QUELITES OF THE GRAN NAYAR, AN APPROACH

Abstract

The Gran Nayar is a region of the Sierra Madre Occidental located where the Mexican states of Durango, Jalisco, Nayarit and Zacatecas meet, and where inhabit four ethnic groups: Coras (Náayeri), Huicholes (Wixárica), Nahuas (Mexicaneros) and Tepehuanos del Sur (O’dam and Au’dam). There are few ethnobotanical studies published on this biocultural region, so the ethnoflora reported in review works seems to indicate little ethnofloristic richness in it. Based on ethnobotanical studies of our working group, mainly related to the Southern Tepehuans, as well as the critical review of the few literature reports of ethnobotanical studies of two of the other ethnic groups from the region; We present and discuss an inventorie of around 67 species (17 families, 25 genera) of native quelites that are used by these ethnic groups. Three species of Manihot are reported for the first time as quelites. This work substantially increases knowledge about the ethnoflora of the region known as Gran Nayar and highlights its great biocultural richness and the need to continue studying it.