Ritual Compadrazgo as an instrument of Interethnic and Social Adaptation among the Rarámuri in Northwestern Mexico and its Possible Correlations to Local Political Events

Abstract

This paper pursues, on the basis of some field-works among the Rarámuri Indians and the mestizos in northwestern Mexico, namely in the ejido Munerachi and the small Mexican towns Batopilas and Creel, three principal aims: first, it generally outlines the concept of the Mexican ejido; second, it focuses on the application of the theoretical concept ritual (fictive) compadrazgo of the North-American anthropologists Eric Wolf and Sidney Mintz in Lower and Upper Tarahumara in the Indian and the mestizo communities; and, third, it tries to find some possible correlations of the ritual compadrazgo to local political events.