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This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Travelling 220 miles through northwestern Mexico from the coastal city of Los Mochis in Sinaloa to the mountain town of Creel in Chihuahua, the Chepe Express is one of Mexico’s few long-distance passenger trains –– and an epic one at that. The train travels through ravines, deserts, gorges and rivers, via 37 bridges and 86 tunnels, to reach the Copper Canyon, a chain of six UNESCO-protected rocky canyons in the Sierra Madre Occidental. Often referred to as the Sierra Tarahumara because of the Indigenous communities that live here, combined they form a gorge that’s four times larger than the Grand Canyon in the US.
The Chepe Express has six modern passenger cars divided into three classes: First Class has panoramic windows, reclining seats and one on-board meal included in the train’s Urike restaurant, which serves traditional dishes from the states of Chihuahua and Sinaloa; Executive Class has spacious seating and access to its own bar; and Tourist Class includes basic, but comfortable upright seating and an on-board snack service.
The journey, which takes nine hours to complete, can be done in a day. However, a hop-on, hop-off ticket allows passengers to explore the Copper Canyon’s towns and sights at a slower pace, staying in hotels or Airbnbs along the route. Highlights include visiting vineyards and waterfalls around the 17th-century Jesuit town of Cerocahui, located on the edge of the Copper Canyon’s deepest gorge, Barranca de Urique; riding the world’s second-longest zip-line at the Copper Canyon Adventure Park near Divisadero train station, where the mighty Urique and Tararecua rivers converge; and kayaking along the forested Fuerte River.
But perhaps the most singular experience in the Copper Canyon is spending time with the Rarámuri, an Indigenous group that’s lived in the state of Chihuahua for nearly 2,000 years. The arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century pushed the Rarámuri –– also known as Tarahumara, the name given to them by the Spanish 400 years ago –– into the most remote parts of the Copper Canyon.
Today, the Rarámuri, which loosely translates to ‘runners on foot’ in the Rarámuri language, are best known for their ultra-running abilities, demonstrated in international races and local games like palillo, which involves carrying and throwing a ball over the Copper Canyon’s deep gorges and ravines for several days –– and several hundred miles –– on foot. But running isn’t the Rarámuri’s only skill: cooking with healthy ingredients like blue corn and weaving baskets from natural fibres are just some of the things you can learn while exploring this remote part of northwestern Mexico with them.
Three must-do Rarámuri experiences in the Copper Canyon
1. Huetosachi cooking & weaving class
In the small Rarámuri village of Huetosachi, 60 miles north of Divisadero station (the penultimate stop on the Chepe Express), the women offer traditional cooking and weaving classes in their homes. First, you’ll learn how to make pinole –– an ancient drink made with ground corn that Rarámuri runners use to fuel their ultra-marathons –– and tortillas made with blue corn, also favoured by Rarámuri runners for the bread’s high-protein content and anti-inflammatory properties. Then comes the delicate art of basket weaving using the leaves of the yucca plant, which grows wild across the Americas, or sotol, a plant native to the Chihuahuan desert.
2. The Giants Trail
The Copper Canyon’s rocky cliffs and deep ravines mean that, even today, numerous parts of it can only be accessed on foot. Generations of Rarámuri runners have carved hundreds of trails into the canyon, many of which carry their own legends. Take a guided hike of the three-hour Giants Trail, led by Rarámuri runners from the Bacajipare community, to learn about Los Ganoko –– mischievous giants that are said to roam the canyon near the Urique River. Additional one-hour hikes to nearby rock paintings and Rarámuri cave tombs can also be organised in Bacajipare.
3. Museo Tarahumara de Arte Popular
Located in Creel’s old train station, the Museo Tarahumara de Arte Popular traces the history and culture of the Rarámuri people from the beginning of Rarámuri life in Chihuahua 2,000 years ago through to the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century and up to the present day. The permanent exhibition includes displays of Rarámuri art and textiles, cultural celebrations and religious ceremonies, as well as a collection of 62 photos by French photographer Gérard Tournebize, who lived with and documented the lives of Rarámuri people in the Copper Canyon from 1989 to 1991. Attached to the museum is Casa de las Artesanías, a shop selling traditional Rarámuri arts and crafts.
How to do it:
A one-way trip from Los Mochis to Creel starts from 2,887MXN (£134), or 4,301MXN (£200) for a round-trip. Tickets can be booked via the Chepe Express website.
Published in the May 2024 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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