Guarijios call themselves “macurawe” or “macoragüi,” term that means “those who hold on to the land” or “those who walk on the land.” Several historical documents make reference to names like ihíos, varohíos, warijíos, guarojíos and guarijíos. At this moment, only two of these are conserved.

The term guarojío designates the members of this indigenous town that live in the present state of Chihuahua and that is related to the Tarahumara culture. Guarijío, corresponds to those who live in the state of Sonora, related to Yoremes.

Guarijíos live in the Southeastern part of the state of Sonora at the side of the Sierra Madre Oriental, where the states of Chihuahua and Sonora are contiguous. The land is non-uniform and with little plains; there they cross several streams and rivers as well as affluents of the Mayo River which falls to the valley of the same name and that previously ended at the sea. Among these, they are the Guajaray and the Mochibampo streams.

The zone where Guarijíos inhabit is included basically within the municipalities of Alamos and Quiriego. At the north it borders on the municipality of Tesopaco and to the east with the state of Chihuahua. The population is dispersed among several smaller main communities and settlements. The main towns are Mesa Colorada, Bavícora, Guajaray, and Los Bajíos, besides smaller communities such as Todos Santos, San Pedro, La Mesa del Matapaco, La Mesa del Tuburi, Basicorepa, El Chinagüiro, Chorijoa, and Mochibampo, among others; very few live in Burapaco. In Sonora, they make contact with the population of San Bernardino, precinct of the municipality of Alamos. The most important nearby cities are Alamos and Navojoa.

In order to arrive in Guarijío territory, visitors must set off from the city of Alamos by a track that leads to San Bernardo. The access to smaller populations is only by paths that usually are crossed on foot or with animals. From the municipal head of Quiriego there is another track that crosses by Sejaqui and gets as far as Rancho San Pedro and Guajaray; this last one along with Mesa Colorada and Burapaco are the populations at which it is possible getting in vehicle.

HISTORY

The Guarijía culture appears like a bond that relates Tarahumaras to Cahítas. They have a close relationship with Mayo Yoremes. Its historical document presence is little and not much well-known. In general terms, its history is interspersed and subject to references from Tarahumaras or Mayos.

The evangelization and conquest of this region began towards 1620. The Jesuits were in charge of the evangelization in this territory and attracted the interest of the Varohíos, Guazaparis, Ihíos and Temoris, called this way according to interpretations of the European religious and military men. Towards 1632 there was an uprising of these towns, commanded by Chief Cobameai, against the Spanish monks; a strong repression against all the natives of the region caused the Guarijíos to move towards what today is the state of Chihuahua. Later, some Guarijíos returned to their original lands. It was then when the group divided in two great nuclei: the Guarijíos of Chihuahua, influenced by Tarahumaras, and the Guarijíos of Sonora influenced by Mayo Yoremes.

In view of the mining and cattle industry development, both concentrated in Alamos, the Guarijíos, in isolation condition, were confused with Mayos. Stripped from their original territory, they were cutt off of the mestization process.

The history of the Guarijíos, from mid XIX century, has been determined by the history of the Enríquez family, which move to Sonora and settled on their territory; they are the oldest proprietors of ranches in this region. The Guarijíos worked in their lands in exchange for corn and food, situation that continued until mid 70’s. They lived in the properties of the Enríquez, who paid them their wages with liters of corn. In order to make money they had to go to work to the agricultural fields of the Valle del Mayo and Valle del Yaqui, Caborca or Sinaloa.

In the recent history of the Guarijíos, elements that played an important role in the transformation of this town, and in the recovery of their identity and territory, come together.

At the beginning of the 70’s they had contact with guerrillas of Liga 23 de Septiembre, it was then when they considered their situation of dispossessed group. They expected to have certain support from the Enríquez, before faced with their refusal, they assassinated two of them. The army appeared; they imprisoned the guerrillas, and disarmed the Guarijía population that was strongly repressed by the army and the Yoris patrons.

In the mid 70’s, a Canadian named Edmundo Faubert, made contact with the Guarijíos and initiated a series of managements to present to the government of the state and the federal government, in order to help and recognize this group. As a result of his work, in 1975 a dialogue with the President of the Republic was established. The Instituto Nacional Indigenista (National Indigenous Institute) began supporting Guarijíos and their leaders in their efforts to obtain lands. In 1982, two Guarijío common lands were constituted: Burapaco and Los Conejos, an instance of traditional government was shaped, and credits were endowed, as well as infrastructure for their cultural development.

LANGUAGE

Linguistically, Guarijíos belong to the group Nahua-cuitlateco, Yuto-nahua stock, and Pima-cora family. Two variants are recognized from this language, which represent a bond between Tarahumaras and Mayos.

In general the population is bilingual, except for some old people who don’t speak Spanish. Among them they speak Guarijío; however when they communicate with authorities and non-indigenous civil employees they use Spanish. In some ceremonies they say in Spanish parts of the ritual speech.

CRAFTS

Guarijíos make crafts with natural materials like palm, clay, branches and fibers, with which they weave baskets, mats, hats, angarias or angarillas (baskets done with three hoops of braided branches and one natural fiber net, used to carry objects hung in the back).

In San Bernardo, they make Pascola masks and some of characters related to the Cava-Pizca celebration. They also make Torote wood carvings of birds and other wild animals with beautiful combinations of colors. They manufacture and repair stringed instruments, such as harps, violins and guitars, among others. The artisan production is of familiar character and is mainly done by women. These objects are for domestic use or for its sale in stores of the region.

RELIGION

Guarijía cosmogony is currently made up of a series of myths and beliefs more or less articulated, derived from the Tarahumara and Mayo traditions. They express their world vision through the oral tradition, by means of stories, legends and anecdotes, as well as in Tugurada songs.

One of their legends narrates that a giant couple ate children and they did not let anybody live peacefully. They invited them to eat, they gave them chilicotes, and thus they died. Another one talks about a great fire of which only a man was saved. He later made believe a multitude of spirits that he was already dead. The legend of the Wajura of the Mayo River relates that a great serpent formed an eddy in the river and hauled people to the bottom of it. Help to maynates was requested (singers or prayers), who fought against the serpent and defeated it.

Guarijíos have a great religiousness that combines Pre-Hispanic elements with Catholics. They do not have formal cult spaces. At the Tuguradas, Cava-Pizca, wakes and the ends of years, maynates, singers, and prayers lead the ceremonies keeping time with rattles made out of squash, and with guttural and repetitive songs, that narrate the animal life of the woods.

Some years ago, Protestant communities made contact with the Guarijíos and gained some followers.

FESTIVITIES

Their main celebrations are the Tuguradas. The Tugurada or Tuburada is the celebration with greater presence throughout the year. A Guarijío man must make in his life three of these celebrations; a woman four because it is considered that they are more prone to the sin and must pay more for it.

This celebration is done by several communitarian reasons. The maynate or singer intones the songs in this ceremony that initiates at sunset and finishes until dawn of the following day. While he sings, women dance, between the singer and the cross, covered by a cloth and a rosary, next to an iron bar that delimits the essential space of the ceremony. Maynates receive a contribution in species for their participation. The organization of the Tugurada is familiar; they sacrifice a goat and prepare "chivabaqui"; they also get money to buy coffee, sugar, flour, beans, etc.

The ceremony of Cava-Pizca is the most important in Guarijíos religious life. In it, its natural and symbolic world is reproduced through music, dance, theater, and religion. It is a ceremony in which the previous agricultural cycle is celebrated and they pray for a good one for the year that will iniciate. From December to May three Cava-Pizcas are made; they are generally done on the day of San Isidro Labrador.

Another holiday is May 10th, day in which the death of Jose Zazueta is commemorated; around this celebration communitarian and public acts are organized.

RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER TOWNS

This group basically coexists with whites and mestizos. After a period of frank hostility due to the struggle for lands, in which Guarijíos received imprisionment and death threats, relationships have calmed down in certain way.

Source:

Instituto Nacional Indigenista – http://www.ini.gob.mx

Links:

Etnias Sonorenses, Guarijíos –
http://www.sonora.gob.mx/historia-cultura/etnias/guarijios.htm (Spanish)
Guarijíos –
http://www.uv.mx/popularte/ingles/scriptphplen.php?sid=32&len=In (English)
Guarijios Dance Masks - http://www.huicholartonline.com/store/page32.html (English)