Historias de venados 

Documentary feature film

Dir. sofia r. noba, sautamai pareja

San Luis Potosí, 2024

In the heart of the Potosí desert lies Wirikuta, a sacred land for the Wixárika people and a haven of biodiversity where the white-tailed deer stands as a powerful symbol of natural balance and spiritual connection. However, the deer and the cultural practices surrounding it face growing threats from climate change, habitat loss, mining, globalization, and hunting, all of which jeopardize the region’s delicate harmony.

Historias de Venados follows biologist Sautamai as he explores the intimate life of the white-tailed deer within the Wirikuta ecosystem, weaving together the everyday experiences of the Las Margaritas ejidatarios and the sacred pilgrimages of the Wixárika people. These pilgrimages, stretching over 500 kilometers from the Sierra Madre Occidental, retrace the mythical journey of the deer that, according to Wixárika tradition, brought forth the Sun. Blending scientific insight with ancestral wisdom, the documentary delves into ritual hunting, ceremonial life, and the deep bond between humans and nature, offering a compelling call to unite knowledge systems in defense of both ecological and spiritual heritage.