Tarahumara Indians of the Copper Canyon, Mexico originally lived on the plains near Chihuahua. To escape the Spaniards and other invaders they retreated into the rugged Sierra Madre Mountains. Today they maintain much of their original culture which they have blended with the teachings of Padres who established small Missions throughout this area. Many live in caves which are often supplemented with small buildings made of mud and straw blocks with wood roofs. They do not live in villages but choose to live instead in small family groups separated by great distances. Their diet consists mainly of corn which they raise in small fields near their home. In recent years there has been a severe drought and many have died of malnutrition when their crops failed. They also herd goats and the women make beautiful baskets and dolls for sale to tourists. The men carve the dolls from wood and the women dress them with the material left from sewing their family/s clothes. Some men also make violins from wood gathered in the forest. Their children attend government boarding schools during the week. The students learn Spanish which is very hard to teach because of the many dialects in the Tarahumara language. When someone commits a crime such as stealing, a meeting is called. It can take several months for this meeting to take place as the families must be contacted by someone on foot over many miles. The punishment is meted out by the injured party. This may be gathering wood or repairing the injured persons roof. The real punishment is being brought before everyone. http://geocities.com/fstravelclub