Born to Run
The Rarámuri or Tarahumara are a Native American people of northwestern Mexico who are renowned for their long-distance running ability. Originally, inhabitants of much of the state of Chihuahua, the Rarámuri retreated to the high Sierras and canyons such as the Copper Canyon in the Sierra Madre Occidental on the arrival of Spanish explorers in the 16th century, with many still inhabiting cave dwellings for part of the year. In recent years some have become victims of Mexico's drug wars. Impoverished, young Rarámuri men have been lured and shanghaied by powerful drug gangs and exploited for their incredible endurance running, to act as 'mules' hauling at speed, backpacks filled with marijuana across the desert in the US
Published in Newsweek Words by Aram Roston / photographs by Jason Florio