The Yaqui (or Yoemem) are a Native American people who originally lived in the present-day Mexican state of Sonora. Now many of the Yaqui live in Arizona in the United States. Society and cultureThe Yaqui traditionally obtained food in many ways. They hunted, fished, and gathered wild plants. But most of their food came from farming. They cleared fields along rivers, where the soil was extremely fertile. The Yaqui grew corn (maize), beans, and squash. They also cultivated cotton, which they spun and wove into cloth. The Yaqui lived in villages. Their houses were made of adobe (sun-baked brick) with cane mat roofs. The people used cane to make a variety of useful articles. HistoryColonial eraThe rich lands of the Yaqui attracted early Spanish explorers. In 1533 an expedition led by Nuño de Guzmán arrived in their territory. The Yaqui quickly drove the outsiders from their lands. The tribe would continue to resist any effort to take over their territory, which they considered to be a sacred gift from the creator. After driving back Spanish soldiers several times, the Yaqui signed a treaty with Spain in 1610. They then allowed Spanish priests to establish missions in their homeland. At the missions, the priests tried to convert the Yaqui to Christianity. The result was a mixture of Christianity and traditional beliefs. The Yaqui accepted with more enthusiasm the new crops and livestock that the priests introduced into their lands. From the Spanish, they learned to grow wheat and peach trees and to raise cattle, goats, and horses. Mexican eraThroughout the 17th and 18th centuries the Yaqui repeatedly fought any attempt by the Spanish to control them. They also resisted the Mexican government after 1821, when Mexico won its independence from Spain. In the 1880s, however, the Mexicans took thousands of Yaqui prisoner. The Indians were sent to work on plantations in Yucatán, more than 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) from their homeland. These Yaqui were worked like slaves, and many died as a result. Some Yaqui escaped and returned home. Others fled Mexico for the United States. They made new settlements in what is now southern Arizona. Modern eraIn 1927 the Mexican government reserved a portion of the Yaqui's original territory for the surviving tribe members. No Yaqui reservation existed in the United States until 1978. The group living on the reservation is known as the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona. At the end of the 20th century more than 25,000 Yaqui lived in Mexico and about 15,000 lived in the United States. Many of the Mexican Yaqui make their living by farming as their ancestors did. The American Yaqui work as farmers, construction workers, and laborers. They also operate successful businesses. Both branches of the Yaqui come together at Easter for the weeklong Pascola ceremony, a ritual that blends Christian and traditional Yaqui religious beliefs. |