Under the Eyes of God: The Huichols and the Mexican State, 1810-1910

Abstract

This study reconstructs the history the Huichol Indians in order to provide a pathbreaking account of a Mexican indigenous group that managed to maintain their autonomy between 1810 and 1910. To date, there has been precious little historical scholarship addressing, and analyzing the effects of political turmoil and transformation upon indigenous groups in Mexico during this critical period. My research suggests that despite encroaching outsiders, land surveyors and the loss of land that accompanied privatization of territories, the Huichols learned how to deal with the Mexican justice system to defend their traditional homelands in the west-central states of Jalisco, Nayarit and southern Zacatecas. They did this through lawsuits, letters, and occasionally through violence. My work examines an important, but understudied group of people during a crucial period of Mexican history. It also provides an intimate glimpse into state consolidation and transnational influences upon indigenous groups who used state processes against the state itself in order to protect their traditional values.