El arte wixárika: un lenguaje visual para la defensa de su cultura

Abstract

: The Wixárica or Huichol people is one of the oldest indigenous communities in Mexico, and they are popularly associated with various myths, such as considering them the last guardians of authentic pre-Hispanic traditions or believing them to be a people of shamans due to the ritual use they make of them. a hallucinogenic mushroom they call hikuri. Based on the experiences resulting from the use of this hallucinogen and its own cosmogony, the Wixárika have developed a psychedelic aesthetic that manifests itself in various artistic expressions that are highly appreciated for their technique, complexity, beauty and mysticism that they seem to keep. This art has allowed them to become visible in a nation that does not tend to attend to their native peoples and has also been the “signature” they have presented in their struggles against the dispossession of their lands and Wirikuta, an extensive territory considered one of the sites most sacred to this culture, and that is at risk of disappearing under mining interests. The purpose of this article is to describe this particular style of wixárika art and the value it has had as a sign of identity in the defense of Wirikuta and its entire culture.