The Sacred Desert of Wirikuta

Wirikuta is located in the Chihuahuan desert in the state of San Luis Potosi. This is where the wixaritari have made a yearly pilgrimage for millennia to leave offerings to their ancestors and collect water from sacred springs and gather peyote which they take back to their ranch or to a ceremonial center for their ceremonies .

Since 2010 Wirikuta has been under threat from several mining companies, a toxic waste dump, and a dam. The Wixárika people organized and have fiercely defended wirikuta and have secured an injunction against all mining activities although the battle to preserve this sacred land is not yet over. A permanent injunction was secured to keep the toxic waste dump out of Wirikuta. The building of the dam is being faught by the small Mexican farmers who hold the water rights in the area that would serve as the source water for the proposed dam.

You can learn more about Wirikuta in the news section of this website.