Opata Indians

North-east of Hermosillo, between the Río Sonora and Río Bavispe, live the Opata Indians, now numbering only about 300. They also belong to the Uto-Aztec family, being related to the Pima and Tarahumara, and are believed to be descended from the Aztecs. They now live mainly by farming and breeding silkworms.

Religion

Although they, too, were converted by the Jesuits at the end of the 17th c., they still preserve many ancient Indian rituals and believe in a kind of transmigration of souls. Their dances represent battles with the Apaches and their first encounters with the Spaniards. Like the Tarahumara, they go in for long-distance races and contests of skill.

Some 140km/90mi south of Hermosilla lies the