Due to the deep encasement of its depressions, the zigzag narrowness
of its roads, the elegance of its mountains and the beauty of its
lakes and lagoons, the
Barrancas del Cobre is a
proverbial scenery for the practice of sports, specially rock climbing
and rappel, but also trekking, mountain bike and horseback rides,
just to cite a few dishes of the adventure menu.
Though, to honour the truth, adrenaline outflows right after the trip begins. A thrilling though exhausting journey, more likely if you are a passenger on this centenarian train, hardened and monumental, that was built by the firms from the United States that exploited the mineral deposits of the area.
The train Chihuahua-Pacific is, undoubtedly, one of the best ways
of knowing the
Barrancas del Cobre. It does not
matter if the journey takes 10 or 12 hours, nor if the stops take
too long or if there are too many tunnels and bridges, the only
important thing is to be delighted by the panorama or by the picturesque
urban layout of the 12 towns located alongside the railroad.
Of colonial origin or surged due to the mining exploitation, the
towns of the
Barrancas del Cobre boast about their
plain elegance of centenarian buildings and dusty little streets;
though in spite of their dearly loved enchantment, the humane origin
of these lands is not in the plazas or churches, but in the immensity
of the Tarahumara Sierra, as this area is also known.
Regardless of their difficult landscape, the gullies were inhabited since pre-Hispanic times by several native groups (more than one hundred), who were decimated by the mistreatment of the Spaniards and the mestizos. There exist currently only descendants from the Tarahumaras, Tepehuaes, Pimas and Guarijios ethnic groups .
Among them, the Tarahumaras are the most numerous native population. They are also known as the Raramuris (men of agile feet) due to the speed at which they run. Because of the complexity of their territory, they live in isolated zones or on modest farms, engaged in hunting and agriculture. They visit the towns to sell craftsmanship only.
The Tarahumaras still maintain their old traditions and habits. Their religiosity is a sample of the syncretism between the pre-Hispanic and the western worlds, for they worship Christ and the Christian saints upon their altars, but also the old gods: Raienari (Sun) and Mecha (Moon). They use peyote, a hallucinating substance, in their rituals.
The train keeps bellowing through the sinuous railway of the
Barrancas
del Cobre. Their deep gullets do not cease to dazzle travellers,
while the Tarahumaras continue to run quickly through the uneven
geography. Time keeps on passing. Life goes on.