Philip E. (Ted) Coyle
Western Carolina University
The Symbolic Construction of Náyari (Cora) Cosmology Through Pilgrimage and Ritual
Náyari people of Nayarit, Mexico undertake seasonal pilgrimages to sacred springs in order to “join the waters” from the four corners of their world and carry those waters back to the center. This symbolic act is said to bring about the return of the rains, who Náyari people refer to as their own deceased paternal ancestors. In undertaking these pilgrimages, Náyari people also carry forward a symbolic representation of the universe. This representation depicts the heavens as fundamentally male and the earth as female. Their own bodies are depicted as corn, an axis mundi growing out of the earth and towards the heavens. These representations are particularly notable during the mid-winter Festival of the Wheel, which provides a clear image of Náyari cosmology.
