Semana Santa Cora

Cora Indians, painted all over in red color, prepare themselves for the sacred ritual celebration of Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Jesús María, Nayarit, Mexico, 22 April 2011. The annual week-long Easter festivity (called La Judea), performed in the rugged mountain country of Sierra del Nayar, merges indigenous tradition (agricultural cycle and the regeneration of life worshipping) and animistic beliefs with the Christian dogma. Each year in the spring, the Cora villages are taken over by hundreds of wildly running men. Painted all over their semi-naked bodies, fighting ritual battles with wooden swords and dancing crazily, they perform demons (the evil) that metaphorically chase Jesus Christ, kill him, but finally fail due to his resurrection. La Judea, the Holy Week sacred spectacle, represents the most truthful expression of the Coras' culture, religiosity and identity.