Rarámuri People

Hello! We are the Rarámuri people. Our name has a special meaning in our language: 'runners on foot.' You will soon learn why running is so important to us. Our home is in a beautiful and rugged place in Mexico called the Copper Canyon. This area is part of the tall Sierra Madre Occidental mountains in a state called Chihuahua. Our homes are not built close together like in a town or city. Instead, they are often very far apart from each other, tucked away in the mountains. Some of our families even make their homes inside large caves, which have provided safe shelter for our people for a very long time.

We are famous for our tradition of long-distance running. Because our homes are spread so far across the canyons, running has always been the fastest and best way to communicate and deliver messages between families. But we also run for joy and for fun! When we run, we wear simple sandals called huaraches, which we make ourselves. We have traditional running games that have been passed down for generations. The running game for men is called rarajipari, and the one for women is called ariweta. These games are a wonderful way for our communities to come together.

We live closely with the land around us. Our way of life includes farming to grow our own food. In our fields, we plant important crops like corn, which we also call maize, as well as beans and squash. These foods grow well in our mountain home and keep us healthy and strong. We use ground corn to make a special food called pinole. Pinole is an amazing source of energy. We can mix it with water to make a drink or a meal that helps power us on our long runs. Another thing you might notice about us is our clothing, which is often very bright and colorful.

Even though we live far apart, our community is very important to us. To stay connected, we hold special gatherings called tesgüinadas. These are times when families and neighbors come together to help each other with big projects, like building a new home or harvesting all the crops from the fields. At a tesgüinada, we also make important decisions for our community and celebrate special occasions. During these gatherings, we all share a special corn drink that we make called tesgüino. It is a central part of our time together.

Today, we are still here in our homes in the Copper Canyon, and we continue to practice many of our traditions. We still farm the land and run through the canyons. At the same time, we are also a part of modern Mexico. In fact, some of our fastest long-distance runners have become famous all around the world for their incredible strength and endurance. We are always working to protect our beautiful land and our special culture so that we can pass them on to the future generations of the Rarámuri people.