I have recently experienced an enormous Huichol Indigenous ceremony on top of their most sacred mountain, the El Cerro de Quemado.

The reason for this special ceremony for the representatives of four different Wirrarika communities to come together, was to unite in defense of the sacred area, Wirikuta that is under existential threat by mono-cultures, gold-and silver-mining companies, and the continued disrespectful treatment of this natural protected area. Many participants from non-Wirrarika communities have also traveled to support the Huicholes in solidarity.

When we drove to Wirikuta from a farm close to Mexico city, we experienced thunderstorms and impressive lightning along the entire way. While in Wirikuta, a double rainbow appeared for 15 minutes and later we witnessed one of the amazing sunsets that the Wirikuta region is known for.

On Sunday evening, we attended a benefit concert supporting Wirikuta. This event took place in a social club called Amor y Paz. (it means Love and Peace). The club is run by Humberto and his wife Cornelia. They also operate two hotels in Real de Catorce, called Hotel Real. They have enjoyed a long relationship with the Wixarika for 40 years. Humberto is the only non-Wirra, who has been allowed to participate in the inner circle of their ceremony. Humberto is also a Hollywood actor and has appeared in many movies including “The Mexican”, “Pirates of the Caribbean”, “Rango”, “Bandidos” that starred Brat Pitt, Johnny Depp, Julia Roberts, Penelope Cruz. Amor y Paz is the VIP lounge to be where film-makers and actors attend screenings and celebrate their private film release parties.

The Huicholes held inspiring ceremonies for several days in the desert of Wirikuta, with the intent to save this sacred area, home to a variety of endangered medicinal and visionary plants such as Peyote. This cactus is an essential part of these ancient indigenous people of Mexico.

We ventured on horses on Monday morning, waxing full moon, February 2012 to the top of El Cerro de Quemado. With the aid of a donkey. I carried all my film equipment, including computers, cameras, microphones, batteries, and hard drives.

We arrived at the base of the final climb just in time, before a powerful thunderstorm struck with lightning and haling ice-balls.

Thankfully, we did not get wet, as we took shelter in a tent. During the rain and haling, many Wirrarika arrived in their groups of twenty plus. They came with their entire families, woman, and children.

The peak of El Cerro de Qemado was reserved for Huicholes only, because on top is their sacred altar made of stone.

On a previous occasion to film here with my friend Armando, we wondered how the magical nature of the ceremony takes place atop of this mountain.

Soon, we should see for ourselves.

More Huicholes and Tatewari (mixed blooded people) arrived during the storm.

A couple hours before sundown, all clouds disappeared. The sunset and moon rise were spectacular from the vantage point of being way up on the mountain where we witnessed a haloed moon that extended light brightly throughout the night.

When I woke up around midnight, it was silent all around me. The many film-crews that had waited for an invitation by the Marakame’s (Huichol medicine man who hold ceremonies), to film at the main altar ceremony, were gone. So, I stashed what I did not essentially need for filming, under a plastic tarp. Then, I set off to climb the peak with the entire film rig. Filming the action without an assistant on top of El Cerro de Quemado, required me to do all the work myself, such as: carrying and securing the equipment and taking care of data-copying etc.. It took a while for the filming to begin as the Marakame’s did not give permission for anyone to film until after the sun came up, so let me describe how it was for me.

Since I was on the job, I refused any Peyote that was offered, but many people ate this special medicine in this truly unique moment. The night was mostly colored by Huichol fiddel sounds, praying, humming, conch-shell blowing, singing, dancing, and with those halos around the moon and a cloud cover on the entire desert de Catorce, the views were awesome. We estimated around 500 people that were huddled around the twenty fires that were continuously being attended to. The moon-lit cloud-scape which we looked down upon from above the clouds really made you feel as if you were looking onto a vast ocean. Wirikuta showed itself in the most magical way!

The Huicholes have previously not been so open for foreigners and non-Huicholes to join their ceremonies, but this ceremony was special in many ways for the Huicholes, because it was a potential break-through from it's pending cultural demise. They have not gathered in such large numbers where all four Huichol communities prayed together.

Being available for reporters and TV to at least observe was quite an amazing experience, even though that the invitation for camera crews to film did not come until the main prayer was complete. So there is no footage from the candle prayers and their amazing costumes in the flickering light of the fire, under the moonlight with the altar in full throttle. The Huicholes perform a complex system of ceremonial magic that it is really hard to describe with words. One just has to see it for themselves, or wait until the Huicholes understand how important it is for outsiders to understand the beauty of their culture and the galactic information they carry. Their iconography and invocations are something else.

After completion, which meant that a bull was sacrificed on the center altar and the sun rose and they carried their sacred offerings to a little stone house even a bit higher than the altar where the ceremony was held, film-permission was granted for all teams.

The Huicholes even gave a press conference from top of El Cerro de Quemado, to give a vital message to the world. In essence they said that the destruction of the entire EARTH cannot continue like it is right now. Wirikuta is not all they pray for to save. They pray for all humanity and all spirits and living creatures and the entire EARTH!

A disrespectful group of commercial hippies from Tepotzlan showed up with a little black lamb that was crying all night. They sacrificed this innocent creature in the wrong manner. It was killed at the most sacred offering place the Huicholes have, where no blood offerings are to be held. The white blood-stained dress used for the slaughtering of the little lamb was thrown onto the main ceremonial fire of the Huicholes at a time when everyone gathered around it during the press conference. The horrid smell of plastic was inhaled by everyone for ten minutes and the lamb was left there to rot. The Huicholes on the other hand, sacrificed the bull on the main altar in a dignified manner. The bull was dead in a matter of four minutes and it was butchered skillfully and dried following its sacrifice. Before an animal is sacrificed, the Marakames pray for it all night and bless its spirit.

Even though this incredibly ignorant act by some non-native people who assume the right to hold ceremonies with a medicine as sacred as the Peyote, by trying to adapt some ceremonial ritual aspects such as the sacrifice that they do not fully understand, the Huicholes gracefully did not give this act much energy. They do not seem to assume judgement over others improper deeds. The Huicholes also do not want to be judged for how they hold their ceremonies. None of their traditional Peyote ceremonies can be conducted without sacrificing animals. The sacrifice of this particular ceremony on top of El Cerro de Quemado took place around 4.20 am. The first light of day could be seen by 6.15 am. After sunrise while the moon set, an all encompassing ocean of clouds appeared in the sky which provided a spectacular backdrop of mystery that a higher dimension was upon us.

This glorious uplifting moment of nature remained in full view for several hours, until all clouds vaporized into the fragmented Wirikuta, fragmented because it's process had been developed from a cauldron of natural disaster and annihilation.

The sky above us was hazy during the daytime while a cloud cover provided a natural protection making the sun appear dimmer.

We descended by horse after 2 pm and arrived in Real de Catorce shortly before sunset. That evening, I was totally exhausted and sleep deprived. All I could do is eat, shower, and sleep. I woke up in the morning and we left Real de Catorce. I am writing this report in the car and with a couple hours driving still ahead of us.

* find more info on the situation in wirikuta and the huicholes at: Tamatsi Ma Wahaa website!

* see more high quality pictures at: www.omananda.com/gallery/v/photo+blog/wirikuta2012_001

* Watch the Video from the event, made by: Omananda

From Omananda
Namaste