Chihuahua

The state of Chihuahua, which borders Texas and New Mexico in the United States, is both easily accessible and endlessly fascinating. It has vast open landscapes and captivating historical cities; unique entertainment centres and exceptional cuisine. Chihuahua, and its welcoming people, provides everything a demanding traveller could possibly wish for. Here we present only a small range of what’s on offer:

DISCOVER CIUDAD JUAREZ

Juárez is Mexico’s best-known border city, over the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas. The binational metropolitan area has its origins in the 17 th century, but now houses more than 2.7 million people. There are more than 400 Forbes-ranked industries in Juárez, along with state-of-the-art medical facilities, 11 universities and technical schools. As is fitting for the most populous city in the region, Juarez has a thriving nightlife, offers world class cuisine and high-end sporting events. It is the obvious first stopping point to begin explorations of the region.

SIGHTSEEING IN PANCHO’S CITY

The city of Chihuahua, the capital of the state that shares its name, is a former silver-mining town now best known as the home of the great revolutionary Francisco “Pancho” Villa. It was close to here that he was assassinated, aged 45, in 1923, but not before he had distinguished himself as a leading general in the Mexican revolution, then a city governor. He is also remembered as an educator, who founded a number of schools. A museum in Villa’s former home in Chihuahua tells his life story and details the many achievements that have made him a folk hero. It is full of his personal belongings, including the car in which he died in a hail of bullets.

Elsewhere in the city, much of the region’s history is vividly brought to life by actors aboard the unique “Tarahumara Trolley Tour”.

Afterwards visitors can relax and watch the beautiful sunset in one of the historical city’s many bars and restaurants.

LEARN THE SKILLS OF THE MASTER POTTERS

For more than 1,000 years, the city of Paquime, near to today’s Casas Grandes, was one of North and Central America’s most significant trading posts. Most of the turquoise used by the Mayans and Aztecs was bought and sold here. Flash forward to today and Paquime is a hugely significant architectural site, inscribed on UNE- SCO’s World Heritage List, while Casas Grandes is one of Mexico’s designated Magic Towns. The Museum of Northern Cultures explains all the rich details of a unique region.

The area is also notable for a rather special local resident named Juan Quezada, who leads a team of master potters in the town of Mata Ortiz. Here, about 300 families now produce the kind of traditional ceramics that first put the area on the map, with some offering classes to visitors. Quezada is credited with rediscovering the ancient skills that produced sensational, highly sought after pottery, and today he shares the techniques. (He was awarded a National Award for his contribution to the arts.) A two-day stay with the masters involves searching for clay, washing it and forming it. Once it is dried, you can learn the process of painting, polishing and firing.

A DINNER BENEATH THE COLOURS OF SAMALAYUCA

A night’s entertainment in Samalayuca is unlike anything else you’ll find across the world. Only about 50 kilometres from Ciudad Juárez is a sea of white sand, whose dunes rise like vast waves. As sunset approaches, the wildlife falls silent and a warm wind begins to blow. And then a magical array of colours slowly becomes visible, like an aurora borealis of the desert, and gradually more vivid as dusk descends. As a margarita makes its way into your hand, and dinner preparations step up—to be served on a table beneath the star-specked skies—the experience becomes entirely transcendent.

EXPLORE THE COPPER CANYON, HOME OF THE RARAMURI

Every day at 6am, a train heads out of Chihuahua on one of the world’s most spectacular journeys: a trip through the 60,000 square miles of the Copper Canyon. It first crosses the hillside and low land covered by apple orchards until it reaches the high sierras and enters the canyon area. You can break up the journey to make the most of all the regions, or it’s possible to sample signature cuisine and cocktails on the comfortable train itself.

The spectacular canyon is the land of the Raramuri (or Tarahumara) people, one of the most primitive native cultures in the Americas, who have inhabited the area for thousands of years. When the first Europeans arrived in Mexico, Raramuri land stretched across the plains and to the rivers too, but they latterly retreated into the depths of the canyon as large-scale mining transformed the landscape.

The non-confrontational Raramuri opted not to fight against the incursion but continued to live largely separate from the consumer society that grew to surround them. Even today, some still live in caves, though visitors are welcomed and are blessed to be able to see the exceptional landscapes they call home. Some local women offer lessons in how to cook tortillas the Raramuri way, or to weave their traditional baskets. There are also walking tours guided by Raramuri to the bottom of Urique Canyon. Raramuri are also celebrated long-distance runners and two endurance races, up to 100km across punishing terrain, take place in Guachochi in July and in Urique in March.

The Copper Canyon area offers endless recreational possibilities for all age groups, specifically in the Divisadero adventure park. The main attraction is a cable car that carries you 3 kilometres over the canyon, descending 1,000 metres, from Divisadero to the Bacajipare Mesa. There’s also a circuit of seven zip lines (including the longest in the world), plus opportunities for mountain biking, horse riding and rock climbing.

BATOPILAS AND CREEL, TWO MAGIC TOWNS IN COPPER CANYON

Residents of the old mining town of Batopilas, which dates from 1704, enjoy telling stories of the town’s bonanza years, when the plentiful silver in the nearby hills made it rich. Its atmosphere remains unique, with former mission buildings now converted into boutique hotels and its unusual tropical microclimate—thanks to its location beside a river deep in the canyon—meaning an array of exotic flora and fauna.

Creel is also a Magic Town surrounded by the most beautiful mountain valleys and naturally sculptured rock formations. Its location as a gateway to many of the region’s most exceptional sights makes it a hugely popular destination, with many highend hotels. The art museum and the mission arts-and-crafts store are must-visit locations in the town, while popular excursions include day tours to Basaseachi, a national park with two of the tallest waterfalls in the country, and to Cusarare, the site of a rare Raramuri village.