Editing Durango (section)

===Indigenous peoples===
[[File:Mexicanero.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Mexicaneros]] during [[Candlemas]] celebrations in San Pedro Jícaras]]
Although a number of the state's indigenous ethnicities disappeared with the coming of the Spanish, there are still a significant amount residing in the state, most still speaking Uto-Azteca languages. The four main ethnicities are [[Tepehuán|Tepehuans]] (North and South), [[Huichols]], [[Rarámuri|Tarahumaras]] and [[Mexicaneros]]. The Mexicaneros speak [[Nahuatl]]. The Coras and Huichols speak languages named after their groups and are fairly closely related to Nahuatl. The Tepehuano and Tarahumara languages are of the Pima branch. Language preservation varies from communities in which the language dominates to those in which only vestiges remain.<ref name=":0" />

The Southern Tepehuans are the largest indigenous group in Durango. The name comes from Nahuatl and means "masters of the hills" or possibly "conquerors in battle." The Tepehuans call themselves ''o'dam'', which means "those who inhabit." Indigenous resistance to Spanish colonization was particularly fierce there in the north.  Eventually, Spanish might forced many to flee into the rugged mountains, where most of the indigenous communities still reside. It was this process that led to the northern and southern branches of the Tepehuan communities. Main Southern Tepehuan communities include Santa María de Ocotán, San Francisco, Teneraca, Taxicarinaga, San Bernardino de Milpillas and Lajas.<ref name=":0" />

The Tepehuan religion is a syncretism of indigenous and Catholic beliefs. The most important type of ceremony is the {{lang|es|mitote}} or {{lang|es|xibtal}}, which centers on dance around a bonfire accompanied by one-stringed instruments. They are most common at the beginning and end of the agricultural cycle. For patron saint days, cattle are usually sacrificed for feasting, accompanied by the dance of the Matachines and violin music.<ref name=":0" />

The second-largest indigenous group in Durango is the Huichol. Their communities are found on the edges of the state that border with Nayarit and Jalisco, where the Huichol are more numerous. The Huichol here identify with those in the other states, there is no separation.<ref name=":0" />

The Mexicaneros are the remnants of the indigenous brought by the Spanish from central Mexico to colonize the region. Today, only a small number survive in the communities of San Agustín de Buenaventura and San Pedro Jícaras in the municipality of Mezquital. This is a mixed ethnic zone and they live near groups of Tepehuanos and Huichols who have traditionally been their enemies. Their presence as a community was practically unknown until the academic work of Honrad T. Preuss in the late 19th century.  More recent studies of the people have been carried out by Neyra Patricia Alvarado.<ref name=":0" />

The Tarahumaras are mostly in the state of Chihuahua but there are communities in the far north of Durango.  The [[Cora people|Cora]]s have some presence in communities near the Northern Tepehuanos, although they are more numerous in Nayarit and Jalisco. The Northern Tepehuanos are profoundly religious but language and culture is not significantly different from those in the south.<ref name=":0" />