Wixárika, Northern Mexico

Huichole, Northern Mexico

The Huichole are one of the indigenous groups in Mexico that have continued to resist colonization for centuries since first Spanish contact. Members of the tribe continue with cultural, political and land resistance by defending Wirixuta, maintaining their traditional dress and preserving their language.

Marakame (sacred healer in Huichole) Silvestre and Marakame Alicia are a husband and wife who both come from a lineage of healers. They have conducted ceremonies that have influenced the work of Borders Like Water since November 2020. They were one of the first healing leaders to commit to the project and help shape it.

With their community they have facilitated two pilgrimages as part of Borders Like Water (to Cero Quemado and Wirixuta). The timing of one of their ceremonies aligned with the calming of a fire that threatened the sacred Hikuri plant. Ceremonies are enormously important for balancing the natural elements, especially during climate chaos. The ceremonies themselves represent freedom of movement as the Huichole regularly make pilgrimages of distances exceeding 100 miles in order to maintain a cosmic balance.

The Hikuri plant is an important plant in the Borders Like Water project as it plays a critical part in sacred indigenous ceremonies on both sides of the US/ Mexico border. The plant is indigenous to Southern Texas (US), Chihuahua (MX), Choahuila (MX), Nuevo Leon (MX) and Tamaulipas (MX).

Medicinal plants play a critical part in traditional ceremonies, communicating with ancestors and addressing social, physical and communal problems.