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The Insider’s Guide to Travel, Food and Wine
Copper Canyon – Barranca Del Cobre
To view a rugged and beautiful land and take one of the most remarkable train trips in the world, the Copper Canyon is the place to go. This is a section of northwestern Mexico known as the Sierra Madre; it is home to a primitive yet remarkable people known as the Tarahumara Indians, who live there much as they did 400 years ago.
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Tarahumara ritual Ghost dancer
Tarahumara Indian children
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Copper Canyon – Barranca Del Cobre
Story by Frederica Dunn
To view a rugged and beautiful land and take one of the most remarkable train trips in the world, the Copper Canyon is the place to go. This is a section of northwestern Mexico known as the Sierra Madre; it is home to a primitive yet remarkable people known as the Tarahumara Indians, who live there much as they did 400 years ago. My travel companions were journalists from the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association. (IFWTWA)
Tarahumara indian woman weaving baskets for sale
Barranca del Cobre is a spectacular region of over 20 canyons and is four times larger than the Grand Canyon. Our journey begins at the Sea of Cortes, also known as the Gulf of California. Called the “Aquarium of the World” by Jacques Cousteau, the Sea of Cortes has 34% of the planet's marine animals. The El Fuerte River flows gently from magnificent waterfalls into the canyon.
Officially called Pacifico Chihuahua or “Chepe,” the train winds through 86 tunnels and crosses over 37 bridges. Crossing Copper Canyon from Los Mochis to Chihuahua, the 400-mile railroad trip takes 18 hours if taken without stops. The best way to travel the route is to stop off at the historical old towns for sightseeing and re-board the next day.
Our adventure started at the Posada del Hidalgo hotel in El Fuerte. Every day for Happy Hour, the hotel featured Zorro---the legendary hero created in a novel. Zorro (The Fox) would appear in full costume and dance with several partners before taking his flamboyant leave. He was reputedly born in 1795 in a Spanish colonial mansion, now the site of the Posada del Hidalgo hotel. What a surprise! I had the honor of staying in El Zorro's room, and I went to sleep at night with Zorro looking down at me from many large photos. I was so excited to be given the Zorro room; the next day I found a flower in the key lock and his mask outside the door. Who was this exciting suitor? I never figured it out!
El Fuerte, a charming town with cobblestone streets and handsome colonial mansions was the birthplace of “El Zorro.” Founded in 1563 by conquistadors, El Fuerte (the fort in Spanish) was a thriving colonial outpost, receiving silver from the mines in Copper Canyon. The most dramatic part of the train ride is the section between El Fuerte and Bahuichivo.
We flew into the coastal city of Los Mochis (place of turtles), founded in 1903 by Ben Johnston, an American who also built a large sugar cane empire. Los Mochis is a well planned modern port city with wide tree-lined thoroughfares and is one of the fastest growing towns in Mexico.
The city is located on Topolobampo Bay, and this was the beginning of a breathtaking yacht tour. Topolobampo Sanctuary is a rich bio-diverse bay filled with oysters, shrimp, clams, scallops and crab. We cruise the bay and marvel at pods of dolphins surfacing along our boat and view pelicans and other birds nesting on nearby promontories. Soon the captain moors next to a dory, and a sumptuous lunch arrives. Platters of fresh shrimp and scallop ceviche are served with cold Pacifico cervezas. A perfect ending to our first of many adventures on the trip.
Early the next morning we boarded the Ferromex first class coach “Chepe” for our rail trip through the rugged terrain across Mexico's Sierra Madre Mountains to the charming town of Cerocahui. Nested in a valley and surrounded by apple orchards and wine vineyards, the mountain village was founded by the Jesuits 300 years ago. It is home to 600 people and is in a valley near the train stop.
We stayed at the delightful old Hotel Mision right on the town's little plaza. The lobby and restaurant surround a large rock fireplace where a local guitarist and singer usually entertain in the evenings.
Adjacent to our hotel was the historical Mission of San Francisco, founded in 1694 by a Jesuit priest Father Juan Maria de Salvatierra. He was the first European to reach the bottom of the canyon. Nearby is Gallego Hill (Cerro del Gallego) with the best views of Urique Canyon, the deepest canyon in the system. The Hotel Mision has a vineyard and bottles their wines for local consumption. Wine served with our meals was excellent.
A highlight was visiting the Tarahumara (Indian) girls' boarding school next to our hotel. Girls from ages three through their teens board for nine months of the year and return home for the remaining three months. The school is run by nuns and is very well organized with a dormitory, cafeteria, and laundry/bathing facilities. No small feat in the barren canyons! The children appear happy and well cared for.
Most of the Tarahumara live on the poverty level and walk miles into the villages to sell their beautiful hand-made baskets, jewelry, and colorful shawls. The Indian women wear long flowing dresses and skirts and blouses in colors that rival any rainbow. Their wares are laid out before them while they weave the colorful baskets for sale.
Electricity and running water are rare in homes, and some still live, as their ancestors did, in caves. They have their own language and most speak only a little Spanish.
The Tarahumara (known as Raramuri or “foot runners” in their own language) are among the largest traditional Native American societies in North America. Long-distance running has become a trademark of the Raramuri culture. Hunters can run over 100 miles and easily exhaust their prey. A deer is hunted by chasing until the animal falls from utter exhaustion!
A self-sufficient and semi-nomadic people, they number around 50,000 to 70,000 and live in the rugged canyons. They are currently confronted by the rapid loss of their language, cultural traditions, and severe degradation of their environment.
Although the Tarahumara face great challenges, they have persevered and survived for 350 years. Their survival strategies have usually been to stay as isolated as possible and to occupy the least desirable lands. This pattern of avoidance became their means of handling contact with non-Indians and continues today.
One of the ways they maintain their identity is by working together through their “tesguino” network. Tesguino is a beverage made of fermented corn with an alcohol content similar to that of beer. It is this social drink that brings rancheras (community units) together from miles around to share work. At these gatherings, the Tarahumara forge important relationships with one another through joking and trading.
An unforgettable stop on the trip was our stay at the Posada Barrancas hotel, which is perched like an eagle's nest on the rim of Copper Canyon. The view of the three canyons that comprise the Copper Canyon makes the area “the lookout point” at 7500 feet elevation. Think luxury at this hotel, where every room has a balcony built into the side of a cliff with a spectacular view of the canyons. Where else could one sleep with such a beautiful view of North America's deepest canyon?
Here, one can idle away much time admiring the immense mountain, plateau, and canyon that make up this national treasure.
Horseback riding to Huicochi Waterfalls
This is the perfect place to go horseback riding in the canyon. Four adventurous souls in our group enthusiastically opted to go riding in the canyon one afternoon to view the sparkling Huicochi waterfalls. Little did we know what to expect. We started along the river on a steep sandy trail. The trail narrowed, with only inches to sheer drops and certain death if one fell. Fortunately, the horses were sure-footed, calm, and knew their territory well. Every few minutes, there would be a blood-curdling yell from one of us, as we squeezed through the rocky ledges. I continually looked up or straight ahead and prayed to “Pepino” to get me safely home! We forded streams and rode through beautiful forests just like the old wild west.
Lovely waterfalls, a lake, cave dwellings, and an old Jesuit mission made for a fascinating ride. Batopilas, an 18th-century silver-mining town is at the bottom of the canyon; the weather there is tropical, though it can get cool in the evenings. A considerable number of pigs, dogs, and goats roam at will---this is Chihuahua's goat-raising capital.
Founded in 1907 as a railroad town, Creel was named for a governor of Chihuahua. At 8,071 feet above sea level it is the literal high point of our journey. Several stores around Creel sell Tarahumara arts and crafts, but the best is Artesanias Mision, which sells quality merchandise at reasonable prices, with all profits going to the Mission hospital run by a Jesuit priest.
Our tour ended in Chihuahua, a city of wide boulevards and handsome buildings and the capital of Chihuahua state, the largest and richest in Mexico. The wealth comes from mining, timber, cattle, maquiladoras (assembly plants for export goods) and tourism. But the historic center retains much of its character and has a museum with fascinating murals painted by a local artist, Pina Mora. The murals depict some of the main historical events leading up to the 1910 Revolution. The city is also home to Pancho Villa, who lived in a lovely mansion in the historic area.
Our IFWTWA trip was organized by Juan Rodriguez, Director, Mexico Adventures Inc., at 1-800-206-8132; www.coppercanyon.com.mx.
© Story by Frederica Dunn, 2010
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