The Huichols belong historically and culturally to the Meso-American civilization, one of the six autochthonous civilizations which flourished in antiquity. Their residential territory - called Nanayari in their Wixarika language - is situated in the Western mountain range of the Sierra Madre Occidental, partially shared with the Cora.

Besides this territory, however, they also live in a sacred territory which embraces the five cardinal points of the Huichol cosmos: the Kiekari. This spiritual territory is twenty times larger than their territory of residence and is the setting for many of their rituals. It extends from the Pacific Ocean to the southern point of the Chihuahua desert, north of the Otomi.