d separate languages.

People have inhabited the Sierra del Nayar for at least 2,000 years. Spanish explorers first contacted the Coras in 1530. Attempts at conquest and conversion were violently repelled until 1722 when the Cora military leader Tlahuitole was captured and executed, and the Spanish destroyed Cora temples at Yauhke (Mesa del Nayar). Jesuits and then Franciscans established missions in Cora territory and began converting the Coras to Catholicism. In 1857 the Coras were part of an indigenous army that took control of much of Nayarit until the 1870's. The Coras rose up against the government again in 1926-1929 during the Cristero Rebellion. In the 1940's Mexico finally gained some measure of control over the Sierra del Nayar, establishing an administrative center in Jesus Maria.

Coras are farmers who grow maize, beans, and squashes and other crops such as sugar cane, tomatoes and chiles as elevation and rainfall permit. Families also plant fruit trees and vegetable gardens. Families have ancestral rights to farm specific areas, although the land itself cannot be owned. Domestic animals like cattle and goats as well as turkeys, chickens and bees are kept. Most Coras live in isolated "ranchos" composed of related families with some families also owning houses in the ceremonial centers which they occupy during festivals. In the past Coras practiced polygyny, with a man marrying several sisters, but this practice is dying out. Part of economic life for many Cora men and boys is the annual winter migration to the plantations of the Nayarit coast to perform wage labor. Some Cora men have migrated to the western US to find work.

Most Coras are Catholics, although Protestant conversions are taking place. Cora religion is a syncretic mix of Catholicism and indigenous beliefs in ancestor worship, shamanism, and animism. Deities such as the sun (Tayau), fire, and the morning star are venerated along with Jesus, Mary, and Catholic saints. Tobacco and peyote are used in religious contexts. The most important annual festival is "La Judea," the week-long Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebration in which hundreds of participants ("borrados") transform themselves into white and black demons, Moors, Pharisees, Jews, Christs, and other personages to carry out processions, battles and rituals.

Cora men traditionally wore ankle-length white manta pants and colorful shirts along with leather huaraches, palm hats, and hand-woven shoulder bags. Many men now wear jeans, western-style shirts, cowboy hats, and other non-traditional clothing. The dress of women varies among communities, but generally women wear long, full skirts and elbow-length blouses of bright colored fabrics often decorated with ribbons and embroidery. Women also wear bead necklaces and earrings, wrap themselves in dark-patterned rebozos, and carry colorful hand-woven shoulder bags

The Best Road Maps for Mexico

 

 

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New with travel guide information added!

Pacific Coast Road, Driving and Travel Guide Log 2010

Driving in Mexico just got a little safer with the release of México Road Logs - A comprehensive compilation of road logs of the Mexican Highway system researched and created by Bill and Dot Bell (www.ontheroadin.com).  They have just released the updated version of their successful Nogales to Puerto Vallarta road Log and Travel Guide.

The Mexico Road Log and Driving Guides give details of what to expect along major travel routes when visiting different areas of Mexico. "Far more than a simple map, these road logs detail intersections, driving directions, points of interest, and provide important information on driving hazards that even current GPS systems do not track" said Dot Bell. "The Road Logs are a must for those who are driving throughout the Baja, Pacific, Gulf Coast, and the Interior of Mexico." 

According to Insurance Guru Jim Labelle President of Mexpro (the largest insurance supplier to Canadians and Americans entering Mexico ) the Road Logs will make car and RV travel in Mexico less intimidating. "For years, our clients have asked us for updated road logs of Mexico," Labelle said.

"The Mexico Road Logs provide our customers with additional peace of mind and will allow them to have a more enjoyable Mexico travel experience. They may even prevent U-turns and collisions! By using the Mexico Road Logs, our clients will experience less stress and have a more relaxed driving experience, which should also help Mexpro with reduced claims that in the past have resulted from customers getting lost or losing their composure," Labelle said.

The Mexico Road Logs are updated, simple to read, easy to use, and offer the perfect solution to people who want to drive and enjoy Mexico.

The Bell's originally designed the Mexico Road Log for a Caravan they were leading down Mexico's West Coast. "We wanted to list every individual gas station and identifier so folks wouldn't get lost. We wanted to warn them of every turn and hazard along the way," says Bell. "They were such a hit and even the people who have driven Mexican Roads for years were asking for them. They wanted to be reminded where the next gas station was, if it sold diesel or where the next Military checkpoint was likely to be."

The Bell's are experts in Mexico Travel and have led conferences, seminars and special classes about driving and travel in Mexico throughout Canada and the USA. They have the most comprehensive travel website on Mexico Driving, RVing and Camping and are now working with Mexpro to distribute Mexico Road Logs in an easy-to-use interactive download.

Available at http://www.ontheroadin.com.

How to download and buy the Road Log

Click on the buy now button and you will be directed to a merchants page.  Once you pay for the road log you will redirected to an easy to use download page where you will be able to receive your product immediately.  Now only $9.99