A young man's face is painted with the 'Uxa root

The pilgrims who travel to Wirikuta interact with a variety of living beings that inform the multilayered symbolisms that animate the sacred places, plants, animals and relationships that the Wixarika historically have cultivated along this pilgrimage route. 'Uxa is a shrub whose roots are used to extract the yellow dye that paints the faces of pilgrims and allows them to be seen by their ancestors. 'Uxa's scientific name is berberis trifoliolata and it is a species of flowing plant that grows throughout southwestern North America. In this photograph, a young man is having his face painted with the root's yellow dye.