Concept in Definition ABC

The Sierra Madre Occidental or Sierra Tarahamura is located in the northwest of Mexico. In it there are more than twenty municipalities inhabited by three majority ethnic groups: Huichol, Purépecha and Tarahumara or Rrámuri.

It is an area of ​​65,000 square kilometers in the state of Chihuahua, with deep ravines and a weather It varies depending on the altitude.

The Rrámuris or Tarahumara have inhabited the Sierra Madre for approximately 15 thousand years and according to some studies ethnographic it is believed that they could have come to this territory from present-day Mongolia through the Strait of Bering

Before the arrival of the Spaniards in the XVl century they were dedicated to the farming and on the hunt. Originally, they were a people of great spirituality who venerated the Sun and the Moon. His life philosophy has traditionally been inspired by the I respect to nature and in cooperation between its inhabitants.

When the Spanish arrived, the Tarahumara starred in several episodes of rebellion but finally decided to take refuge in the mountains, since this way they avoided forced labor in the mines exploited by the Spanish people.

Over time the Jesuits who settled in this territory they were introducing the Catholicism, but they failed to eradicate their ancestral traditions.

The light-footed men who inspire runners around the world

The Tarahumara call themselves rarámuris, a word that means "corridor on foot." For members of this ethnic group, running has nothing to do with running in the Western world. Men and women of all ages run to get food or trade in very remote locations.

For them, running is an activity that is part of their identity collective. One of their traditional races is the ball game, in which two teams run while hitting a small ball that they make from oak roots.

They travel great distances in their traditional clothing and leather sandals

They do not have any specific training plan and can resist fatigue by drinking pinole (a drink made with water and corn) and wild herbs. In recent years runners from all over the world have wanted to meet light foot runners.

Many of them have been invited to international competitions and have achieved important victories. For a Tarahumar runner the 42,195 meter Marathon is a race too short, as its endurance capacity is effective in ultramarathons that exceed 100 kilometers.

Photos: Fotolia - travel