The Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and Traditional Arts was founded in 1994 by anthropologist Susana Valadez, in the town of Huejuquilla el Alto, Jalisco Mexico. This non-profit organization was established to support the Wixárika (Huichol) people as they make their transition into modern society, as an ancient tribe adapting to the realities and challenges of the modern world. While the Wixárika people struggle against the threats of poverty, the dissolution of their traditional ways of life and the loss of their native language, the Huichol Center sponsors several programs and strategies to support the continuation of their beautiful traditions and Uto-Aztecan dialect. During the last four decades, Susana Valadez, currently a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, has spearheaded numerous strategies to bolster the odds for their cultural survival, including: ethnographic documentation, Huichol language education, programs that foster economic self-sufficiency through the production of native arts, incentives for the conservation of ancient shamanic traditions, and the elimination of hunger through sustainable agricultural practices that ensure food and water security.

The Huichol Center: A Model for Cultural Survival

https://vimeo.com/3869961

HUICHOL CENTER EDUCATION PROGRAMS

The Huichol Center School

The Huichol Center School provides approximately 50 children (ages of 5-15) with a multi-pronged educational curriculum originating from their unique world view, cosmology, ancient agricultural practices and traditions.  This native language school teaches them to read, write, count, decipher their symbols, sing Huichol songs, and to record and re-enact creation myths through theatrical performances of ceremonies and sacred dances.

Instilling Pride in the Wixárika Cultural Heritage

Through their participation in school plays that represent the ancient beliefs and traditions, each Huichol Center School student receives hands-on learning experiences where they re-enact the myths and rituals that are an essential part of their cultural heritage.  In this way we ensure that their connection to the spiritual world is valued and reaffirmed.  Representations of their creators and beings from the spirit world of plants and animals, such as the corn maiden goddesses and their deer god, reinforce their pride in their cultural identity.

Inspiring Youth to Seek Higher Education and Professional Careers

The Huichol Center motivates and supports people who seek higher education as professionals, such as educators, lawyers, nurses, agricultural engineers, mechanics, computer graphic designers, chroniclers, business owners and other specialists who will contribute to the well-being of their communities.

HUICHOL CENTER PERMACULTURE AND AQUAPONICS PROJECT

The Huichol Center’s Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Site

The Huichol Center’s permaculture demonstration site offers opportunities for adults and children to learn ecological techniques for becoming self-sufficient farmers.  They are trained in low-cost methods to conserve rainwater, grow organic vegetables and how to care for thriving farms and orchards. These programs result in healthy diets that combat malnutrition in their impoverished communities and strengthen their immune systems to resist poverty-related diseases.

SKILL TRAINING FOR ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES BASED ON THE CREATION OF HUICHOL ART

Handcrafts, Not Hand Outs

Our program called “Handcrafts, not Hand-outs” provides skill training in the native arts that helps women and single mothers generate income using their artistic talents. This is a much better alternative to women and children who may otherwise be working under harmful conditions as low paid tobacco field workers or in other pesticide filled fields. The Huichol Center promotes and teaches several Wixárika art techniques to young people and families who want to generate income by becoming artists. They are trained by the most successful Wixárika master artists, and motivated to tap into the deep well of creativity and talent that are such an important part of their native cultural traditions.

THE HUICHOL CENTER ENTHNOGRAPHIC ARCHIVE

Safeguarding the Endangered Wixárika Arts and Cultural Heritage

The Huichol Center is dedicated to the documentation of the Wixárika cultural heritage, using digital technology to record a repository their diverse art forms, native dress, spiritual beliefs, ancestral wisdom, music, dance, mythology, gastronomy, knowledge of flora and fauna, botanical knowledge, folk medicines and more. A Few Examples of the Huichol Center Ethnographic Archive are Botanical Knowledge, Archive of Symbols Depicted in Yarn Paintings, Embroidery Patterns and Traditional Shamanic Practices.

MEDICAL ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT

Medical Care for People in Need

Although the Mexican government provides support for many patients, the Huichol Center assists many people who require help but are not enrolled in public health programs. Support is provided for consultations, exams, medications, food and transportation to far away hospitals for the patients and their accompanying family members. The Huichol Center also assists families with funeral arrangements and expenses when necessary.