Ruta Wixárika por los sitios sagrados hasta Wiricuta (Tatehuarí Huajuyé)
Ruta Wixárika por los sitios sagrados hasta Wiricuta (Tatehuarí Huajuyé)
World Heritage
Patrimonio mundial
Cultural
Serial property
Since ancient times, the Wixárika (Huichol) people have followed a ceremonial route that crosses five states in western Mexico. This route connects sacred sites that are fundamental to their worldview and culminates in Wirikuta, in San Luis Potosí, a sacred place where, according to their beliefs, the Sun was born and the world originated.
On July 12, 2025, UNESCO declared the Wixárika Route through the Sacred Sites to Wirikuta a World Heritage Site, recognizing it as a biocultural corridor of great historical, spiritual, and environmental value. This biocultural corridor stretches over 500 km through five states in Mexico (Nayarit, Jalisco, Zacatecas, Durango, and San Luis Potosí). This sacred route connects 20 key sites of the Wixárika worldview recognized for their great spiritual, historical, cultural, and environmental value, such as Tatei Jaramara and Hauxa Manaka, and culminates in Wirikuta and Cerro Quemado, in Real de Catorce.
Geographic extension and ecoregions
The route crosses three ecoregions of global importance for biodiversity:
- Gulf of California
- Western Sierra Madre
- Chihuahuan Desert
Two fundamental sites are located at its extremities:
- Tatei Jaramara (Nayarit, Pacific coast): place of origins and of the first Huichol pilgrimages.
- Huiricuta (San Luis Potosí): sacred site where the birth of the Sun is venerated, guided by the golden eagle.
Cultural and spiritual value
The route forms the basis of the traditional Huichol pilgrimage (Huixárica), which maintains an intimate relationship between culture, spirituality, and territory.
- Central elements of veneration: corn, deer, peyote, and golden eagle.
- Ritual activities: ceremonial hunting, gathering sacred plants, traditional agriculture, and offerings.
- Sacred sites include mountains, caves, rivers, springs, rock formations, and natural phenomena such as rain or wind.
Historical and cultural continuity
The Huichola Route is a living testimony to the ancient pre-Columbian ceremonial and trade routes of America. Among its cultural expressions, the following stand out:
- Tuquipas (circular ceremonial centers) and their ritual architecture.
- Social organization based on clans and community structures.
- Vernacular architecture in homes and temples following ancestral models.
- Traditional agroforestry system based on the annual corn cycle.
- Oral tradition in songs, prayers, myths, and sacred stories.
- Handicraft production and ritual objects that maintain the symbols of the Huichol worldview.
Environmental dimension
The Route is also an example of sustainable land use practiced for millennia. Its ritual and agricultural cycles have contributed to the preservation of biodiversity and respectful management of the ecosystem. Buffer zones reinforce the protection of flora, fauna, and landscapes surrounding sacred sites.
Universal value
It is a unique associative cultural landscape, where the links between spirituality, nature, and culture are kept alive. The nomination of this route to World Heritage status represents the first initiative in Latin America to officially recognize a living indigenous cultural landscape.
In short, the Huichola Route to Huiricuta is a living reliquary of the Mesoamerican worldview, which maintains ancestral traditions with exceptional relevance and contributes universal values of harmony between humans and the environment in an increasingly threatened global context.
Declaratoria UNESCO
Patrimonio Cultural
Categioría Serial property
Fecha 12-07-2025
Criterios de valor Universal Excepcional
Este lugar cumple con los siguientes criterios de valor Universal Excepcional
(iii)
To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared.
(vi)
To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria).
Elemento
Xukuri (jícara)
A round vessel made from the fruit of the calabash tree. It is decorated with beads or paint and contains offerings such as corn, candles, tobacco, or feathers. It symbolizes the womb of Mother Earth and is considered a living object that communicates with the sacred.
Hikuri (peyote)
Sacred cactus that only grows wild in Wirikuta. It is harvested through an extensive ritual and consumed in ceremonial contexts to obtain visions, divine messages, and healing. It is considered a guide and spiritual teacher.
Maxa (venado)
Sacred animal that paved the way to Wirikuta. Its figure is central to the myths of origin and is represented in dances, songs, and offerings. The deer is also the one who becomes peyote during the pilgrimage.
Tatewari (fuego ritual)
He is the grandfather, the wise protector. He is lit at the beginning of the pilgrimage and kept in portable braziers. He guides the way, purifies spaces, and connects pilgrims with the spiritual world.
Iku (maíz)
Sacred food representing the body and life of the Wixárika people. It is present in offerings, prayers, and songs. Its agricultural cycle is closely linked to the times of the route.
Plumas
Symbol of spiritual elevation. They are used in headdresses, gourds, and offerings. They represent the birds that inhabit the sacred hills, such as the golden eagle, and are messengers between the earthly and divine worlds.
Agua de mar
Collected in Tatei Jaramara (Nayarit), it is transported to the Sierra and used to bless the cornfields. It links the water cycle, fertility, and the continuity of life.
Velas
Basic ritual element. They represent the light of the Sun and the connection with the deities. They are lit as an offering in sacred sites and placed in gourds along with other elements.
Chaquira
Material used for embroidery, decoration, and symbol coding on gourds, walking sticks, masks, and ceremonial costumes. Their colors and designs have specific meanings: corn, the sun, deer, peyote, among others.
Cerro sagrado
Each hill or mountain along the route represents a deity or ancestor. They are believed to be conscious and to hear prayers. They are honored with songs, offerings, and fasting.
