The Seri Indians live on the Sea of Cortes (Gulf of California.  Some think the migrated down the Colorado river centuries ago.  Now, perhaps, they are best known for their magnificent carving ability.  They carve objects of art from the dense, heave ironwood which grows on the Sonoran Desert.

In the late 1800's the women painted their faces with ochre, gypsum and dumortierite,  These minerals were powdered and applied wet by means of special human hair brushes.  For a mirror, a shallow bowl of water was set in the shadow, with the brilliant desert glare falling full on the woman's face.

These facial designs denote the clan to which the girl belongs. Candelaria wears the design of the "Turtle" clan as did her mother and as will her daughter.  The beautiful facial markings perpetuate the sacred matriarchal blood lines of the tribe.