7 days cultural tour in the Sierra del Nayar, Nayarit
Semana Santa (Holy Week) is the most important festival of the year. The Cora - one of the most traditional indigenous groups in Mexico - put on a colourful and original version of this ritual, which has been featured in National Geographic and rates as one of the best festivals in Mexico.

This high-energy pagan carnaval features three intense days and nights of drumming, dancing, and initiation rites.
The stars of the show are the jude­os, an unruly group of hundreds of young men wearing little more than body paint and bizarre masks, who represent underworld demons. Their job is to hunt down, capture, and sacrifice Christ. Their youthful spirit and ribald sense of humor make for some hilarious moments, and the Cora Semana Santa is an unique and unforgettable event.

Itinerary

Day 1: Meeting in the city of Tepic, 100 miles north of Puerto Vallarta. Located in a highland valley surrounded by volcanoes, this small city is the capital of Nayarit state and enjoys a relaxed atmosphere and mild climate. A visit to the local anthropological museum provides an overview of the long human history of the area, and the bustling downtown district is full of interesting little shops and markets.
Day 2: Flight to the Sierra del Nayar, with great aerial views of the mountains, huge canyons, and rivers below. The destination is Chuisete, a picturesque adobe village located in a canyon alongside a river. It is an important Cora ceremonial center, and you will spend the day visiting local families and getting to know the area. Lodging is with a local family, whose large house provides a clean and comfortable base during your stay.
Day 3: In the afternoon, the jude­os, the young boys and men who form the main attraction of the festival, paint themselves white, and make their first appearance en masse. The Holy Week festival is supposedly a re-enactment of the Passion of Christ, and was taught to the recently-conquered Coras by Jesuit missionaries in the early 18th century. However, the Coras have adapted the festival to their own cosmology, turning it into a combination of solar worship, fertility rituals, and initiation rites for young men. The jude­os, which were originally the Jewish mob who persecuted Christ, become underworld spirits and monsters, while the Christ figure represents the sun. Later in the evening is the 'dance of the turtle'¯, a fertility ritual in which each jude­o does an erotic solo dance by the light of the moon, accompanied by a flute and drum music.
Day 4: In the morning the Coras close off the community, and nobody enters or leaves for the next 2 days. Then the community authorities hand over their civil powers to the captains of the jude­os, and the fiesta is on, day and night. The judeos gather at the river to paint their bodies black: they have transformed themselves into mythical demons who take over the village and begin a series of of exhausting circuits, running in formation, dancing, and chanting. They fight one another with their wooden swords, and enforce their own rules as the traditional order breaks down and the world is completely inverted. Meanwhile, families gather in the church to leave offerings to the Holy Sepulcher, and to receive his blessings.
The church is filled with the sweet smoke of copal incense while violinists play lovely renaissance-era pavanes, passed down from generation to generation by ear for nearly 300 years.
Day 5: The jude­os paint their bodies in any color they choose, and the result is a wild-looking army gathered on the banks of the river. Among them are groups of 'bufones'¯, special squads whose duties are simply to provide humour for balancing the serious tone of the other rituals. Eventually, the judeos symbolically kill Christ, then proceed to carry out a sword fight in which they kill themselves as well.
As a visitor, you will be expected to participate as well, helping to hold the night-time vigil for Christ in the church, preparing tortillas, and joining in the many processions around the village. The night is warm, and groups of judeos wander the streets, performing impromptu theater and dance.
Day 6: The ceremonies end on Saturday, when the Christ-sun is resurrected, the demons are vanquished, and order is restored. Afterwards the Coras celebrate with a good old-fashioned hootenany, with a night of dancing on the wooden tarima platforms, while musicians play lively violin tunes. These songs are the original mariachi music, using guitars and violins but no horns.
Day 7: On the final morning you will visit an ancient archeological site along the river, where the large rock face has been decorated with dozens of paintings and engravings, before catching the flight back to Tepic.

Travel tips: Days will most likely be very hot, so take lightweight clothing and sun protection (hat, sunglasses, sunscreen). Mid-afternoons are good times to relax, take a siesta, do a little reading, etc. Early mornings are very pleasant, and the warm nights are wonderful. Photography is strictly forbidden during most of this festival.