa     only in the streets of Puerto         María Cuexcomatitlán (Tuapuri)     Vallarta, but in their mountain       and San Andrés Cohamiata (Tatei    villages for a chance to observe      Kié).                              a truly distinctive civilization.                                                                              Besides the Huichol’s ability to   Calling themselves "Wixáritari"       retain their native culture, the   (“the people”) in their native        civilization is also known for     language, the Huichol claim to        its unique artwork. For            have migrated west to the Sierra      centuries, the Huichol created     Madre Mountains from the area         images known as nieli'ka for use   known as San Luis Potosi. As a        in everyday ritual. Placed         result, many of the Huichol           prominently in homes and any       living in these mountains make a      place of spiritual significance,   yearly pilgrimage to San Luis         these icons were created by        coating a small tablet with           Huichol artists have also begun    beeswax and pine resin and            creating pieces by pressing        pressing yarn through the             wooden and metal beads onto        surface. Using only products          wooden forms, creating complex     developed from nature, the            images similar to the now-famous   resulting pieces of artwork are       yarn paintings.                    known for their vibrant colors,                                          spiritualistic imagery and sharp      When collectors and art lovers     depictions of local wildlife.         seek out Huichol artwork, the                                            first place they visit is Puerto   In the past few decades, Huichol      Vallarta. As you walk the streets  artisans living throughout Mexico     of Puerto Vallarta, you can find   have put a modern touch on the        plenty of Huichol artisans         traditional nieli’ka. After some      selling their work directly to     of these native people came to        the public. The Huichol won’t be   reside in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico     hard to spot either; nearly all    City and other populous               of these artists will be dressed   locations, Huichol artwork            in traditional white garments      quickly gained exposure and           embroidered with the colorful      popularity among art lovers and       designs found in their artwork.    collectors.                           Huichol artwork also features                                            prominently in the art galleries   Eventually, a handful of Huichol      of Puerto Vallarta. When in        artists began creating larger         search of beaded work or yarn      yarn paintings incorporating the      paintings, one of the best places  same traditional motifs. First        to start is the Huichol            displayed in Guadalajara in 1962,     Collection gallery located on the  these large yarn paintings have       Malecon – the city’s famed         since found collectors and been       boardwalk. Regardless of where     exhibited worldwide. Recently,        you shop for Huichol artwork, you  will always be able to find           priced tours depart early in the   pieces for any budget.                morning during the tourism season                                        (generally early December until    If you want to get even closer to     April) and spend several hours     the Huichol civilization, there       amongst the Huichol and their      are now several tours that visit      pristine environment.              the people’s mountainous                                                 homeland. Out of respect for the      Nowhere else in the world can you  Huichol, only small tour groups –     experience the culturally unique   typically 8-15 people – visit         and artistically enlightening      their villages. Most tours depart     pleasures of the Huichol’s         from private air hangers near the     indigenous society. When in        Puerto Vallarta Airport, making       Puerto Vallarta, spend some time   the short flight over the Sierra      with the Huichol and discover a    Madre Mountains and the               world that has existed only in     rainforest. These affordably          your wildest imagination.          About the Author: This article was written by Justin Burch. Justin writes select pieces about vacationing in the Caribbean and travel in Puerto Vallarta for the Marriott Resorts. Published At: www.Isnare.com