The Cora (Nayariite) are a small Amerindian group who live in the rugged Sierra del Nayar, part of the Sierra Madre Occidental, in Nayarit state. They number about 15,000 and are divided into five "comunidades", which are autonomous communities. The Cora share many common linguistic and cultural traits with their neighbors, the Huichol and the Tepehuan, as well as other Sierra Madre indigenous peoples. The Cora have maintained a distinct cultural identity and a large part of their prehispanic material culture, religion, and mythology. They speak their own language, which is divided into several different dialects. Local social and religious customs also vary between the different communities.

The Cora (as well as the Huichol) maintained their independence against the Spanish during most of the colonial period. Part of the reason was the difficult terrain and the lack of valuable resources in the Sierra del Nayar, but the principal factor was the fierce resistence to Spanish domination. The Cora, especially, refused to accept Catholic missionaries, and several military expeditions against them were unsuccessful. The Cora often raided the Spanish settlements on the edges of the Sierra, and took part in several native rebellions. They did, however, adopt livestock, metal tools, and other material goods which they found useful. The Cora were the last independent native group in Mexico, but the Spanish finally conquered them in 1722, over 200 years after the conquest of the Aztecs. The final assault was against the Cora ceremonial center of Yauhke (Mesa del Nayar). Spanish soldiers destroyed the Cora temples, and the skeleton of the Cora leader Tayau Nayari (el Rey Nayar) was taken to Mexico City and burned in a public ceremony. The local churches and missions were founded by Jesuit priests at this time. Jesuit missionary activity continued for about 45 years, and after the Jesuits were expelled from the Americas the Franciscans took over the missions, staying until the end of the colonial period.

Much of Cora religion is shrouded in mystery and secrecy, and it is considered taboo to discuss the traditional "costumbre" with outsiders. Like all religions, the Cora religion represents a dynamic and ongoing mixture and reinterpretation of diverse elements. Within the modern-day Cora religion, we can identify two main cultural traditions, the Mesoamerican and the Catholic. Although the Cora have integrated many aspects of Catholicism into their religion, their cosmology-- their ideas of how the world operates-- clearly retains its pre-hispanic base. Along with the Huichol, the Cora are notable for having maintained a large part of their pre-hispanic deities, rituals, and mythology, and in this sense may be considered among the most traditional indigenous groups in the hemisphere. They are very conservative in religious matters, and have strongly resisted outside attempts at evangelization, whether to orthodox Catholicism or to Protestantism.

The basis of Cora religion is a combination of ancestor worship, shamanism, and animism (nature worship). There are no sharply defined differences between humans and gods, or between humans and nature. According to the Cora, when a person dies he or she is converted into natural phenomena, such as soil, water, rock, clouds, etc. At the same time, these natural phenomena are considered to be have magical powers. In this way, the deceased ancestors continue to influence the lives of the living, and are so treated as gods. All the main Cora gods have family names: the principal god is the sun and is called Tayau (our father). Other important gods are fire, Tayashure (our grandfather); the morning star Venus, called Tahatsi Shurave (our elder brother), and the corn and fertility goddess Tatí (our mother). Jesus, Mary, and many Catholic saints have been integrated into the Cora pantheon, and many of these figures are associated with the older Cora gods. Shamanism is very strong among the Cora, the shamans acting in the dual roles of healers and priests.

This is an abstract of the complete article written by George Otis (the photographs are also from George).