The Pima Bajo (Lower Pima) people are

Indigenous people of Mexico Indigenous peoples of Mexico (), Native Mexicans () or Mexican Native Americans (), are those who are part of communities that trace their roots back to populations and communities that existed in what is now Mexico before the arrival of Europe ...

who reside in a mountainous region along the line between the states of Chihuahua and

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

in northern

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. They are related to the Pima and Tohono O’odham of

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

and northern

, speaking a similar but distinct

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

.Estrada-Fernández, Zarina. 1998. Pima Bajo de Yepachi, Chihuahua (Archivo de Lenguas Indigenas de Mexico). Colegio de México. Lower Pima groups include: * the Névome (historical territory:

Sonora River Río Sonora (''Sonora River'') is a 402-kilometer-long river of Mexico. It lies on the Pacific slope of the Mexican state of Sonora and it runs into the Gulf of California. Watershed The Sonora River watershed covers of public land. Slopes rang ...

and

Yaqui River The Yaqui River (Río Yaqui in Spanish) (Hiak Vatwe in the Yaqui or Yoreme language) is a river in the state of Sonora in northwestern Mexico. It was formerly known as the Rio del Norte. Being the largest river system in the state of Sonora, th ...

) * the Mountain Pima (historical territory:

Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American C ...

) * the Cocomacaques (historical territory: near

Hermosillo Hermosillo (), formerly called Pitic (as in ''Santísima Trinidad del Pitic'' and ''Presidio del Pitic''), is a city in the center of the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the municipal seat of the Hermosillo municipality, the state's ...

) "Bajo" or "Lower" as part of the name refers to the geographic location in the southern part of the traditional Pima homeland. Some peoples identifying themselves as Pima and speaking the Pima language formerly lived farther west in the lowlands of Sonora, but they have long been absorbed into mainstream Mexican society. At present, the Pima Bajo are located in rugged, mountainous terrain in the Sierra Madre Occidental. Major communities in the Pima Bajo region include and Yécora on the Sonoran side of the line, Yepáchic on the Chihuahuan. All three of these communities were almost exclusively Pima in the 19th century, but in recent decades many mainstream Mexicans from the lowlands have migrated into the area. Traditional Pima Bajo culture in many ways resembles the cultures of the neighboring Warihio and Tarahumara peoples more than that of the other Pima peoples to the northwest. This is partly due to the common mountainous habitat, partly due to a long history of interactions between the groups. The Pima were also converted to Christianity early in the Spanish period, and most of them still practice an antiquated, almost medieval, form of Catholicism introduced by the

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

missionaries.Laferrière, Joseph E., & Willard Van Asdall. 1991. Plant use in Mountain Pima holiday decorations. Kiva 57:27-38. At present, the people are in the process of being acculturated into mainstream society, especially since the paving of the highway through the area in the late 1980s. The Pima do, however, attempt to preserve their identity as a distinct culture. There have been some attempts at reviving. A few of the tribal leaders collected some traditional Pima myths and published them in a book in the Pima language to be distributed in the region. Holidays, especially

Holy Week Holy Week () commemorates the seven days leading up to Easter. It begins with the commemoration of Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, marks the betrayal of Jesus on Spy Wednesday (Holy Wednes ...

(

Semana Santa Semana Santa is the Spanish for Holy Week, the final week of Lent leading to Easter. In Spanish speaking cultures as well as Holy Week in the Philippines, the Philippines this becomes an annual tribute of the Passion of Jesus Christ celebrated by ...

) involve elaborate ceremonies and celebrations reflecting the form of Catholicism practiced by the Pima. Mainstream Mexicans are allowed to attend and to participate, but Pima tribal leaders organize and supervise the activities.Dunnigan, T. 1981b. Ritual as interethnic competition: indito versus blanco in

References

{{Indigenous peoples of Mexico Peoples of the Sierra Madre Occidental Indigenous peoples in Mexico Indigenous peoples of Aridoamerica Uto-Aztecan peoples