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MEXICO'S SPECTACULAR COPPER CANYON
Four Times Larger & Deeper than the Grand Canyon
By Vern L.W. Howen
One of the most spectacular regions in the world is Mexico's Copper Canyon. Four times larger and deeper than the Grand Canyon and located on the steepest part of the western Range of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range, the Canyon is located in the Northern Mexican state of Chihuahua.
Copper Canyon is a series of six massive gorges covering 25,000 square miles and features waterfalls, lakes, rivers, and colorful indigenous groups of natives that make for a most interesting travel destination. Contrary to its name, no copper has been found in the Canyon and the name refers to the copper-colored lichen (fungus that clings to rocks) that is found on the walls of the Canyon.
Four of the six canyons in Copper Canyon are deeper than the Grand Canyon and the most spectacular and deepest is the La Barranca del Urique at a depth of 6,165 feet. The highest waterfall in the Canyon is the Piedra Volada at 1,486 feet and is the fourth tallest in the world.
It was my privilege to visit the Copper Canyon by flying from Sacramento to El Paso, Texas on America West Airline and then being met at the airport by a representative of Rojo Y Casavantes, a travel services company that offers a van-guide service into Mexico, including city tours on the way to the Canyon plus the tour by train.
Our first night's stay was at the La Hacienda Hotel in Casas Grandes in order to be able to visit the amazing Paquime Ruins that flourished around 900 to 1340 AD. Then it was on to the Mormon community of Colonia Juarez and an interesting visit to the town of Mata Ortiz where we met with Maestro Juan Quezada.
Quezada is a renowned pottery artist that rediscovered the ancient technique for creating the most beautiful pottery of the Paquime style. He demonstrated how this technique was discovered and we visited his pottery display where some of his pottery pieces command a price in the many thousands of dollars.
Then, it was on to the city of Chihuahua for a stay at the outstanding Westin Soberano Hotel and an excellent dinner at the La Calesa restaurant. The city tour included a visit to the Museum of the Mexican Revolution that is the former home of Pancho Villa. Here you can see many of his personal belongings. A visit to the Government Palace was a highlight because here you can see a complete set of large murals that depict the history of the region.
A most interesting tour was a drive to the city of Cuauhtemoc that is the center of Mexico's Mennonite population. The Mennonite's are a pacifist/religious group that left Canada in 1922 because they were being asked to serve in the army by the British Crown.
The Mexican government invited them to settle in Mexico and ignore some of the laws that were contrary to their religious beliefs. They are known for their outstanding work ethic and for many years their travel was by horse-drawn buggies. Today, they use modern vehicles for transportation and on their farms. I was impressed with a visit to their history museum where a very interesting young Mennonite gave us a tour and explained their way of life. Mennonites are noted for their apple orchards, corn, beans, cattle, and their cheese is favorite nationwide.
The city of Creel is considered the doorway to the Copper Canyon and nearby you can visit the Cusarare waterfalls and visit the cave dwellings of Tarahumara Indians. We then we went on to Divisadero for an overnight stay before leaving by train the next day. At Divisadero, you can purchase excellent woven baskets and other hand-made items from the native women.
The Divisadero-Copper Canyon train winds its way along the rim of steep chasms, climbs mountain passes reaching 7,000 feet and crosses canyons and rivers. The train is very comfortable and you can take pictures from between the cars at an open window. Described as the most dramatic train ride in the Western Hemisphere, the train traverses 37 bridges and 86 tunnels between Chihuahua City and the coast.
We went as far as El Fuerte although some tours go as far as Alamos near the Sea of Cortez. For me, it was a flight home the next day on Aeromexico Airlines from nearby Los Mochis to Tucson, Arizona, and on home, via America West Airline, to Sacramento.
INFORMATION:
Contact your travel agent
or you can call
Rojo Y Casavantes Travel Services
01-800-226-9667.
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