Tarahumara

Pending a trip to Copper Canyon next February (2010), most interested in learning about native culture. The book was a pleasant surprise in that it was written in plain language with nice illustrations, rather than as some academician's project. Although the text could have been less wordy, the topical coverage was very good with a pleasant mix of quotes and facts. I'd recommend this book for the casual traveler wanting to learn more of the area to be visited.

Men have three souls and women have four souls, because women are the source of life. The Tarahumara call themselves the Rarámuri. They live in the Sierra Madre Occidental of northern Mexico where they retreated from the invading and bearded Spanish 500 years ago. (They call outsiders "Chabochi"; a "person with spider webs across the face.") Rarámuri means "foot-runner" or "he who walks well"; they are excellent long distance runners, very skilled on their narrow mountain trails. The Tarahumara live in the Copper Canyon, or Barranca del Cobre, a group of six canyons, in places deeper and altogether larger than the Grand Canyon in the US. They constitute one of the largest indigenous peoples still living in the Americas, and have maintained many of their traditional beliefs and customs. Nevertheless their religion contains elements of Roman Catholicism, and Coke and instant Japanese noodles are now part of their every day diet. This book, especially the second edition, is recognized as the most comprehensive study of the Tarahumara. The text is very sympathetic and many of the photographs are superb. "The National Geographic" for November 2008 has published a wonderful series of photographs and a description of the challenges facing the Tarahumara, which include a modern airport, an expanded resort area, and the cultivation of illegal drugs. "Geographic's" article echoes the text of Tarahumara: Where Night is the Day of the Moon: "The choice of the Sierra Madre as a strategic retreat from the Spaniards all those centuries ago is both the gift and the burden of the Tarahumara today. Their ancestors weren't cowards or pacifists; histories recount violent rebellions among Tarahumara in less remote mission and mining centers, where colonists used them for brute labor while trying to press them into European-style village living. But as a people, the Tarahumara survived largely because of what a Sierra priest described to me as a gift for the evasive maneuver--and here the priest clapped his right hand over his left and then slithered the left out gently from underneath, like a fish slipping through a crack in the rocks." I was fascinated to read this excellent introduction to the Tarahumara several years ago, and even more impressed to revisit it after reading the "Geographic's" excellent article. The magazine also published a GeoPedia article features online resources and an extensive bibliography. Robert C. Ross 2008

If you like to have some insights regarding your travel destinations, then this is a must read prior to visiting the Copper Canyon. The Tarahumara are a very interesting indigenous group, but they will be very shy around you, so the only way you'll know (and hopefully understand) their values is by reading this excellent book.

In the northwestern portion of Mexico, in the mountains known as the Sierra Madre Occidental live the legendary Tarahumara. This is an indigeneous group who have been one of the most successful to resist the onslought of western civilization, beginning with the Spaniards conquest and continuing to this day. Seeing the pictures in this book is like taking a step back in time; they are a culture spared the shadow of time. The Tarahumara are known for maintaining their customs and traditions in spite of of an ever encroaching civilization and tourist trade. The Tarahumara are phenomenal runners who traverse , climb and descend the mountains that reach 9,000 ft. beginning as children and contuinuing into old age. Known for their long distance running they are incredible endurance machines that come from a genetic pool that used to carry letters 600 miles! A contemporary good runner can run forty miles with a steady pace over six to eight hours. This book is a fabulous tribute to the majesty of a proud people, complete with over forty color plates and nearly as many powerful black and white photographs. The book is not only a picture book but has a marvelous text that explains and details how this group has endured the harsh natural conditions as well as the invasion of "outsiders" who tried to indoctrinate them with religion and cultural mores. The simplicity of their home construction in the ranchos and the traditions that continue are an anthropoligsts dream. Some of the cultural traditions are fascinating and a wonderful testament to mankind. This is a good book to read prior to a visit to Mexico and journey along the Copper Canyon. The book aIso includes a bibliography and a glossary for further clarification and further knowledge. I would recommend finding the hard cover edition that is out of print if possible because the photographs are amazing and timeless reflections of a distant and persistant people. The color and black and whote plates are as magnificent aas the people they depict. The oversized edition is a cultural treasure. Regardless of the edition I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the people known as the Tarahumara who believe that a mans soul dreams and is manifested and works in mysterious ways at night while his body sleeps.

Written with respect for the dignity and unique culture of the Tarahumara Indians, an indigenous people that live in the Sierra Madre Occidentals (Copper Canyon region). Lots of photographs (both black and white, and color). Although a paperback, it's quite large (pages are about 9"x11"). A "must-have" if you are going to visit, or have visited, Copper Canyon, Mexico.