CESAR RODRIGUEZ BECERRA
‘Judea Cora’
«The “Coras” are an ethnic group here in mexico. the majority of them are located on the Sierra del Nayar, in Nayarit but there are also coras in Jalisco and Durango. They have their own language but some of them also speak a little bit of spanish. To access most of the communities you have to fly by small planes as the roads do not exist.
This group was one of the last ones to be conquered in Mexico due to the fact that when the spanish came, the coras went up to the sierras to places where was very difficult to access , in fact, the spanish did not conquered them by force but by religion. Because of this, the coras still have a lot of their traditions and culture intact. They still live up mountain where the electricity , water and other common commodities for us are absent.
The series of portraits was taken this past holy week. they have their very own way to interpret and to celebrate this festivity. When they start the holy week, the go in to their reality, the reality of the coras and thats why they paint their bodys. The red represent the blood of christ. Each “judio” designs their costume and the bodypaint. they put a lot of effort to do this. the ones that have deer horns on their crowns have to hunt the deer themselves, this makes them more “manly” and the size of the horn is the respect they have.
To take pictures of the festivity is not common and you have to talk to the authorities and to the whole participants of the festivity, if they all say yes, then you are good to go.
© Cesar Rodríguez Becerra