Camino de Coamitl (Road to Coamitl)(from: Mexican Art - A Portfolio of Mexican People and Places)

Angel Bracho

From the portfolio "Mexican Art - A Portfolio of Mexican People and Places", co-published by the TGP in Mexico and Associated American Artists (AAA) in the United States. An alernative title is "Ritual of the Huichol Indian Tribe."

In the early 1940s Mexican artist Angel Bracho lived for a time with the indigenous Huichol tribe in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range. The experience inspired him to create several works in his ongoing effort to demystify Western perception and deconstruct the monolithing of the rural peoples of Mexico. Among these works were several lithographic portfolios, including Mexican Art: A Portfolio of Mexican People and Places.

Here, a Huichol or Wixaritari (in the indigenous language) man is seen walking along a well-trodden path, passing a large stone formation with the roots of a massive tree clinging to its top and reaching down toward the ground, giving a sense of undisturbed, ancient quietude to the landscape. The man appears to be dressed in mara’akame (shaman) garb and regalia and carrying supplies for a long journey that may involve ceremony. Today, the Wixaritari people fight against encroaching western culture and religion. Despite many setbacks and violations of indigenous rights, they continue to resist colonization and retain their traditional ways to a great degree.