The Tarahumara Indians “are an ancient, relatively unknown people who predate the Aztecs” (Phippen, 2014). This is an indigenous tribe who obtain a Mexican culture due to them taking “refuge” from the “Spanish conquistadors” (Phippen, 2014) during the “…1870’s, when the Mexican government invited companies to mine the Sierra Madre, the Tarahumara took refuge atop peaks too rugged for pack mules to climb and in valleys only birds knew” (Phippen, 2014). Their current political fight is with a governmental organization named Copper Canyon Trust who took over of the location a little over a few years ago (Phippen 2014). The Tarahumara people are already an indigenous tribe but they now face losing their land to an organization who only wants to turn the land into entertainment (Phippen, 2014).

      However, this indigenous tribe has a non-profit organization, Tierra Nativa, speaking up for their rights to not only have some input into what will go on with their land but also not be forced to move from their land (Phippen, 2104).  In a recent gathering in “a small town in the rugged Sierra Madre Occidental mountains of Chihuahua, Mexico” (Phippen, 2014), Randy Gingrich the “executive director” (Paley, 2013) of Tierra Nativa stood up to officials by stating “The subject of consultation is the most important matter here today!” Randy yelled. “It’s a plain violation of their fundamental rights!” And though everyone in the room had undoubtedly heard it before, he launched into the story of Mogotavo, the impoverished village with a priceless view. About 200 Tarahumara live there, spread out across an inhospitable mesa that's nearly 8,000 feet above sea level, in isolated huts and inside caves pocking the canyon’s edge. The soil is difficult to farm, and the Tarahumara live in poverty, removed from most of Mexican society. At the edge of the village the mesa gives way to the Copper Canyon, a system of sheer valleys that’s larger, and in some places deeper, than the Grand Canyon. It’s the type of vista that makes a person realize he’s tiny compared to the magnitude of nature. But a group of developers felt something different—they thought it would be the perfect spot for a golf course (Phippen, 2014).

     There is also another problem facing the land of the Tarahumara today and that is the problem of narcotics trafficking and violence against women (Paley, 2013).  In a recent article, Paley stated that “Over the past six years, the Sierra Madre has become one of the most dangerous regions in Mexico. Vicious acts of violence against civilians erupt with stunning regularity. Thirteen people, including a baby, were massacred in September, 2008 in the nearby tourist town of Creel. Eighteen months later, another massacre – this one caught on video – among whose victims was a 14-year-old girl. Four teachers on their way to a funeral in the mountain town of Guachochi were pulled from their car, tortured and murdered after passing through a checkpoint believed to have been run by a criminal group. Repeated complaints to authorities about the checkpoint were ignored. This year started with a headline in La Jornada that screamed “Attacks and siege of populations leave 14 dead in Chihuahua.” In February, the Bishop of the Sierra Tarahumara said narcotraffickers control the mountain range” (Paley, 2013).

BBC News also reported that “Violent crime though remains a major concern; Mexico has one of the highest rates of kidnappings in the world, and over 47,500 people have died in drug-related violence since December 2006. Powerful cartels control the trafficking of drugs from South America to the US, a business that is worth an estimated $13bn (£9bn) a year. Another persistent issue has been the pressure for greater rights for Mexico's indigenous people. A law passed in 2001 fell short of giving Mexico's Indians political autonomy. However, demands for indigenous rights have been largely peaceful since 1994, when at least 150 people died during an uprising in the southern state of Chiapas, led by the Zapatista rebel movement” (2014).

     While the Tarahumara do face horrible circumstances, there are non-profit organizations/ non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) speaking up for them as well as providing guidance for them regarding their land, human and legal rights. Other than the U.S. and Latin American group Tierra Nativa that helps this people regarding their land, there is another group Terralingua (http://www.terralingua.org/) as well as the Mexican Medical Missions (http://www.mexicomedical.org/) non-profit to aid in healthcare.