The current yoreme are the descendants of the ancient inhabitants of Huatabampo's culture, belonging to one of Sonora's cultural traditions.

The Mayo denominate themselves "Yoreme"; The one who respects the tradition, for opposition to "Yori"; The one who does not respect the tradition. According to an ancient legend of their oral tradition, the word "Mayo" means "the people that lives at the bank of the Mayo river".

Mayo and Yaqui share origin, language and common culture. Guarijio, Mayo and Yaqui are the result of a process of migration and ethnic redistribution.

TERRITORY

The mayo region is located as much in the northern part of Sinaloa as in the southern part of Sonora. The municipalities where the mayo are located are: Álamos, Etchojoa, Huatabampo, Navojoa and Quiriego in the State of Sonora, as well as in the north of Sinaloa's in: Choix, El Fuerte, Guasave, Los Mochis, Ahome and Sinaloa de Leyva.
The mayo do not count with own territory, their localities and population centers are conformed within the ejidal system and are shared by non native groups originating of the very State and of other populations of the rest of the country.
Their population is distributed along the Mayo river in 242 localities, being eight their principal centers: Santa Cruz ( now called Júpare ), Etchojoa, San Pedro, Cowirimpo, Navojoa, Tesia, Camoa and Conicarit. Their estimated population is of 72,000 inhabitants, belonging 32,000 to Sonora ( representing 4 % of the total population ) and 40,000 to Sinaloa.

HISTORY

Pre-Hispanic period:
The first inhabitants dedicated themselves to hunting, fishing and recollection, developing little by little agricultural techniques that allowed them ro settle down at settlements and dedicate primarily to agriculture.
Colonial period:

• 1531: Confrontation with the spaniards. Foundation of the Fuerte Montesclaros, in Sinaloa. The history relates that the mayo were the recipients of the evangelizing teachings; Assimilating the agricultural teachings properly, the breeding of domestic animals and most of all the religion.
• 1683: Discovery of the first minerals at Álamos's sierra, arriving numerous spaniards due to the good climate of the region and to the existence of abundant water. As a result, the mayo are displaced of their communal lands or else are used like labor force for the mines.
• In 1740 Yaqui and Mayo groups rise up motivated by the constant deprivings from which they were object by part of the Spanish colonists. The leader that directed the uprising was the Yaqui Juan Calixto, best known as the "Muni".
• In 1825 an agreement of peace is  signed, however other uprisings in command of Yaqui leaders take place.
• During the 1910-27's revolution the mayo join the Gral. Álvaro Obregón 's campaign. in order to recover their lands.
• 1938: Under the Gral. Lázaro Cárdenas 's presidency, part of their territory is reintegrated in ejidal form.
• The November 19, 1976, under Luis Echeverría's presidency, the last delivery of lands of irrigation and summer pasture ( 96 000 ha ) is carried out, in accordance with Ocampo's Pact.

LANGUAGE

It belongs to the Taracahíta family, of the Yutoazteca or Yutonahua family, related with the yaqui language and the guarijío language. Also keeps a determined kinship with the Pima and the Tohono O´otham.

The mayo, in general, are bilingual although the contact with the mestizos towns or yori has generated a fast displacement of the maternal language.

HEALTH

The people of the mayo towns take care of the health problems with three sanitary systems:

1. Homemade/Domestic Medicine. They take care of principal common illnesses like stomachache, headache, earache, toothache, colds and fevers. The managed resources are medicinal herbs that they cultivate at the familiar kitchen gardens.
2. Quack doctors' Medicine. The traditional doctors or therapists take care of more complicated diseases like the scare, the crown of the head, the bones, indigestion and childbirths.
3. The Institutional Medicine. It is attended by doctors of the Commission for the Development of the Indigenous Towns ( CDI ), of the Center of Health and of the Social Security. The diseases that they take care of are, among other: Diarrhea, pneumonia, anemia, malaria, conjunctivitis, hypertension and dermatitis. Currently it is one of the principal focuses of the breakbone fever.

HOUSING

It is built on the basis of reed, heart of pitahaya or sahuaro with adobe. The roof is manufactured with wood and reed with earthen plasters, whitewashed to avoid saltpetre. Generally each home has an arbor made with poles of mezquite and roofed with reed, tule or palm. There also exist some houses made of brick or concrete block. At the houses, it is common to find a cross of mezquite that represents their faith and provides protection.

DRESS

The traditional clothing is practically non-existent, although their count with designs of garments as heard from ancient references and older people's conversations. As it is known in the pre-Hispanic times they covered part of their body with furs of animals like the deer. However, in times of the Colony and of the period of the Revolution of 1910 there can be appreciated drawings and photographs of the dress, which consisted in rudimentary cloths and blanket.

Nowadays the woman wears a two-piece suit of a thin cloth and a discrete printing, sandals, gold earrings, shawl and brooches for the hair. The man dresses to the usage of the cowboys of the region.
In their ceremonies, the dresses of deer-dancer and pascola are similar to the yaqui ones, perhaps the major difference is the yaqui dancers dance with the naked torso and the mayo dressed in white. The yaqui pascola's masks have their eyebrows cut and the ones belonging to the mayo are long.

ECONOMY

The principal economic activity is agriculture ( of irrigation and of gale ), fishing, cattle raising, salaried work and elaboration of crafts, so much of utilitarian nature ( basketry, rustic furniture, linen goods, etc.) like ceremonial ( masks, musical instruments, etc.). With the poplar root's wood they manufacture miniature dancers' figures, with their complete ceremonial attire. They weave pure-wool blankets, in looms of pre-Hispanic type for the cold season.

A lot of families dedicate themselves to craftsmanship, as it can be perceived in the town of Masiaca and Teachibe.

HOLIDAYS

The religious and the merrymaker organization between the yoreme is what has promoted more the linguistic identity among the group.
" A lot of years ago, God formed the world, then came to the Earth to see what problems the men had and what was their behavior. When God went down to the planet, was accompanied by San Pedro and they started to go over towns. Walking, they started to do things, to form others, like to form a party for village fun, and God told them:
" I want you to hold parties for that is that I find myself here. Of that branch, that you look, cut a piece and bring it to me, since of it I am going to form violins and harps in order that you begin to play, and little by little melodies are going to take shape and that way you are going to start to dance to the rhythm of the music that the musicians play ".
Saying this, the music started to take shape, the merrymakers and musical instruments. That way it started to play among them. Witnessing the need to make a party they started to dance and dance, and that way the people started to come together to see the pascoleros.
"La Pasión de Cristo según los Yoemes", Maria Guadalupe Escamilla Hurtado. Compilation of an oral tradition accomplished by the Depto. De Etnologia de la Universidad de Occidente, Los Mochis Sinaloa.
One of their principal celebrations is the one of Holy Week, that manifests the syncretism between their traditional pre-Hispanic parties and the Christian religion taught by the Jesuit missionaries. The celebration begins Ash Wednesday and ends up on Sunday of Resurrection, being the more important days the Thursday, Friday and the Easter Saturday.

* * * Pharisees or Jews: They are the sightliest aspect of the party, they represent the members of the Sanhedrin that caught and killed Jesus. In the popular interpretation, the Pharisees embody evil and they are allowed to parody the community's sexual and social life. Traditionally, they are a group of youngsters that have done a "manda" for some miracle or favor, for them or for some member of their family.

Their mask is made out of goatskin leather to which they add a nice face carved in wood ( currently they use a carnival type face that they buy at the stores ). Formerly it was this same hide to which they added a great nose and some big ears.
In the waist they carry the carrillera, a belt of skin from where they hang up reeds ( of some 10 to 15 cms in length ) than sound when running or dancing. The tenabaris or butterfly's cocoons are carried in the calves. They carry a white mantle embroidered with images and religious legends on the shoulders. The torso is wraped up with a blanket that is held in the waist with a belt and a tape. They wear the traditional huaraches in the feet and in the hand they carry  a spear and a wooden knife painted with aniline.
It is very important to dress in the adequate way, it is part of the ritual; Normally they help each other while the children learn observing this ritual.

* * * The Pilatos or Captain of the Jews, is the maximum authority of the penitents' brotherhood and takes care of determining what they will do during the Holy Week. In his hand he carries an adorned staff and in his shoulder a haversack to pick up the alms. He is elected by three years plus one of alms. He is helped by the Mandones or Chicoteros, that are Jewish with a chicote or whip in the waist, that watch the discipline, in order that there be no disorder and everyone obeys the Jews' group.

* * * The merrymakers: They are the worthy ones to organize the correspondent parties. They are wearing a handkerchief tied in their head, some of them use a cat's hide adorning the waist, other ones use a wooden rosary in the chest adorned with ribbons of colors or a command staff.

* * * The prayer teacher: Person in charge of pronouncing the orations, prayers and necessary psalms in each and every one of the moments of the ceremonies. It is based on books that have been passing, from teacher to teacher, for several generations.

* * * The Maries, the Beatas, the master flautist, the Veronicas, etc they all have a place and a function in the ceremonial.

* * * During Lent:

The Lent begins the Ash Wednesday, being the Fridays the most important days. From noon they gather together out of the town to conform the Jews' group, with the persistent sound of the drum announcing the celebration. Formed in two rows, the Mandón indicates the moment of entering the town and arriving to the church, where they will greet the Lord and after that dance to the atrium and look for Cristo's footprints around the temple to capture him.
Inside the temple, the merrymakers have organized the Conti or procession. They take outside on a bier to Jesus Nazarene, the Virgin of Guadalupe and San Juan, realizing a Vía Crucis around the church and touching the four cardinal points. The Jews close the group. When finishing the procession and placing the saints in their place, the order is gave of dispersing and the Jews run out to the town, in groups, just as they entered.

* * * The activities begin the Palm Sunday, the Jews carry the branches, like village people, that are blessed by a priest after officiating Mass.
The Jews take flowers of paper glued in their masks and colored strips of paper in the legs and arms.
At a captain's sign, the chicoteros inform the Jews that it is time to depart to the arbor where the Holy Cross is dressed of orange color, with hat and flowers. Its suit is similar to a Virgin, but with the face covered ( she has been attired by the merrymakers' group of the Holy Cross ).
When at the arbor, it is organized a procession with the merrymakers to the front carrying the flags that correspond to San Juan, the Virgin of Guadalupe and the Holy Cross, the prayer-teacher, the flautist, the Holy Cross on a bier, the Jews' Captain, the chicoteros and the Jews.
They walk a stretch, stop, the flags dance, the Holy Cross dances, they walk again, stop, etc. There are over 20 stations from the arbor to the church. Meanwhile, the Jews go dancing and the flute and the drum keep to sound.

At the church Christ is separated from the Cross, and while they lay down the image and the Maríes clean it and cover it with a white canvas, the Cross is put at an empty place where it will remain until Friday. All ceremony with a precise rhythm and motions, without failing nor altering the tradition. At the end of the ceremony the fireworks explode as a sign that the ritual has ended.

* * * Holy Wednesday: At night are initiated the activities, the dance and the prayers that will not cease until the Easter Saturday.

* * * Holy Thursday: The Last Supper, Jesus's apprehension, his interrogations and his death sentence by Pilatos are commemorated. The evil succeeds. It is one of the most tiresome days because of all the activities that they have and because of the heat that is often during the day. There is a procession with all the Saints, accompanied by parishioners, Jews, prayer, flautist, Maríes and Beatas.

* * * Good Friday: All the crosses tumble over during the morning. At three of the afternoon all participants get together at the temple to commemorate Jesus's death. The ceremonies are strong and are carried out in the midst of noise, bustling, fun ... the Jews dance out of the temple and the environment reaches a climax of excitation.
Around 10 of the night the procession or major conti is organized, in which go out Christ's Body, the Virgin and San Juan, to very slow step due to the great weight of the images, with the prayer-teacher to the front reading his prayers continuously. Around 3 of the morning they go back to meet at the temple to celebrate Cristo's resurrection.

* * * Easter Saturday: Approximately at 10 of the morning the Jews gather in the temple but by now without masks. The legs and arms are painted with aniline. In an organized way they run in two rows from one extreme to another of the street, at the service of their Mandón. Their attitude is totally mocking, hitting themselves with bars of paper, destroying the carrilleras, the spears and the knives.
Close to the noon the captain orders to bring the Judas, dressed in a grotesque way, to punish him hanging him with a rope to the neck. Once destroyed they take his remains to the atrium to burn it along with the masks, carrilleras and spears.
The good has succeeded and the evil's symbols go back to darkness. The priest sprinkles blessed water to all Jews, like a new baptism and return to the world of good. The church's bells toll and inside the church is carried out the ceremony of confirmation. Every Jew has a godfather or godmother, and next to the lying Christ, the praying-teacher will put a blessed candle in its hands and they will pray together The Hail Mary and the Lord's Prayer.
In the ramada concentrate musicians and deer-dancers and pascola, to dance all day long.

* * * Sunday of Resurrection: It is celebrated the "Corrida de los Santos" i.e. Cristo's encounter with hisapostles, that look for it in the empty grave. Now the Jews are wearing crowns of branches of poplar on the head, their purification's symbol.
At the esplanade, to the prayer's order, begins the pilgrimage of the Saints in search of Christ. At one end are found Virgin Mary, and San Juan adorned with offerings and a white dove. By the front go the merrymakers with the flags and the insignias. The Maries throw flowers to the images.
In the opposed end advance baby Jesus, called "The Resuscitated", the musicians and deer-dancers and pascola, as well as the crowned Jews. They all go singing while the bells toll and the fireworks explode. They are accompanied by "Los Principales" who carry in their heads a feather and to their back, a wooden arc, the arrows, the quiver and a drum.
Little by little they get close until finding themselves at the wooden cross in front of the church. They will make a new Conti together, stopping at the stations, and after a little bit more than an hour they enter the church.
All Saints are placed in their own place, several psalms are prayed and when finalizing Christ is  lifted up to be placed on its wooden cross and in the center of the altar.
Everything has finished. The merrymakers say good-bye flapping their flags after having accomplished one more year the ritual that gives maintenance to the world and to the yoreme group.

* * * OTHER HOLIDAYS

The Mayo group celebrates over 70 religious parties annually. Most of the parties adjust to the Catholic Church's liturgical calendar. Each town, in addition to take part in the festive events out of their community, have to celebrate their patron saint: The Most Holy Trinity, San Jose, San Juan, San Ignacio de Loyola, the Holy Cross, Santa Balvanera, the Virgin of Guadalupe, San Miguel Arcángel, etc.
The parties are carried out for a lot of motives:

The day of the Patron Saint
When a person dies
Holy Week
When there is a change of merrymakers
When a town visits another

Compilation and investigation: Ma. Inmaculada Puente Andrés

Bibliography:
* * "De la prehistoria a el siglo XX" José Rómulo Félix Gastélum. Hermosillo, Sonora, 1999
* * Brochure edited by the Dirección general de Culturas Populares, Unidad Regional Sonora. 1997
* * "La pasión de Cristo según los yolem, mes" El Noroeste de México, sus culturas étnicas. Maria Guadalupe Escamilla Hurtado. Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia. 1991
* * Photography: Inmaculada Puente