Many caves have within the memory of man been permanently abandoned, owing to the occupancy of the land by the Mexicans, as the Indians dislike to be near the whites.
The Tarahumares are not the only tribe still clinging to caves.

As we have seen, the Pimas, too, are, to a limited extent, cave-dwellers, and the same is the case with the northern Tepehuanes, as well as with the allied Huarogios in their small area.
Are these cave-dwellers related to the ancient cliff-dwellers in the southwestern part of the United States and northern Mexico?
Decidedly not.

Their very aversion to living more than one family in a cave and their lack of sociability mark a strong contrast with the ancient cliff-dwellers, who were by nature gregarious.

The fact that the people live in caves is in itself extremely interesting, but this alone does not prove any connection between them and the ancient cliff-dwellers.

Although the Tarahumare is very intelligent, he is backward in the arts and industries.