Mexico's Copper Canyon (also known as Barranca del Cobre or Sierra Tarahumara) offers some of North America's most dramatic landscapes. Although often referred to as the Copper Canyon, it is actually a series of six massive gorges that cover some 25,000 square miles of northwestern Mexico. It is rugged territory where most roads remain unpaved and elevations range from 7,500 to 9,500 (with a few peaks reaching 12,000 feet).
In addition to the splendors of the landscape, a visit to the Copper Canyon offers a chance to see the Tarahumara Indians, who (more than many of Mexico's indigenous cultures) have been very successful in maintaining their centuries-old way of life. Many still live in caves deep in impassable canyons. The Tarahumara, who call themselves Ramámuri ("people who run"), retreated deep into the canyons several centuries ago to escape the Spanish onslaught of disease, slavery and violence. Because the territory was so rugged, and they were able to adapt to it so well, the Tarahumara have largely escaped assimilation into modern Mexico.
What was once ruggedly impassable territory, however, has become somewhat more accessible since 1961 with the completion of the Chihuahua-Pacifico railway that links Los Mochis (on the Pacific Coast in the Mexican state of Sinaloa) with the state and city of Chihuahua (in the central interior of Mexico's north). The railway is a remarkable feat of engineering. From sea level in Los Mochis, the train crosses 39 bridges and passes through 87 tunnels as it climbs to a maximum altitude of 8,056 feet (just east of Creel, near the Continental Divide), then descends into Chihuahua at 4,700 feet. For much of the 415 mile journey, especially between El Fuerte and Creel, the scenery is simply overwhelming. Deep canyons, rushing rivers, meadows of wildflowers and towering peaks greet the traveler around almost every curve in the tracks. From El Fuerte to Creel is the most spectacular segment of the trip and visitors should make sure they pass through this area during daylight hours (which when the days are short means starting the journey in Los Mochis (or El Fuerte) and traveling east toward Chihuahua).
The first-class train is truly world-class, with air conditioned cars, comfortable reclining seats, large picture windows and an excellent dining car. Plus, since its Mexico where insurance regulations do not control every aspect of life, travelers can stand in the space between the cars and have views (and photo opportunities) unobstructed by glass. (But please, if you decide to ride between cars, don't fall out and ruin it for future travelers.)
Those who simply ride the train through the Copper Canyon will miss much of the area's allure. While the landscapes visible from the train and the 20 minute stopover in El Divisadero are certainly magnificent, there is so much more. One could easily spend a week here, visiting local villages, hiking, horseback riding and more. Our schedule was not so leisurely, but we did manage a stopover of two nights in Creel (the approximate midpoint of the journey), plus an overnight trip deep into the canyon to visit the old mining town of Batopilas on the canyon floor. Creel itself is a gritty logging town and the main commercial center for nearby villages. Brightly dressed Tarahumara women share the main street with local men wearing cowboy hats, tourist agencies, small hotels and all sorts of shops. But the real reason to stop over in Creel is its easy access to the splendors of the surrounding countryside.
If time permits, an overnight trip to Batopilas is highly recommended. The small town on the canyon floor was once a booming mining town, beginning in the 1740s. Legend has it that the cobblestone streets were once paved with silver. Eventually the mines played out and Batopilas began to decline. Today the streets are hardly paved at all, but the town retains a rundown charm that reminds the visitor just how far away the modern world can be. Several miles outside of Batopilas, in an area where one would expect to find only more of the same rugged wilderness, stands the Jesuit mission church of San Miguel de Satevo, built around 1760, and sometimes referred today as the "lost cathedral." Along the way, we also met a group of young Tarahumara children.
After our stopover in Creel and Batopilas, we re-boarded the train and continued east toward the city of Chihuahua. After crossing the Continental Divide, the Chihuahua-Pacifico ("Chepe") train travels through flat open plains and farmland. During our visit in late October, the days were growing shorter and much of this part of the journey was in darkness. Late in the evening, we arrived in Chihuahua. We flew back to Mexico City early the next morning and thus had only a quick view of Chihuahua itself.
GEOGRAPHY
You'll find a variety of climates. It can snow in the mountains while tropical temperatures reign in the valleys.
The average altitude here is 2,275 meters above sea level, while the highest point, Cerro del Mohinora, is 3,306 meters and the lowest point, at the confluence of the Septentrion and Chinipas Rivers, is around 220 meters. Note that the average rainfall in Copper Canyon is close to 15 inches per year. Most of the rainfall takes place during the months of July, August and September.
To journey into this rugged and isolated terrain with knowledge of its spectacular biodiversity and history is one of Mexico's best adventures. Carl Lumholtz explored the Sierra Madre and the Barranca de Sinforosa in 1892, and his well-documented adventures have inspired generations of canyon enthusiasts.
A trip into the canyons and the Sierra requires a good base of operations, such as the town of Creel, most travelers' hub of choice. Multiple-day treks are arranged by many of the hotels in Creel, though you can find independent guide services in any of the towns by asking hotel owners or visitors. There are numerous towns along the railroad and in the valley including Batopilas, Cusárare, Divisadero, Bauchivo and Cerocahui.CANYON HISTORY
The barrancas are one of Mexico's youngest geological formations and the largest in North America. They were formed about 30-40 million years ago, during a period of intense volcanic activity in what is present day Northwestern Mexico. Thousands of volcanoes erupted, throwing lava and ash onto the surrounding plateau and creating the Sierra Madre Occidental.
The tectonic activity also created deep fractures in the earth's crust. Because the rocks are relatively soft, the rivers originating in the high Sierra cut deep canyons on their descent to the Gulf of Mexico. The canyons bear the names of these powerful rivers: Chinipas, Candameña, Urique, Tararecua, Batopilas and Verdes.FLORA AND FAUNA
The Sierra is one of the most biologically rich areas in Mexico. One reason is that there are two distinct environmental climates - one in the mountains and on the plateaus, and a different one at the bottom of the canyons. This terrain includes snow-covered mountain peaks and subtropical forests in the canyons.
The canyons are home to 290 recorded bird species, 24 endemic and ten in danger of extinction, including the military macaw (Ara milittaris), the thick-billed parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha), and the eared trogon (Euptilotis noxenus).
Almost a third of Mexico's land mammals are found in the region, including the black bear (Ursus americanus), the puma (Felis concolor), and the Mexican wolf (Canis Lutus baileyi), which is in danger of extinction. Hunting has claimed many species. The grizzly bear is extinct and the wild turkey and deer are now rarely seen.
More than 3,500 vascular plants are found in the region. Among them are tropical and temperate species as well as hundreds of endemic species, including at least 60 wild relatives of major crops and more than 400 wild medicinal plants, an irreplaceable genetic legacy.
Most of these endemic plant species may be endangered by logging and overgrazing. Ironically, ethnobotanists now estimate that the forests are more valuable as extractive reserves for medicinal plants than for timber. The chuchupate plant, used as a blood thinner in both traditional and modern medicine, is worth thousands of dollars per acre in virgin pine forest, but it is sparse in most of the Sierra due to overharvesting and deforestation.
Mixed forests of Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir are found above 2,000 meters (6,500 feet), while juniper, piñon, and live oak are found at lower elevations from 500 to 1,500 meters (1,640 to 4,900 feet). Biologists have counted 15 species of pine and 25 of oak.
Unfortunately, the forests within the Sierra Tarahumara have been commercially logged for 100 years. The logging has been selective, and in many cases, the worst trees have been left in areas to regenerate new forest.
URIQUE CANYON
Urique Canyon is the deepest canyon in North America, and home to a Tarahumara settlement. Founded in 1690 along the banks of the meandering river, Urique was totally isolated until connected by a switchback mountain road in 1975.
SIERRA MADRE ALLIANCE
Copper Canyon does not have federal status as a national park or as a biosphere reserve, but plans and studies are underway. In February 1996, Mexico's Environmental Secretariat (SEMARNAP) announced its intention to form a 2.2 million-acre biosphere reserve in the Sierra. The Chihuahua City–based Sierra Madre Alliance will be responsible for planning approximately 750,000 acres of this reserve in the upper Río Fuerte watershed in the Sierra Tarahumara.
Randall Gingrich, Edwin Bustillos, and indigenous leaders from the Sierra formed the Sierra Madre Alliance in 1992. The mission of the Sierra Madre program is to return control of the forests to traditional indigenous communities and to facilitate sustainable ecosystem management.
The program supports indigenous communities suffering loss of land, destruction of forests, and human rights abuses in a region acknowledged to host the greatest biological diversity in North America. Tropical and temperate species intermix in a spectacular labyrinth of pine-forested highlands and tropical canyons. The native Tarahumara and Tepehuan are among the poorest and most traditional subsistence farmers in North America. Conservation, sustainable agriculture, and defense of basic human rights are inseparable for cultural survival.
We first featured the alliance in a 1999 Profile. For up-to-date info, consult their website.
VISITING?
LOCATION - The Copper Canyon is located in the state of Chihuahua.
TRANSPORTATION - The canyon is accessible from the Chihuahua al Pacífico Railroad, the end points being Los Mochis, Sinaloa and Chihuahua City, Chihuahua. From Chihuahua, you can take the train or bus to the town of Creel, which is the easiest hub for exploration of Copper Canyon country. Other towns on the railroad are developing tourism as well, particularly Divisidero, Bauchivo and Cerocahui.
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