Huichol Nation

Posted on Sunday, January 30

by Amor Montes de Oca

The National Museum of Mexican Art, in collaboration with Conservación Humana A.C., starts the New Year with an in-depth exhibit of the huicholes, an indigenous group living in Western Central Mexico. The community of about 30,000 people spans the modern day states of Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco and Durango.

The huichol way of life and culture, like many other indigenous groups around the world, are greatly threatened by the ever-growing demands of modernization and exploitation of natural resources. “The Huichol Nation” exhibition opened Jan. 21 and runs through Aug. 7 to offer insight and perspective at a culture at stake.

Some of the most captivating pieces in display are the yarn paintings, an ancient Huichol tradition and art form. In display is ‘Birth of the Sun’ or ‘Nacimiento del Sol’ (2008-2009), a beautiful cuadro de estambre. The colorful and masterfully detailed panels depict a blissful and perfectly balanced ecosystem. The iconic and highly symbolic works reflect a culture deeply rooted in the natural world — a harmonious cycle of life.

“The huichol are so connected to the Earth, to the environment, to their environment and to their history,” says Cesáreo Moreno, visual arts director and chief curator of the National Museum of Mexican Art.

Moreno adds that the exhibition developed from a desire to address environmental issues from a Mexican perspective. “Huichol Nation” from the sea to the desert addresses the delicate struggle of balance between the need for natural resources and the devastating impact on a culture.

The huichol culture and history is challenged by the building and expansion of roads and highways, deforestation and mining which has shorten the distance of these once remote and isolated communities, and the social influence that plague modern communities, alcohol and drug abuse and the inevitable loss of the ancient huichol language.

Photo: Léon Diguet (1859 – 1926), Jicareros Huicholes, Santa Catarina Cuexcomatitlán, ca. 1897, Archivo CHAC/cortesía Musée de l’Homme, París