Pima Indians

East of Hermosilla, around the settlements of Ures, El Novillo, Sahuaripa, Yeecora and Maycoba on the slopes of the Sierra Madre Occidental, live the Pima Indians, some 1500 in number. The Pima, whose language belongs to the Uto-Aztec family and is thus similar to Náhuatl, originally lived a nomadic life in Sonora and Arizona. Towards the end of the 17th c. they were pacified with the help of the Jesuits, and thereafter they fought with the Spaniards against the Seri and their traditional enemies the Comanches. They now live mainly by farming and rearing cattle. Their principal fiesta is October 4th (Día de San Francisco).