Misión de Chichimecas

Misión de Chichimecas is a community on the eastern edge of San Luis de la Paz, about two kilometers from the town center, and it is the home of the Chichimeca Jonaz, the last surviving people of the great Chichimeca nations that once ranged across the north of New Spain. The mission traces its origins to the founding of San Luis de la Paz in 1552, when the peace that gave the town its name was agreed.

The Chichimecas were famous for resisting the Spanish conquest for decades, and their descendants here still keep their own language, known to its speakers as úza', along with dances, music and ceremonies. Keeping the language alive is a constant effort, since fewer and fewer children grow up speaking it fluently. The community has a cultural space, the Casa de los Chichimecas, and local cooks from the Misión are known around Pozos for their traditional food.

This is a living community, not a museum, so the best way to visit is respectfully and, ideally, with a local guide or during a public celebration. Even a short walk around helps put the history of the whole Pozos area, from the Silver Route to the Chichimeca wars, into human terms.