Rosalio Moisés relates in his autobiography the major events of Yaqui history from the late Porfiriato to the present day. Especially vivid and moving are the accounts of the deportation of Yaquis from their native region to various parts of Mexico, including the Colorado Mines of Sonora; the continuous military struggle of the Yaquis against the Mexicans, whom they have always identified as their arch-enemies; the exodus to Arizona of many Yaquis fleeing from deportation and persecution; and the hard times that befell the eight Yaqui pueblos along the Río Yaqui after the Revolution.
The narrative reads very smoothly, with little critical content. Through the author’s personal participation in Yaqui fiestas, his profound belief in and respect for Yaqui witchcraft, and his detailed description of day-to-day life in the Yaqui pueblos, we learn much of Yaqui religion and culture.
As Rosalio Moisés asserts, “there will always be a Yaqui tribe.” While all the other indigenous peoples around the Yaqui have become Mexicans, the Yaqui continue to resist political and cultural integration into Mexico. The explanations for this remain to be forrad.
