570 



HUICHOL 



[b. a. e. 



have largely given way to a Mexican and 

 mixed population. In many respects the 

 Huichpl are closely related to the Cora; 

 they are alike physically, speak cognate 

 dialects, and exhibit many similarities in 

 culture, thus leading some early writers 

 to confuse the two tribes. 



Their country, drained chiefly by the 

 Rio Chapalagana, is divided into three 

 principal districts, with the villages of 



HUICHOL MAN. Iam. Mus. Nat. Hist. ) 



Santa Catarina, San Sebastian, and San 

 Andres Coamiata as their respective cen- 

 tral seats of government. There is little 

 political unity in the tribe. Each of the 

 three districts controls the land within 

 definite boundaries and annually elects 

 officers of its own, consisting of a gov- 

 ernor, an alcalde, a captain, amajordomo, 

 and some minor officials — an acquisition 

 froni the Spaniards. These officials reside 

 in the central village, which is also a 

 religious center. The farming season is 

 spent in isolated rancherias, and here 

 indeed some of the natives live during the 

 entire year. 



The Huichol are of medium stature, 

 three-fourths of the men ranging between 

 160 and 1 7U cm. ; they are predominantly 

 brachycephalic (the cephalic index of 70 

 percent of the men exceeding 80), with 

 rather short face and slightly platyrhinic 

 nose. The body is generally well devel- 

 oped, deformity being extremely rare. 

 They are healthy and prolific, and gain 

 their livelihood by farming, hunting, 

 fishing, and by gathering wild fruits. 

 The wealthier Indians own good cattle. 

 They maintain their independence with 

 great jealousy, but they are generally 

 peaceable and mild tempered, and show 

 marked fondness for nmsic, dancing. 



flowers, and personal finery. The women 

 are ade{)t in weaving and embroidery. 



Their houses are quadrangular, and are 

 built of loose stones, or bf stone and mud, 

 with thatched roofs. The dress of the 

 men, now slightly modified, consisted of 

 a poncho made of ])rown, blue, or white 

 woolen fabric, tightened at the waist with 

 one to three handsomely embroidered 

 girdles, and short lireeches of poorly 

 dressed deerskin without hair, at the 

 lower edges of which were strung a num- 

 ber of leathern thongs. To-day these ar6 

 supplanted l)y trousers of white cotton. 

 The males wear straw hats handsomely 

 decorated in many ways. Pouches woven 

 of wool or cotton in great variety of design 

 form a part of their costume. Several 

 such bags generally hang from a woven 

 string around the waist; on ceremonial 

 occasions as many as a dozen may be thus 

 worn. The women wear short skirts and 

 ponchos of cotton cloth, sometimes nicely 

 embroidered. Both the men and the 

 women wear over their shoulders, on 

 gala occasions, a small cotton shawl, 

 richly embroidered with red or red and 

 l)lue thread. Sandals are worn by men. 

 Tlie men tie the hair in a sort of queue 



with a colored hair ribbon, or confine it 

 at the neck behind. The women usually 

 wear the hair loose. 



The Huichol are polygamists. They 

 preserve their aboriginal religious beliefs, 

 which however show some Christian ad- 

 mixture owing to the teachingsof the friars 

 which l)egan after the Sj^anish conquest 

 of 1 722. They have numerous small tem- 

 ples, shrines, and sacrificial caves. Each 

 year a party of men makes a pilgrimage to 



