PUERTO VALLARTA — Art of the Huichol tribe is on display in the historic Mexican city of Puerto Vallarta, found in restaurants such as Carmen Porras Arrayan and art galleries like Peyote People and Collectika.

The Huichol Indians live high in the Sierra Madre Mountains outside the city and they are one of the best examples of Pre-Columbian tribes. Yarn paintings – a complicated process where the artist spreads beeswax on a board, sketches out a design then fills it carefully, pressing the colored yarns into the wax – is one of their most famous art forms.

They are also well known for their wood carvings and bead art. The Huichol artwork reflects a reverent and symbiotic relationship with nature and farming.

Gallery owner Kevin Simpson, a transplanted Canadian, said, “The community that I work with is called San Andres Cohamiata; it is located on a plateau at 6,000 feet in the middle of the Sierra. They didn’t have a road into it until the early 1970s; prior to that is was a five-day hike.

“Growing enough food to be self-sufficient is the whole reason for their religious beliefs. The entire Huichol theology is based on a trilogy of Deer-Corn-Peyote. They say if a deer is sacrificed, the corn will grow (and) by eating the corn you will have the sustenance to hunt the deer.”

The Huichols’ beliefs are tied into the peyote plant. Simpson said they believe “when the creator deer set foot on the earth, their footprints are what turned into peyote, which is what you eat to talk to God, who tells you when to plant the corn. The trilogy anthropologically links an agrarian-based tribe with a hunter-gatherer.

“All of the symbolism in their art revolves around asking the wind to blow, the wind brings the clouds, the clouds bring the rain, the rain falls and the corn grows.”

The symbols he refers to have been embedded into the Malecon, a pedestrian promenade/walkway that runs alongside the beach stretching to the central downtown area and old town. The symbols were created with small pebbles. A few of the symbols include agricultural associations like corn, or “the lifeblood of the Huichol from the gods.”

The tribe raises beans and squash. Simpson said, “The Huichol have five colors of corn, beans and squash, which are all planted in the same hole so the beans and squash grow up the corn stock.”

Equipment for planting is scarce. “Some have access to a tractor to till the land, some use a team of horse or mules, but most still use a long stick with a metal tip to pierce the ground and plant the seeds by hand.”

The Huichol Indians also raise livestock. “Sheep, goats, and pigs are common,” Simpson explained. “A family will consider them an investment that they will eventually sell.

“Cattle are considered a status symbol – the average family will have a couple that they leave on their ranch pretty much free-range. They will check on them occasionally but not on a regular basis.”

The Huichol diet consists mostly of vegetables, though. “Unfortunately, they rarely eat (meat) during the dry season,” Simpson said. “Milk for cheese is only produced during the rainy season. Meat is only really eaten when everyone gets together, like during religious ceremonies where (animals) are sacrificed or large festive gatherings like school graduation.

“Electricity is relatively new and not everyone has refrigeration, all the meats have to be salted and dried.”

The Huichol artwork and agriculture are tied together.  The art is available in part because of the Peyote People, a fair trade co-op and gallery that profiles art created by the tribe. The monies from the art helps the Indians preserve their traditional rituals and ceremonies. Log on to www.peyotepeople.com for more information.