Our Projects
Wirikuta - Agroforestry Project
This initiative seeks to promote the development of projects that foment the participation and exchange of knowledge between two groups of people with the deepest history of this geography: the native small farmers and the Wixarika people. The activities that are part of this project’s first phase will be carried out with the participation of local residents and small farmers, and with Wixarika university students specializing in agroforestry and natural resource management. We project that this model can also be implemented in the Wixárika communities in the Sierra Madre Occidental with few adjustments to better match the climatic context.
Scholarships for Wixárika University Students
In 2018, in conjunction with the International Friendship Fund and the Proyecto de Educación Comunitaria/Rotary Club of Puerto Vallarta (VCEP), the Wixarika Research Center created a scholarship fund for Wixarika university students. The goal of the scholarship is to support students with the different costs related to attending a university, such as school materials and books, food, housing and transport.
Website and Archive
In the latter half of 2017, we began working on the design of this new website and database that will be capable of handling the large volume of historical documents from the personal archives, art collection, and library of our Founding Director Juan Negrín. Although it will be an important resource for students and teachers, it will be most important for the Wixaritari and especially for the younger generation as it tells the story of a transition from relative obscurity to their rise on the world stage. Our work on these archives is dependent upon the participation of the Wixaritari who have been coordinating with us over the past year.
Film Project
In the spring of 2018, we were contacted by Diana Fried who had produced a 27-minute documentary film on the carpentry and weaving workshops in the sierras that were funded and carried out by Juan Negrín through his foundation ADESMO. She has donated all of her raw footage, the master audio and video tapes of her film, cassette tapes of interviews, color slides, and files. We have put together a team of experts to digitalize the original film and all 860 minutes of raw footage which contains interviews and other material of interest that will be posted to this website when work is complete.
Work in the Sierras
Our foundation continues to help design and implement environmentally sustainable projects in coordination with the Wixárika communities when requested and if petitioned by consensus at their general assemblies. Subscribing to our newsletter is a good way to keep abreast of any new projects and current funding needs and will inform you of new things to look for on this website. We are a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit public foundation and rely on donations to support our continued work. We thank you for your support. ¡Pamparius!
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