The Yaqui homelands are located along the coastal plains of the Sea of Cortez, just south of Guaymas, Sonora, to just north of what is now known as Ciudad Obregon. Eight Yaqui towns follow the Yaqui River as it descends from high in the Sierra Madres. The Yaquis, or the Yoeme as they call themselves, are most frequently known for their Deer Dance. Traveling in the state of Sonora, one will, sooner or later, come upon the image of the Yaqui Deer Dancer, whether it be in the form of a statue, a poster, or some type of commercial label. The other association is with the books of Carlos Castaneda, especially The Teachings of Don Juan – A Yaqui Way of Knowledge. However, in all our years spending time with the Yaquis, none of them had ever heard of Don Juan.

Something about the Yaquis has always struck us as unique. On one hand, they are very gentle. The touch of their hand was often like air. Yet one can’t help but notice their inner strength and determination. When Diego de Guzman, the ruthless Spanish conquistador who easily traversed Mexico, reached the Yaqui lands, they warned him not to enter. When he disregarded their warning and attacked anyway, the Yaquis repelled him. They have been described as having the greatest fighting ability of all the natives in New Spain.

Although it is changing in their larger towns, the traditional houses in the non-urban settings are still made from local materials. Mesquite posts that line the river are used to create the structure of the building. The walls are made from carrizo (arundo donax), a bamboo-like reed, which also grows in abundance along the river and is woven between the posts, then covered with clay soil. For us, it was not so much the Deer Dance that captured our imagination, but these traditional buildings surrounded by flowers and bugambillia vines. To the Yaqui, flowers are of great importance in that their brother the deer, lives in the flower world (sea ania.) Flowers are also associated with the Virgin Mary, and they say, the blood of Christ transformed into flowers when he died.