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 News from Around Banderas Bay | February 2007 
Huichol Festival Needs Your Support
 Peter Gray - PVNN
Believed to be direct descendants of the Aztecs, the Huichol Indians, (known as Huicholes in Spanish and Wixaritari in their own language,) are a warm-hearted and enduring people who inhabit the Sierra Madre Occidental in Jalisco and Nayarit.
Perhaps the last tribe in North America who still live much as they did in Pre-Columbian times, the Huicholes are one of the few civilizations in the world that have not lost their cultural identity to Western influences.
Their strong ceremonial traditions and rich mythology are alive and well, but due to the ever-increasing physical and cultural encroachment of their Mexican neighbors, their knowledge of how to live in harmony with the forces of nature is in danger of being lost.
So in 2004, the common assembly authorized the development of "eculturismo" a tourist activity designed to increase public awareness of the cultural and artistic life of the Wixaritari, while creating jobs in the Huichol community.
On March 10th, for the second time, Plaza Caracol in the Puerto Vallarta hotel zone will be hosting the Festival Indigena Wixaritari from March 10th-25th, offering everyone the opportunity to sample the richness of this ancient tribe and to learn more about the age-old customs of the Huichol people.
A group of Huicholes from the remotest part of their territory are coming to Puerto Vallarta to present their culture and solicit aid for their community. They will be located in the new area of Plaza Caracol, behind the electric stairways that take you to the cinemas.
This is something special because one gets the chance to interact with "pure" Huicholes (including families,) buy authentic Huichol art and give them material help like blankets, sleeping bags, medical goods (vitamins, aspirin, etc.,) babyware, kid's clothes and books in Spanish.
The Huicholes are very special in themselves - they possess the most complex indigenous culture in Mexico and are still proudly protective of it. The group coming to PV are still living in very hard conditions way up in the Sierra Madre Mountains. It is a tough trek for them to make it here and we hope that the response of the PV community will be generous and welcoming.
Don't miss your opportunity to get a glimpse into the rich ancesteral customs and cultures of Mexico, while providing the Huichol people with a means of livelihood that encourages them to maintain and preserve their cultural and spiritual identity.
Be sure to stop by Plaza Caracol between March 10th & 25th.
Festival Indigena 2007 - A Curious Mix of Ancient and Modern Cultures
 Kathy Taylor
The Festival Indigena 2007, which continues through March 25th at Plaza Caracol, is an oasis of culture and ancient civilization in extreme contrast to the contemporary atmosphere, merchandising and entertainment found in this ultramodern mall.
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