Exploring the canyons

Soon after getting up today we were treated to a beautiful sunrise, or rather the hint of one to come, with Venus, the morning star, immediately opposite our room. The canyon however was in deep shadow. We went to breakfast, sitting as previously right by the window, so we were there to see the sun make its first appearance, rising rapidly above the cliffs on the far side.

The Copper Canyon / Barranca del Cobre

Although usually referred to just as the Copper Canyon, this is in fact a whole network of canyons (some sources say six, some seven). This canyon system as a whole is larger and deeper than the Grand Canyon, although the Grand Canyon is larger than any of the individual canyons within the Copper Canyon system. The principal canyon is Urique Canyon, 6136 feet deep, which is the one through which runs the railway we had arrived on yesterday. The others are:
Sinforosa Canyon - 5904 feet deep
Copper Canyon - 5770 feet deep
Tararecua Canyon - 4674 feet deep
Batopilas Canyon - 5904 feet deep
Oteros Canyon - 3225 feet deep

Copper Canyon Adventure Park

We had a prearranged tour to visit the canyon’s cable car and various viewpoints, including the so-called ‘Balancing Rock’. A guide, Noel, collected us as planned at 9.00 but seemed a bit vague about the tour details, saying that we would go to the adventure park and 'see what activities were available' today. I was especially keen to ride the cable car, which was specified in our itinerary, so I was glad that by the time we arrived, after just a few minutes driving, he was instead talking about buying the tickets for the cable car! After a quick look at the views near the entrance area he recommended we do the ride early before the park got busy. That was a good move. We were the only tourists on our ride (the cab actually holds 60), and there were just a handful already at the other side although a group arrived after we’d been there a while.

We wandered around for quite a while, taking photos from various viewpoints, including of the outcrop known, Noel had told us, as Eagles Rock. The views were stunning, looking across the main Copper Canyon.

There were a number of souvenir sellers dotted around, some with stalls near the cable car station and others with their wares in baskets or spread on the ground. I wasn’t interested in buying anything at that point but we did pay one girl for some photos of her and her children. These women are all from the local Rarámuri people whom we were to learn much more about later.

The gondolas leave every half hour and take about ten minutes, so after about 50 minutes we decided to catch the one just departing. Noel had said that he we could spend as long as we liked there, he would meet us our return. But when we got off the gondola he was nowhere to be seen. We looked around, waited a while and after about 30 minutes decided to seek help, as we couldn't get a phone signal to call the company. Another guide near the exit knew him and spoke English. He called him, got no reply so then called Noel’s boss. He told the boss where we were and said we should wait.

Eventually, after about another 10 minutes, Noel appeared. He said he had been waiting in the car park (not where we had agreed) and also that he had gone off for a short while to get gasoline. But we soon realised that he must also have had a drink while away as we could smell the alcohol on his breath.

We didn't say anything to him, and he was trying very hard to show us a lot, to make up for the earlier long wait. We went to one or two other viewpoints in the park, including one of the famous Balancing Rock which these days is fenced off after several fatal accidents.

While I’d have liked a closer look there is no way I would ever have tried to stand on it! We also went inside the park's restaurant where I enjoyed walking on the glass floor (!) but decided not to stop for coffees as they didn’t have a proper machine, only instant coffee. Plus, we weren't really in the mood for sitting chatting with Noel over a drink!

Noel then drove us to a couple of viewpoints in the immediate area – one with a rock formation looking a bit like an elephant’s head and one near the station with a short suspension bridge from where we got great views.

After that though we asked Noel to take us back to the hotel even though he was offering more views. We were wary of spending too much time driving with him, even though the roads round the area are very quiet. He also kept forgetting things we'd told him, e.g. he asked three times if we had plans for the afternoon.

He seemed a nice guy and we didn’t like to get him into trouble, but we'd feel awful if he were to drink again in the future and have an accident while doing a tour, and we'd said nothing. So on our return to the hotel I emailed Rainbow Tours who had made our travel arrangements to let them know what had happened. They were prompt to acknowledge our concerns, which they passed on to the local company, and (although we hadn’t asked it) refunded us the cost of that tour. We felt that was ‘above and beyond’ what we had a right to expect, as we had done, and enjoyed, most of the planned activities for the morning.

Afternoon at Oteros Canyon

Meanwhile though it was time for lunch (soup, chicken, flan) and then we were off out again, this time on a tour we'd booked the previous day through the hotel. Our guide was Emanuel and in contrast to Noel he was very good, clearly passionate about the local area and its people, the Rarámuri (also sometimes called Tarahumara after the place they live). He told us a lot about their lives and culture.

Our first stop was at the Piedra de la Fertilidad (Stone of Fertility) a rock shaped like a penis which unsurprisingly is something of a fertility symbol for them. They dance around it to mark festivals and believe that a man who touches it will become more virile while a woman doing the same will become pregnant. Unlikely at my age but I kept well clear! Emanuel explained that the railway had been planned to go through this spot but when the people protested it was rerouted to run through a tunnel and avoid destroying the rock.

Meeting the Rarámuri

Emanuel then took us to visit Dona Catalina, an elderly Rarámuri woman regarded as a healer and shaman. Rarámuri can be translated as ‘those who run fast’ (sometimes also ‘foot runner’, ‘light feet’ or ‘they who walk well’). It is their own name for their people, although they are sometimes also referred to as the Tarahumara, after the area in which they live.

This name is well-deserved. They have a tradition of long-distance running, a skill probably developed over centuries of living amid the canyons. These skills are cultivated through competitive sports. According to Wikipedia:

Men kick wooden balls as they run in ‘foot throwing’, rarajipari, competitions, and women use a stick and hoop. The foot-throwing races are relays where the balls are kicked by the runners and relayed to the next runner while teammates run ahead to the next relay point. These races can last anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days without a break.

Originally inhabitants of much of Chihuahua, the indigenous Rarámuri retreated to areas like the Copper Canyon on the arrival of Spanish invaders in the 16th century. Estimates put the current population at around 50,000 with the majority still practicing a traditional lifestyle. This includes inhabiting natural shelters (caves or cliff overhangs), using little to no technology (although we saw mobile phones in use) and being almost totally self-sufficient. They live largely off the crops they grow, such as corn and beans, and many also raise cattle, sheep and goats. Their household goods are homemade too: baskets, pottery, blankets and clothes.

Despite this, outside influences have changed these traditional societies. The Spanish brought the Christian religion, which has been modified by and absorbed into the Rarámuri animist beliefs. Mexican independence in the nineteenth century brought the expansion of land-ownership and mining to the region. And most recently, tourism has impacted both the environment and their way of life. While some have retreated further into the canyons in order to maintain a more traditional lifestyle, others have adapted to benefit from that tourism. Increasingly too, they supplement their diet with modern-day convenience food such as crisps, sodas and even pot noodles!

Most still live as they always did, not in towns or villages but in extended family groups. These consist of several dwellings neighbouring each other but apart from others, usually on the canyons’ rims. However some have adapted further, moving to nearby towns like Creel to take more advantage of the opportunities of tourism.

Dona Catalina and her family

Dona Catalina follows a largely traditional way of life, living with her family on the edge of Oteros Canyon with amazing views. Oteros has a very different ecology to that of neighbouring Copper Canyon, being much greener because of the river of the same name that runs through it.

She made us very welcome, with hugs for both of us as well as Emanuel. He clearly had a lot of respect and affection for her. We walked with her down to her cave. This was once her home although she now lives in a very modest brick-built house nearby. Here she performs healing rituals for those who ask for them and welcomes tourists to see the traditional lifestyle. A Rarámuri shaman is traditionally both healer and protector of the old ways and rituals. The role is handed down through families, to either a son or daughter. Although we didn’t ask it, Dona Catalina did do a little healing blessing for each of us.

We spent some time around this area on the edge of the canyon, enjoying various views and talking with Emanuel about the traditional ways and peaceful life of these people. They aren’t untouched by the modern world (he was quick to point out how they had benefitted in recent years from access to education and health care) but they still choose to live in these quiet places and follow traditional ways. For instance, we were introduced to a young couple, one of Dona Catalina’s granddaughters and her husband. He is sixteen, she either sixteen or even only fifteen, and they have just had their first child. They posed proudly with the baby at the canyon’s edge.

As well as tipping Dona Catalina we bought a bracelet from one of the many craft stalls dotted around the area. I was pleased when Emanuel also bought one for his wife. The transactions reinforced my impression that our visit was of mutual benefit.

We then went for a walk along the edge of the canyon with Emanuel, stopping at various good viewpoints. At one slightly precipitous spot he pointed out some rock painting which he said was 100s of years old.

Evening at the Mirador

When we got back to the hotel we got a coffee from the coffee shop, and I used the time to check in for an upcoming flight. Later we had beers before dinner (Modelo Negro) and I tried again to photograph the hummingbirds in flight, with limited success.

I did rather better with a Rarámuri woman who was enjoying some quiet moments at the edge of the canyon as the sun set, just opposite the hotel.

The restaurant was very busy with a large tour group, so we were seated with two couples from the US (one originally from Canada) and had a pleasant timing chatting about travelling, politics (shared views, fortunately!) and more. Dinner was fine although less good than the other meals we'd had here, again probably because of the tour group, I suspected.