Mexico and the Mexican Indian The last of six programmes The Survivors
Since the Spanish conquest in 1521, most Mexican Indians have become Roman Catholic. But Spanish Catholicism and Indian beliefs are so intertwined that it is sometimes difficult to separate pagan gods from Christian Saints. ancient rites from Catholic ritual. There is one group of Indians who have retained their old beliefs-the Huichol. They live in one of the most remote and rugged areas of Mexico. Peyote, a small cactus, is at the centre of Huichol religion. It contains mescalin which produces hallucinations. Those who eat the sacred cactus are put in touch with the gods and they sing of the first time when gods and men were one.
Narrated by IAN HOLM
Film editor RAOUL SOBEL
Photography JOHN HOOPER and COLIN WALDECK
Executive producer BRUCE NORMAN Written and produced by ANNA BENSON GYLES