Madre Mountains

The Sierra Madre Occidental rises between the coastal plain of Sinaloa and the high interior of northern Mexico. Deep ravines cut its western slopes, carrying rivers toward the Gulf of California, while pine and oak forests cover much of the higher country. The mountains were home to Indigenous peoples including the Acaxee, Xixime and Tepehuan, whose communities occupied different valleys and uplands. Spanish mining and missionary expansion reached the sierra during the colonial period. In 1601 Acaxee communities rose against Spanish authority in the mountains around Topia and San Andrés. A larger Tepehuan uprising followed in 1616, and Spanish forces fought for years to restore control over parts of the region.