RARAMURIS or TARAHUMARAS

CHIHUAHUA and DURANGO

Tarahumaras or raramuris (which means “those with fast feet”) live at 23 counties in Chihuahua on a 60,000-sq. km. area. Anthropologists have split them in two groups: “La Sierra” at high Tarahumara cold and wooded lands and “Las Barrancas” at low Tarahumara warm ravine lands. 1980 census registered 718 Tarahumara speakers in Durango and 56,400 in Chihuahua.

Alta Tarahumara (high lands) is in the woods. Houses are pine wood, stone and wooden slate buildings. During winter times they move from their houses into caves to hide from extreme cold.

Baja Tarahumara (low lands) houses are trunk or stone bordered, stone walls, zacate (Mexican kind of nay) and mud covered roof buildings. They usually have a granary where they store furs, rifles and grains. Men build their own houses.

Their domestic utensils are: clay pots, square grinding stones, bottle gourds, wooden washtubs and beds.

Towns are called rancherias and they are far away from each other. There is always a church and a native authority in them.