Indigenous Otomi-speaking communities are settled in the Municipality of Tolimán, Querétaro, and descend from the ancient Chichimeca tribes who occupied much of ancient Mexico's north-central region. The culture in this region is a result of the fusion of Chichimeca and Otomi cultures, together with the influence of Spain and the Catholic religion. Spiritual culture and physical space interplay to influence the art in the region, specifically religious images, wall paintings, dances, and music, and the customs that exemplify this relationship are essential elements of the community's cultural identity.
The municipality of Tolimán has 260 family chapels, some of which date back to the seventeenth century and most of which date from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Most are found in the towns of San Antonio de la Cal, San Miguel Tolimán, and San Pablo Tolimán, as well as in La Higuera and El Carrizalillo. The villagers of the communities believe their ancestors' souls reside in old family chapels spread throughout the region.
Having developed a unique relationship with their topography and ecology in the semi-desert region of Querétaro state in central Mexico, the Otomi-Chichimeca people have developed a range of unique traditions. Their culture is characterized by a triangle formed by the Zamorano and Frontón hills, as well as the Bernal rock. Tolimán's Otomi-Chichimeca valley has preserved a spirituality linked to nature, particularly to the hills and the water. As a fundamental element of life and survival, their annual festival cycle revolves around water. The people of these sacred hills make annual pilgrimages there bearing miraculous crosses to pray for water and protection from the divine, to remember and celebrate their ancestors, and to celebrate their communal identity and continuity.
Other community rituals throughout the year also highlight the importance of water, an element that is dangerously scarce in this climate, and are devoted to the endurance of the Otomi-Chichimeca. The ritual usually takes place in family chapels dedicated to ancestors or in chimales, temporary yet impressive reed structures with leaf roofs constructed for offerings, both symbols of endurance and vitality. Spirituality and physical space are reflected in the art of the region, including religious images, murals, dance, and music, as well as the traditions that constitute the cultural identity of the community.
As of now, the Otomi live in a fragmented area encompassing northern Guanajuato, eastern Michoacán, and the southeastern state of Tlaxcala, but they are mostly concentrated in Hidalgo, Mexico, and Querétaro.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/places-of-memory-and-living-traditions-of-the-otom-chichimecas-people-of-tolimn-the-pea-de-bernal-guardian-of-a-sacred-territory-00174) (https://second.wiki/wiki/lugares_de_memoria_y_tradiciones_vivas_de_los_otomc3ad-chichimecas_de_tolimc3a1n) |Subject=Belief, Ritual |Country=Mexico |Region=Tolima |SDG=(11) Sustainable Cities and Communities }}