Running with the Rarámuri

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Mexico | Thursday, October 14, 2010 | 5 photos

Running with the Rarámuri of Mexico

*They are legendary for their winged feet, but those who venture to run with the Rarámuri ultimately learn about a virtue that transcends an alleged superhuman endurance: kórima.*

Deep into the recesses of the Sierra Madre Mountains the valleys and peaks of the rippled earth begin to contract into a gnarly maze of twisting gorges, forming a mystical natural wonder known as the Barrancas del Cobre, or Copper Canyon. This vast labyrinth in Northwestern Mexico stretches for 28,000 square miles in an intricate web that could envelop the state of West Virginia. It is here the Rarámuri manage to preserve their antiquated culture. Much of the Rarámuri still live as their ancestors did more than 2,000 years ago in adobe huts and even caves. A reclusive, solitary people, the Rarámuri represent a very minimalist culture. Men dress in simple, neon-colored blouses paired with coarse, plain-woven fabric skirts. The women adorn themselves in long, flowing ankle-length skirts that boast colorful floral prints. On their feet, the Rarámuri use simple huaraches – sandals made from scraps of tire and cow leather. The remarkably primitive lifestyle of the Rarámuri leaves them with only one real way to navigate their crude, wild terrain: to run. Their name literally means “the light-footed ones.” For the past nine years the Rarámuri have been welcoming foreigners each March for one special race: the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon, a challenging 50-mile running competition based at the foot of the canyons in the scant pueblo of Urique. It is through this race that the Rarámuri teach the world about kórima: the act of giving with no expectation of return.

Laura McNamara wanders the world, sharing stories through the power of the pen and the lens.