Religious Missions, Health Clinics and Sacred Shrines: The Competition for the Control of Space among the Cora (Naayeri) Peoples

Abstract

The villages of the Western Sierra Madre where the Cora people live are important political, economic, and social centers, where rituals which are essential for maintaining social cohesion and continuity are held. They are, however, a relatively new creation, with their origin being traced to the colonial conquest of the region. This has led to different forms of using and contextualizing space existing alongside each other and sometimes competing against each other in the most important towns in the region. Using historical and ethnographic data, this article reflects on some dynamics that reveal a constant dialectic and competition between indigenous and mestizo people for the control of community spaces, involving complex economic, political and ritual processes.