Yaqui Myths and Legends

No thorough collection or study has been made of the folk traditions of the Yaquis. Only about a score of Yaqui stories are to be found in published form. It is known that Yaqui society has been influenced strongly by Spanish and Mexican culture, judging from indications in historical records and from studies of the modern Yaquis. In making this collection of stories it was the objective to illustrate two things: (1) the nature of the folk literature of the Yaquis and (2) the influences which successive foreign contacts have exerted upon Yaqui folklore. Collections were made in Potam, Sonora from February through April of 1942 and during regular visits to Pascua and Barrio Libre near Tuscon, Arizona from May to September of the same year.