You will see Huichol Indians on the streets of Real de Catorce - they are easy to spot, dressed in white clothing embroidered withcolorful designs. There are also other indians dressed in colorful long dresses and shawls, who produce art, which while not Huichol art is very colorful and desirable.

Real de Catorce has some of the best selection of Huichol Indian art in all of Mexico. The Huichol, descendents of the Aztec, are one of the world's last remaining indigenous cultures to remain true to ancient tradition, customs, language, and habitat. The Huichol live in adobe structures in the high sierras. Due to the decreasing fertility and therefore productivity of the land surrounding their villages, they have had to come to depend more on the sale of their artwork for sustenance.

Huichol art has always been cloaked in a veil of mysticism - probably one of the reasons that serious collectors seek out this form of art or artesania. Colorful, symbolic yarn paintings inspired by visions experienced during spiritual ceremonies, characterize Huichol art. In the ceremonies, artists ingest peyote, the hallucinogenic cactus, which induces brightly colored visions; these are considered messages from their ancestors. The visions' symbolic and mythological imagery influences the art, which encompasses not only yarn paintings but also fascinating masks and bowls decorated with tiny colored beads. The Huichol art came to be as a need to explain the dreams to others. Think of the pieces as pages of a book in a library dedicated to the history of the Huichol Indians.

The Huichol might be geographically isolated, but are learning the importance of good business, and have adapted their art to meet the consumer demand. Original Huichol art, therefore is not necessarily traditional. Iguanas, jaguars, sea turtles, frogs, eclipses, and eggs appear in response to consumer demand. For more traditional works, look for pieces that depict deer, scorpions, wolves, or snakes.

The Huichol have also had to modify their techniques to create more pieces in less time and meet increased demand. Patterned fill work, which is faster to produce, sometimes replaces the detailed designs that used to fill the pieces. The same principle applies yarn paintings. While some are beautiful depictions of landscapes and even abstract pieces, they are not traditional themes, which are more desirable.

A number of the finer stores in Real de Catorce carry excellent examples of Huichol art, such as La Luna on the southwest corner of the Plaza Hidalgo. This shop carries a good selection of Huichol art in all prices ranges and the owner, Cornelia Fernandez has a good knowledge of the Huichol's fascinating way of life and their beliefs.

Huichol art falls into two main categories: yarn paintings and beaded pieces. All other items you might find in the finer galleries are either ceremonial objects or items used in everyday life.

Yarn paintings are made on a wood base covered withwax and meticulously overlaid with colorful yarn. Designs represent the magical vision of an otherworld,and each symbol gives meaning to the piece. Paintings made with wool yarn are more authentic than those made with acrylic; however, acrylic yarn paintings are usually brighter and have more detail because the threads are thinner. It is normal to find empty spaces where the wax base shows through. Usually the artist starts with a central motif and works around it, but it is common to have several independent motifs that, when combined, take on a different meaning. A painting with many smaller designs tells a more complicated story than one with only one design and fill work on the background. Look for the story of the piece on the back of the painting. Most Huichol Indian artists write in pencil on the back of the better pieces in Huichol Indian and Spanish.

Beaded pieces are made on carved wooden shapes depicting different animals, wooden eggs, or small bowls made from cut gourds. The pieces are covered with wax and tiny chaquira beads are applied one by one to form designs. Today, many of the Huichol work with glass beads that are mass produced with holes in them for beading necklaces and other items. While these are not the traditional chaquira beads, the art that is produced is never the less genuine Huichol in most cases.

Usually the beaded designs represent animals; plants, the elements of fire, water, or air; and certain symbols that give a special meaning to the whole. Deer, snakes, wolves and scorpions are traditional elements; indigenous to Huichol territory are incorporated by popular demand. Beadwork with many small designs that do not exactly fit into one another is more time-consuming and has a more complex symbolic meaning. This kind of work has empty spaces that allow the wax to show through.