A tribe of Cahita stock, formerly dwelling near the Rio Yaqui, and now dispersed throughout Sonora in Mexico. It is the only Indian tribe that has been in constant contact with the white race and has not been entirely subdued. They are first mentioned by Guzmán in his description of the expedition in 1531. In 1610 they made a treaty with the Spaniards and Catholic missions were at once started among them. They were then expert agriculturists, and manufactured cotton goods. They attacked the Spaniards in 1740, owing to the settlers interfering with their missionaries, and since then have frequently rebelled, the latest rising being in 1901. In 1907 the Mexican Government made an attempt to weaken the power of the hostile element by deporting several thousand Yaqui to Yucatán and Tehuantepec. The tribe now numbers about 23,000.

The native dwellings, some of which are still used, were generally constructed of adobe and reeds, with flat roof of grass and clay. Many of the Yaqui now labour in the Sonora mines; others manufacture palm leaf hats and mats and reed baskets. There are no secret societies and little organization in the tribe. Formerly they were accustomed to exchange wives, but now most of the Yaqui have been converted to Catholicism.

The Catholic Encyclopedia is the most comprehensive resource on Catholic teaching, history, and information ever gathered in all of human history. This easy-to-search online version was originally printed in fifteen hardcopy volumes.

Designed to present its readers with the full body of Catholic teaching, the Encyclopedia contains not only precise statements of what the Church has defined, but also an impartial record of different views of acknowledged authority on all disputed questions, national, political or factional. In the determination of the truth the most recent and acknowledged scientific methods are employed, and the results of the latest research in theology, philosophy, history, apologetics, archaeology, and other sciences are given careful consideration.

No one who is interested in human history, past and present, can ignore the Catholic Church, either as an institution which has been the central figure in the civilized world for nearly two thousand years, decisively affecting its destinies, religious, literary, scientific, social and political, or as an existing power whose influence and activity extend to every part of the globe. In the past century the Church has grown both extensively and intensively among English-speaking peoples. Their living interests demand that they should have the means of informing themselves about this vast institution, which, whether they are Catholics or not, affects their fortunes and their destiny.

Copyright © Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company New York, NY. Volume 1: 1907; Volume 2: 1907; Volume 3: 1908; Volume 4: 1908; Volume 5: 1909; Volume 6: 1909; Volume 7: 1910; Volume 8: 1910; Volume 9: 1910; Volume 10: 1911; Volume 11: - 1911; Volume 12: - 1911; Volume 13: - 1912; Volume 14: 1912; Volume 15: 1912

Catholic Online Catholic Encyclopedia Digital version Compiled and Copyright © Catholic Online