Wixarika Research Center

OUR MISSION AT THE WIXRIKA RESEARCH CENTER IS TO CONTINUE BUILDING A RICH ARCHIVE OF WIXRIKA (HUICHOL) HISTORY, CULTURE AND TERRITORY THAT HIGHLIGHTS THE BEAUTY AND IMPORTANCE OF WIXRIKA CULTURAL SURVIVAL, ALONGSIDE OUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF SELECT INITIATIVES THAT STRENGTHEN WIXRIKA AUTONOMY. OUR ONLINE ARCHIVE REMAINS OPEN AND FREE TO THE PUBLIC AND WE DO NOT CHARGE A FEE FOR MEMBERSHIP OR FOR ACCESSING OR DOWNLOADING OUR DOCUMENTS. WE WORK TO GENERATE FUNDING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE, APPEALS TO OUR GROUP ON FACEBOOK, THROUGH AMAZON SMILE, IN OUR NEWSLETTERS, PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS, AND SALES FROM OUR ONLINE STORE. WE HAVE ALSO HOSTED ONLINE EVENTS TO RAISE FUNDS TO SUPPORT OUR WORK AND PROJECTS. THESE EVENTS ARE AIMED AT EDUCATING PEOPLE ABOUT THE HISTORICAL VALUE OF THE ARCHIVES WE ARE PUBLISHING FOR THE WIXRIKA PEOPLE, TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND THE PUBLIC AT LARGE. THE EVENTS ALSO HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR WORK IN MEXICO IN SUPPORT OF THE WIXRIKA PEOPLE AND THEIR CULTURE. DURING THE PANDEMIC, WE ONLY HELD ONLINE EVENTS TO RAISE FUNDING AND POSTED VIDEOS ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA AND YOUTUBE CHANNEL TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT OUR WORK AND PROJECTS. WE CONTINUED TO RELY A GREAT DEAL ON GENERATING INTEREST AND DONATIONS THROUGH OUR ONLINE ACTIVITIES, OUR NEWSLETTERS, AND PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS. WE LOOK FORWARD TO HOSTING OUR FIRST EVENT SINCE THE PANDEMIC THIS FALL AND INTERACTING IN PERSON WITH PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT OUR WORK AND MEETING AND BRINGING ABOARD NEW DONORS. HERE, IN THIS UPDATE, WE ARE HAPPY TO SHARE WITH YOU OUR ACTIVITIES DURING OUR 2022 - 2023 FISCAL YEAR. THIS YEAR, WE CONTINUED TO WORK WITH THE INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP CLUB AND THE ROTARY CLUB IN PUERTO VALLARTA TO GIVE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO WIXRIKA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. BECAUSE OF THE INTEREST AND CONTINUED SUPPORT FROM OUR DONORS WHO WISH TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS PROGRAM, WE WILL BE ABLE TO GIVE SCHOLARSHIPS TO 20 STUDENTS AGAIN FOR THE 2023 - 2024 SCHOOL YEAR. DUE TO INFLATION, WE RAISED THE AMOUNT OF EACH SCHOLARSHIP TO 8,000 MEXICAN PESOS, WHICH AT THE CURRENT EXCHANGE RATE IS 468 USD PER YEAR. ALTHOUGH THIS IS A SMALL AMOUNT OF MONEY, IT HELPS THEM WITH THE COST OF BOOKS, TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING, AND FOOD. SINCE 2018, THE WIXRIKA RESEARCH CENTER HAS PROVIDED SCHOLARSHIPS TO MORE THAN 40 WIXRIKA UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS. THEY HAVE RECEIVED DEGREES IN LAW, NURSING, NUTRITION, FORESTRY ENGINEERING, EDUCATION, ARCHITECTURE, AND AGRONOMY. MOST OF THE GRADUATES ARE NOW GIVING SERVICE TO THEIR COMMUNITIES OR WORKING IN THEIR AREA OF UNDERGRADUATE SPECIALIZATION. WITH 10 STUDENTS GRADUATING THIS YEAR, WE WILL BE ACCEPTING 10 NEW STUDENTS FOR THE 2023 - 2024 SCHOOL YEAR. EACH YEAR WE AIM TO SUSTAIN 20 ACTIVE SCHOLARSHIPS, WHICH INCLUDES NEW AND CONTINUING STUDENTS. ONCE WE ACCEPT A STUDENT INTO OUR PROGRAM, WE COMMIT TO SUPPORT THEM ON A YEARLY BASIS FROM THE TIME THEY ENTER THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM UNTIL THEY FINISH THEIR DEGREE REQUIREMENTS. SINCE THE PROGRAM BEGAN, WE HAVE ONLY HAD ONE STUDENT DROP OUT. IN ADDITION TO THE SCHOLARSHIPS, WE COORDINATE ACTIVITIES IN WHICH STUDENTS CAN MEET EACH OTHER ONLINE OR THROUGH OUR AGROFORESTRY ACTIVITIES IN WIRIKUTA THAT WE ARE MANAGING, AS PART OF OUR WORK TO ENSURE WIXRIKA CULTURAL SURVIVAL. IN JULY 2022, WE HELD OUR SECOND SUMMER PROGRAM DEDICATED TO AGROECOLOGICAL TRAINING IN THE SACRED PILGRIMAGE DESTINATION OF WIRIKUTA. IT WAS ATTENDED BY 30 MOSTLY YOUNG WIXRIKA WOMEN FROM ALL THE COMMUNITIES IN JALISCO AND NAYARIT. FOR SOME, IT WAS THEIR FIRST TRIP TO WIRIKUTA. THE ATTENDANCE OF LOCAL EJIDATARIOS WAS GOOD AND CECILIA COLUNGA CASTILLO FROM EL JORDN IN THE SIERRA OF CATORCE CAME TO GIVE A TALK ABOUT SOLIDARITY ECONOMIES. SHE PROMOTED THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO SUSTAIN THE PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF LOCAL PRODUCTS. OTHER NON PROFIT PARTICIPANTS WERE PROYECTO CONCENTRARTE, ETNOECO, CASA WILMOT, AND THE FUNDACIN ALEJANDRO DAZ GUERRA. THIS YEAR'S TRAINING WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF CHACRUNA INSTITUTE'S INDIGENOUS RECIPROCITY INITIATIVE AND HECTOR DVILA OF THE CENTRO DE DESARROLLO COMUNITARIO BOLAOS, A.C. AND MANY SMALL DONATIONS FROM INDIVIDUALS. THE DAY-LONG TRAINING WAS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND WAS GEARED TOWARDS RESTORING THE HEALTH OF THE LAND AND THE AQUIFER, WHICH HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY DEPLETED BY ENCROACHING AGRIBUSINESSES AND OTHER LAND USE CHANGES. WE PROVIDED TRAVEL EXPENSES, LODGING, AND FOOD FOR THOSE VISITING FROM THEIR WIXRIKA COMMUNITIES. WE ARE AWARE THAT OUR ONGOING ACTIVITIES CAN AND DO HAVE AN IMPORTANT IMPACT FOR THE LOCAL SMALL FARMERS WHO HOST US AND WHO ARE PART OF OUR SUSTAINED EFFORTS TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS IN THE FACE OF AN ECONOMIC AND ECOLOGICAL CRISES. THE WIXRIKA PEOPLE HAVE MADE PILGRIMAGES TO THIS SACRED LAND SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL AND THE PRESERVATION OF WIRIKUTA IS VITAL TO THEIR CULTURAL SURVIVAL. DETAILS OF THIS PROJECT CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE. WE HAVE NEARLY COMPLETED THE TEDIOUS JOB OF REBUILDING OUR BI-LINGUAL WEBSITE IN DRUPAL 9 AND EXPECT TO LAUNCH THE NEWLY REBUILT WEBSITE THIS SUMMER. WHAT WORK REMAINS IS MOSTLY STYLING AND WRITING SOME TEXT FOR NEW PAGES. MEANWHILE, WE CONTINUE TO WORK ON IMPROVING AND EXPANDING THE ONLINE ARCHIVE, WHICH IS DRAWING MORE ATTENTION AND ADMIRATION FROM THE WIXRIKA PEOPLE AND FROM SCHOLARS AROUND THE WORLD. WE HAVE CONTRACTED A WIXRIKA WOMAN WHO WILL BEGIN WORKING IN JUNE OF THIS YEAR. SHE WILL TAKE CHARGE OF UPLOADING AND BUILDING OUT THE DOCUMENT ARCHIVES. THIS MATERIAL IS OF GREAT HISTORICAL VALUE TO THE WIXRIKA COMMUNITIES AND TO SCHOLARS INTERESTED IN EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE ONCE THE FIRST ROADS WERE BUILT INTO THE WIXRIKA SIERRAS. OUR AUDIENCE CONTINUES TO GROW, AND WE ARE OFTEN INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN, AND MODERATE, INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES. WE REGULARLY RECEIVE CORRESPONDENCE FROM BOTH ACADEMICS AND STUDENTS LOOKING FOR GUIDANCE PRIOR TO TRAVELING TO MEXICO TO DO FIELD WORK. IT IS ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO CONNECT THEM TO WIXRIKA PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO HELP THEM WITH THEIR RESEARCH PROJECTS.