MUSEO HUICHOL WIRRARICA

Exit the basilica, turn left a few steps, and have a look inside the excellent adjacent Museo Huichol Wirrarica (Huichol Museum Wirrarica), founded in 1961 by Franciscan friar Ernesto Loera. The Huichol, who call themselves the Wirraritari (“people who inhabit places of thorny plants”) are among the most resistant to modernization of Mexico’s indigenous peoples. For centuries they have retired to their high homeland strongholds in mountainous Nayarit and Jalisco and fought off conversion and Mexicanization. As a result, their traditions remain strong.

Don’t miss the fine examples of Huichol Indian handicrafts in the adjoining museum shop. Sale items include eerie beaded masks, intriguing yarn paintings, and ojos de dios (God’s eyes) yarn sculptures. For more information on Huichol history and traditions, purchase the excellent English language pamphlet Wirraritari. Open Mon.–Sat. 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. and 3–6 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.–3 p.m., tel. 33/3636-4430.