The film, "Mexico: The Royal Tour," premier in Los Angeles.
Last night we attended a VIP Reception and Premiere showing of Mexico: A Royal Tour, a film by Peter Greenberg for PBS.
In the film, President Calderón takes Greenberg on a tour of Mexico—but not your average tour. It’s a spectacular visit to many beautiful and unusual places with lots of adventure, including zip-lining, scuba and more. The President and his family clearly enjoy being the tour guides, and showing off these fabulous and interesting places, well-known and not so well-known. There is also discussion of the current security misconceptions. In the end, you will want to get on the next flight south.
California Native President, Lee Klein, and Mexican President, Felipe Calderon.
We arrived at the JW Marriott at LA Live in downtown LA, were given wrist bands, checked off several security lists, then passed through a metal detector and into a small ballroom. We enjoyed drinks and conversation with other celebrities such as Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism, Gloria Guevara, other dignitaries associated with both Mexico and the film, and entertainment icons including George Lopez, Russell Brand, Lionel Richie, James Caan, and Cindy Crawford. Then there was a buzz, lots more security, and the arrival of President Felipe Calderón and his wife, Margarita Zavala. After the camera flashes subsided, we were able chat with the President for a few minutes—our second meeting.
California Native's Lee Klein and Mexico's Secretary of Tourism, Gloria Guevara.
We moved on to the movie theater, and found seats with our names on them directly behind the President, the Mexican dignitaries and Greenberg, and next to the film’s director. After some speeches, the film began and we were entranced.
Afterward, talking to the Director, we learned that Mexico’s Copper Canyon was to have been part of the tour, but there were some weather issues on the days slated for filming so they did not film there. From previous conversations with President Calderón, we know that Copper Canyon is one of his favorite places in Mexico.
California Native's Ellen Klein and singer Lionel Richie.
The movie premieres on Thursday, September 22, 2011 on many local PBS station (check listings for time) and will air several times in the next couple of weeks. Find out more about the film or watch the movie trailer.
After the movie, check out our website and join us for a wonderful adventure in Mexico.
In the village of Kirare, in Mexico's Copper Canyon, a Tarahumara man helps his wife with her chores. The California Native has been a leader in tours to Copper Canyon for almost 30 years.
Anthropologist Carl Lumholtz predicted that the Tarahumara Indians would disappear within a century. A hundred years later, these gentle people, who inhabit Mexico’s Copper Canyon, continue to be the most populous indigenous group in northern Mexico.
Spanish explorers had entered the Sierra Madre Mountains by the mid-16th century. Gold and silver were soon discovered and mines began operating. The Indians were pressed into the labor force, often enduring the harshest conditions.
The Jesuits established their first mission pueblo in 1611. Although many attempted to ease the burden of the Indians, a great deal of prejudice existed. An early Jesuit wrote, “They are inclined to idleness, drunkenness and other vices. They are ungrateful, dull and stupid…very cunning and alert in evil things…They have no sense of personal honor nor the honor of their daughters.”
Forced to live in artificially-created communities, the Indians were susceptible to a variety of diseases, and epidemics swept the area. As the demand for labor increased, the Spanish raided the mission pueblos. The Jesuits managed to protect some of their charges, but many Tarahumara fled, hiding deep in Copper Canyon. The expulsion of the Jesuits from the Americas, in 1767, ended their efforts to protect the Indians, and the Franciscans, who succeeded them, were not as effective.
Mexico attained independence in 1821 and soon established huge land grants in Tarahumara country. The Indians were uprooted again, and fled, often onto lands of other indigenous people. Fighting often resulted.
The Revolution of 1910-21 resulted in the re-creation of the pre-hispanic communal landholding system known as the ejido. The Tarahumara received some benefits from this, as much of this land has economic potential for lumbering, agriculture, and tourism. Around 60,000 Tarahumara still inhabit caves and simple dwellings in Copper Canyon.
The California Native has for many years assisted these people, donating clothing, school supplies and money. Some of our travelers have returned to volunteer in local clinics. Tourism is a positive factor, and visitors gain a new appreciation for these noble people who have survived and thrived despite Lumholtz’ dire predictions.
The economies of the world’s countries are slow. Travel and tourism are down. Hotels have plenty of space. Crowds are down. Now is the perfect time to take that trip you have been dreaming about for so long. Travel now before the crowds come back and the prices go up. Join us on a trip to one of the exotic destinations around the globe that we specialize in. Whether it’s Mexico’s fabulous Copper Canyon, the magical Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, or the rainforests of Costa Rica we are ready for your call.
Always wanted to come eyeball-to-eyeball with a flightless cormorant or a giant tortoise? Then the Galapagos is for you. How about enjoying a fantastic cruise through the Straits of Magellan, hiking on a glacier and sipping whiskey over-the-rocks of ancient glacial ice? Patagonia is the place, or travel back in time to visit the mighty empire of the Maya—the Yucatan is your destination. Perhaps you prefer to stroll or bicycle through the green hills and friendly villages of Ireland? These are just a few of the adventures that we have lined up for you.
Wherever your dream destination is, now is the best time to travel. When the times are slow it’s time to go.
The valley of Paraiso del Oso, located just outside of Cerocahui, is named for its rock formations, one of which looks like Yogi Bear.
Nestled in a picturesque valley surrounded by Mexico’s magnificent Sierra Madre Mountains, is the little village of Cerocahui, the most beautiful of all the mountain villages of southwestern Chihuahua State.
Cerocahui, with its old mission church, was founded in 1680 by the Italian Jesuit, Juan Maria de Salvatierra. It is said that Father Salvatierra, who founded many missions in the area, considered this to be his favorite.
Over the centuries, the 300-year old church, with its lovely stained glass windows, fell into disrepair. In 1948 it was extensively reconstructed. Services are now held there for the towns people and the local Tarahumara Indians, and the church also operates an Indian orphanage and boarding school.
School girls and a visitor stroll by the old church in the Sierra Madre village of Cerocahui.
Walking around Cerocahui, which has a population of around 1500, you can find people with skills which seem to belong to a bygone era. There are cowboys, prospectors, blacksmiths, and a man who makes rawhide lariats.
Just a mile from “downtown” Cerocahui is the Paraiso del Oso Lodge, located in a picturesque valley, surrounded by large rock formations. The lodge is owned and operated by American Doug Rhodes, who takes pride in the delicious Mexican food served at his lodge and in the fine horses he offers to guests who wish to ride.
Autumn is a beautiful time to visit Cerocahui on your trip through Mexico's Copper Canyon.
From the lodge, Doug offers a one-day tour down to the bottom of the canyon and the old silver mining town of Urique. Established in 1612, Urique was active eight years before the first pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock.
Join us on one of our trips to Copper Canyon and enjoy the hospitality of this unique little village nestled in the Sierra Madres.
In 1610, the Viceroy of Mexico and Peru ordered a fort to be built on a hill overlooking the town now known as El Fuerte, the first stop on California Native tours of Copper Canyon.
In 1610, Juan de Mendoza y Luna, the Viceroy of Mexico and Peru, ordered that a riverside fort be erected on a hill overlooking the town of San Juan Bautista de Carapoa, to defend it against attacks by fierce Mayo, Zuaque and Tehueco Indians, and to guard the rich haul of silver from its many mines. Founded fifty years earlier by the Spanish conquistador Don Francisco de Ibarra, the town was renamed El Fuerte, “The Fort.”
In successive years, El Fuerte became a major trading post for gold and silver from the mines of Urique, Batopilas, and other Sierra Madre settlements and a station on Spain’s fabled Camino Real trade route. In 1824, after almost three centuries as the most important commercial and agricultural center in northern Mexico, El Fuerte became the capital of the territory which now makes up the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Sonora, and part of Arizona. After a few years, and a few wars, its administrative functions were taken over by Culiacán, Hermosillo and Phoenix.
El Fuerte today, with a population of around 30,000, is a quiet, picturesque colonial town, but the old fort still looks down on the quaint cobblestone streets as they wind past its historic church, mansions and shops, many dating back to colonial times. El Fuerte is also the starting point for most of The California Native’s journeys through the spectacular Copper Canyon.
In Mexico's Copper Canyon, California Native guests stop to take photos on the road down to the remote village of Batopilas.
Memorial Day is coming up and it’s time to start planning your fall and winter adventures. We have just published our 2012 schedule of tours to Mexico’s Copper Canyon. We haven’t announced our 2012 prices but if you sign up now, we will honor our 2011 prices for your 2012 trip.
And, yes, our guests in Mexico are safe. We are often asked about the safety of traveling in Mexico in light of the media sensationalism about the government’s campaign against the drug traffickers. Mexico is a very large country and the violence has been mainly in cities along the U.S. border. None of it has any effect on the destinations we travel to and no tourists have been involved in any incidents. Putting it into perspective, it would be the same as avoiding travel to Yosemite because there was an incident in New York City. This coming October more than 40 countries will be sending their athletes to participate in the Pan-American games in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Ricardo Gonzalez, great uncle of Bessie "Crickett" Quijada.
A few weeks ago we received a very interesting comment from Bessie "Crickett" Quijada regarding our article, A Visit With Mrs. Pancho Villa. I contacted her and she agreed to share some of her photos with us.
In her comment Mrs. Quijada told us “My grand mother’s brother, Ricardo Gonzales, rode with The General Pancho Villa. In the Military Classics Illustrated (News Letter) there is a photo of My great uncle Ricardo on horseback along with Pancho Villa and about 5 or 6 other riders. My uncle is to Pancho Villas left. I have a photo of my uncle with Mrs Pancho Villa (Dona Luz) taken at La Quinta Manor where she lived until her death. The Villa’s manor is a museum in Chihuahua, MX. In the Military Classics Illustrated along with the photo of my uncle with Pancho Villa there is an article titled, The Villistas: Soldiers in Sombreros and Suit Coats By Don Fuchik.”
The author she refers to, Don Fuchik, was a very close friend of mine from the time we were 13-years old until his death a few years ago. He was also a consultant for The California Native and led many of our trips through Mexico’s Copper Canyon.
Pancho Villa and his wife, Luz Corral de Villa, in 1914.
Dona Luz Corral de Villa with Ricardo Gonzalez in 1967.
Crickett was born in Denver, Colorado and grew up in Stockton, California. She now lives in Fresno. She describes herself as being 67 going on 12, and never wants to grow up. She has eight children, two which she adopted, and two male pet hooded rats whom she adores (she claims that rats make great pets). Her nickname is Crickett and that is what she prefers to be called.
We appreciate it when our guests share their stories with us and allow us to post them on our blog. Two weeks ago David Isaacson from Boston, MA, traveled with us to Copper Canyon and Baja California:
Hi Laurie:
I wanted to thank you, Dave, and Lee for the most perfect trip possible to The Copper Canyon and Baja..I wouldn’t have changed a thing. All the experiences that you planned for me were ideal, the weather was perfect, and great hotels…especially the one that overlooked the Canyon. The only thing I would have changed is having more time in Copper Canyon and Baja…but that is the way a perfect vacation should end! I so appreciate the expertise, and all that you and The California Native have done for me.
Since 2003, runners have traveled to the depths of Mexico’s Copper Canyon to participate in a 50-mile foot race. This has now become an annual March event, known as the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon (an ultra is longer than the usual 26.2 miles of a regular marathon).
The races are organized by “Caballo Blanco,” a gringo who has for years lived among the Tarahumara, or Raramuri (the running people), of Copper Canyon. The race begins in the canyon-bottom town of Urique. The participants are taken on hikes along the trails that will be the race course days later. On race day, almost the whole town gathers to cheer on the racers—both the gringos (a group that gets larger every year) and the local Tarahumara, wearing their very “technical” footware—thin sandals made from old tires. The course features three loops of 18, 22 and 10 miles of difficult terrain that begin and end in the town. In this year’s race, which was held on March 6, only two gringos finished in the top 10.
While the Raramuri run from their homes and caves in the mountains to Urique, many make their way to the race by way of Paraiso del Oso near Cerocahui, also a stop on California Native’s popular trips to Copper Canyon.
We appreciate it when our guests share their stories with us and allow us to post them on our blog. Last month, Stan and Elizabeth Williams, from Calgary, Alberta, traveled with us to Copper Canyon. Before returning home they sent us an e-mail which we posted two weeks ago. In a followup e-mail they discussed the state of tourism in Mexico and the issue of security:
Hi Laurie:
Attached is our evaluation form for our Copper Canyon Tour from February 6 to February 15, 2011. Overall, you get straight “A’s”!! You can read the details but we couldn’t have enjoyed ourselves more and the tour ran like clockwork! We are already looking forward to our next California Native tour.
I just have a comment about the state of Mexico tourism in general. Prior to our trip, when people found out we were traveling to Mexico they said “isn’t that dangerous?” (in reference to the recent media reports). We responded by saying that it is no more dangerous than some parts of Calgary and we that were traveling with an experienced tour company called “California Native.”
We love Mexico. We find the people to be very friendly, helpful even with our broken Spanish, and curious about us. But the tourism situation in Mexico is in very sad condition. Despite being in the low tourism season, we expected there to be more foreign tourists than were there. We often had individual service at hotels restaurants, on tours and on the train because there were very few other travelers. The Mexicans we encountered depend on tourism for their livelihood.
If tourists have concerns about traveling in Mexico, then it is all the more reason to hire a tour company, like California Native, who knows the lay of the land and local customs, have dealt with service providers for years and can “put all the pieces” of a tour puzzle together so very well.
Thanks very much!
Stanley Williams, BSc P.Geol Senior Geologist, CBM
Nexen Inc.
Calgary, AB, Canada
We appreciate it when our guests share their stories with us and allow us to post them on our blog for everyone to enjoy. Last month, Stan and Elizabeth Williams, from Calgary, Alberta, traveled with us to Copper Canyon. Before returning home they sent us this e-mail:
Hello:
We are sad to be finished with our “10 day to the bottom” California Native Copper Canyon adventure but we are so glad to have had such a fantastic trip. The train ride was amazing, the natural and human history of the area is very interesting and diverse, the Canyon scenery and immensity is almost indescribable and you can’t get the true scope of the canyons unless you are there. The trip to Batopilas down THAT road was incredible and our driver was excellent!
I have hundreds of photos to sort through and there aren’t many “rejects!!” The accommodations were great.
One of the best parts about the tour was that all of the parts of our California Native tour worked so well. The best surprise was that there was no disappointing surprises, just wonderful surprises! From the time we arrived in El Fuerte on February 5 until the time we left El Fuerte today, everything went very smoothly! All the transfers were on time or even a little early, the drivers and the guides were knowledgeable, cordial and courteous and , well, excellent! The tour was well paced and the many options for activities were amazing!
Well done California Native and thank you very much! I’m looking forward to telling my friends about California Native and to exploring future trips elsewhere with your company.
No date for Valentine’s Day this year? No problem if you are in Mexico.
Although St. Valentine’s Day probably started as a pre-Christian observance, it later became a minor religious holiday honoring St. Valentine. It was celebrated in Europe privately as a day near the end of winter and the beginning of Spring to express romance. It started to become a more public holiday in the U.S. in the mid 1800′s when a Massachusetts stationer started mass producing Valentine’s Day cards and selling them in her shop. It has grown and grown and is now celebrated in most countries of the world as a day of love and romance (seemingly not at all private!).
In Mexico, the day is called día del amor y la amistad, which means day of love AND friendship. It has evolved as a day to show appreciation for people you care about—and that doesn’t mean it has to be your significant other—it can be anyone you care about, from your teacher, your co-worker or best friend. Flowers, poems, gifts and food are exchanged as much with friends as with lovers. So, think about taking your significant other to enjoy the friendship of Mexico on Valentine’s Day or any time of year. Or join us on one of our tours to Mexico’s Copper Canyon or Yucatan.
Happy Valentine’s day to all our California Native friends!
Deep in the heart of Mexico’s Sierra Madres, in the town of Creel, the center of Copper Canyon country, is the clinic of Santa Teresita. The lives of thousands of Tarahumara Indian children have been saved here because of the dreams and dedication of one man, Father Luis Verplancken.
Father Verplancken was a Jesuit priest who first visited the Tarahumaras in the late 1950s. He saw a great need for health care for these Indians who inhabit this remote area of mountains and canyons. At the time their children had an alarmingly high mortality rate.
Verplancken put his ideas into action by starting a traveling health care facility, housed in a 4-wheel drive station wagon. He quickly discovered that a little help went a long way—one dollar’s worth of penicillin, for example, could treat hundreds of children.
The word spread and by 1964, Verplancken and his volunteers received enough donations to establish a small hospital in an old railroad warehouse. The demand for medical care was so great that some Tarahumaras walked three days from their remote villages to reach the hospital.
A major obstacle that both the town and the hospital faced was the lack of a dependable water supply. With the help of more donations, a pipeline was built from the nearest fresh water source, which was four miles away over extremely harsh terrain. Three handcrafted pumping stations had to be constructed to lift the water 600 feet up to the level of the town. For the first time, Creel and the hospital had a dependable supply of fresh water.
In the mid-1970s, plans were drawn for a more modern hospital. With the help of his nephew, who was studying architecture at the time, Verplancken designed what today is known as the clinic of Santa Teresita. This clinic was literally “hand-made.” Along with a dedicated group of volunteers, Father Verplancken quarried the stone, crafted the brick and cut the trees.
The clinic opened in 1979, and houses a seventy-bed hospital with x-ray and laboratory facilities, a pharmacy, dental facilities and an outpatient clinic.
After 52 years of service to the Tarahumara community, Father Verplanken died of cancer, but the clinic lives on.
Today, the clinic still depends on volunteers and donors. Over 90% of the services and medications are provided free of cost, and the remainder are provided to the local residents at a token fee.
Many guests on California Native Copper Canyon tours have visited the clinic and donated money, medicines and supplies. One woman, after returning from a recent trip, sent four sets of crutches that she purchased at a garage sale in the United States.
Now is the time to book your trip for Easter in Mexico’s Copper Canyon. The Easter, or Semana Santa, celebrations of the Tarahumara Indians make this time the high season of the year. Small towns which are sleepy most of the year are now alive with celebrations, 24-hours a day. The Tarahumara, who call themselves the Raramuri, celebrate for a week, with dancing, parades, bon fires, ceremonies in the churches and much drinking of tesguino, the Indians traditional corn liquor.
To begin to understand the Tarahumara ceremonies, one has to have a basic understanding of the Indians’ religion. Read our story about this unusual version of Catholicism practiced by these colorful cave-dwelling people.
As we come to the end of another year, it’s time to reflect on what we have accomplished in the last year and what we are looking forward to in the new year.
Last year was quite an eventful year for The California Native. We made another exploration trip to Patagonia, sailing around Cape Horn on a wonderful expedition cruise, hiking on glaciers with crampons, and whitewater rafting through Argentina’s beautiful countryside. We also made several trips to Mexico, one at the invitation of President Calderon to attend a luncheon with him and celebrate the initialization of a campaign to promote the wonders of Mexico’s colonial cities.
For the upcoming year we will be offering new trips in Patagonia and China, as well as additional departure dates for our Copper Canyon trips. And of course we’ll continue to offer our exciting tours of Costa Rica, Peru, Galapagos, Bhutan, Myanmar and Ireland, and our other off-the-beaten-track destinations.
The world is a fascinating collage of cultures, each with its own traditions, customs and history, which gives them a uniqueness and sets them apart from all of the others. But the more we travel the more we find that so many things are the same and we are more united by our similarities than divided by our differences. In our series, Images of the World, we group our similarities to enjoy them and appreciate their cultural differences.
The Street Musicians: No matter where you are in the world, everyone enjoys music, and entertainment provided by street musicians is universal.
In Iquitos, Peru, a musician plays huayno music, the traditional music of the Andes, on his mandolin.
We receive many queries about current conditions in Mexico’s Copper Canyon, so here are some of the latest reports from recent guests on our Copper Canyon tours:
David Martin, from San Diego, CA, enjoyed our October 9, 11-day Ultimate Tour. “The whole trip exceeded [my expectations]! Food, lodging, views, train trip, Jessica. Could not have asked for a better guide on this trip. Personable, sense of humor, and a love for Mexico that pours forth in her discussions…it was wonderful! She really made the trip. Super knowledgeable.” His travel companion, Ann Cunningham, concurred, “I have collected articles since 1986 on Copper Canyon—my dream was realized to the nth degree.”
On the same trip, Irene and Randy Pollard, from Farmville, NC, reported that, “Jessica was one of the best guides we have ever experienced (We have traveled a lot). Her maturity and efforts to insure each person’s comfort and satisfaction was remarkable. We thoroughly enjoyed every part of this trip. Jessica provided opportunities at all ability levels. I wasn’t expecting the excellent accommodations—when materials mentioned ‘local’, I had expected much less.”
As a single traveler on our 8-day Independent Trip, Bruce M. Hale, from La Crescenta, CA, returned on November 17 and reported: “I liked all the hotels and staff. They all provided excellent lodging and personalized service even though I was solo. I particularly like Paraiso del Oso—the rustic atmosphere, the remote location [and] the chance to go to Urique. You made it easy to travel alone and your providers all performed as expected. Also, I’m pleased to have confirmed the safety aspect. I never felt in any danger, everything was fine.”
We, at California Native, value our guests comments, opinions and suggestions. These together with reports from our guides and inspection trips by our staff help us to keep our trips safe, fun and educational.
A California Native guest purchases crafts from a Tarahumara weaver in Mexico
Visitors to the Copper Canyon area are always pleasantly surprised by the wide variety of craftsware and folk art available for purchase. The remote life and character of the Tarahumara Indians has fostered a tradition of crafts making as a part of their life-style.
While traveling through the region you will find very inexpensively priced baskets, belts, dolls, pottery and musical instruments.
The baskets are made out of the leaves of the agave as well as pine needles and range in size from tiny to large. Visitors purchasing baskets find that they can pack them one inside the other to conserve space during their trip. Once at home, the baskets of pine needles hold their scent of pine forests and become a wonderful reminder of the trip, and they are utilitarian as well as beautiful. The Tarahumara pottery is quite sturdy and is designed to be more functional then decorative.
Music is an important part of the Indians daily living and also plays an important roll in their ceremonies and festivals. Their musical instruments include violins, drums and wooden flutes. They learned the art of violin making from the Spaniards in the 18th century.
Carved wooden dolls dressed in typical Tarahumara fashion are for sale in a variety of sizes and portray the various activities of Tarahumara life—mothers wearing shawls while carrying babies on their backs, ladies weaving on hand-looms, and men carrying tools or musical instruments and wearing their traditional headgear.
Crafts can be purchased from the Indians who set up their merchandise on rocks along the trails and in all sorts of unlikely nooks and crannies. Crafts are also available in stores, and one that we recommend is the Mission Store in Creel, located right on the town square. Profits go to the hospital which serves the Tarahumara Indians.
California Native founder, Lee Klein, invites guests to join us for the spectacular ride on the Copper Canyon train.
A whistle blows, and a conductor shouts the Spanish equivalent of “All aboard.” The diesel engines rev up, people relax in their seats, and off they go on one of the most famous and spectacular rail trips in the Western Hemisphere—the Copper Canyon train trip.
Officially called the Chihuahua al Pacifico Railroad, the rail line runs 406 miles from Los Mochis, on the Gulf of California, to the inland City of Chihuahua. Enroute, the train passes through the incredibly scenic area of rugged mountains and deep canyons in Northern Mexico’s Sierra Madre Occidental.
The rail line was first conceived in 1872 as the Kansas City Topolobampo Railroad by an American entrepreneur named Albert Kinsey Owen. By building a railroad from Kansas City across Mexico to the Pacific Coast, he could shorten the distance of the existing route by half, saving over 400 miles. Agricultural products from the interior of the United States could be transported over this shorter route to Topolobampo Bay, a natural seaport, and then carried on by ship to the Orient and western South America.
Construction of the railroad began in 1885. The project faced numerous difficulties, including lack of funds, poor management, some of the most rugged country in North America, the Mexican Revolution, and the building of the Panama Canal.
The rail line was finally completed in November of 1961, almost 90 years from its conception. The trains never did make it all the way to Kansas, but by this time improvements in U.S. domestic transportation had eliminated the need. It did, however, open up one of the most remote areas of Mexico and is still the only method of reliable transportation through the western Sierra Madres.
In order to complete the route, 86 tunnels and 37 bridges were constructed, totaling almost eleven miles of tunnels and 2¼ miles of bridges. The train climbs 8000 feet, plunges into a series of canyons and clings to sheer rock walls. At one point along the route it makes a 360 degree loop. At another point it enters a tunnel, makes a 180 degree turn, and exits the tunnel with the canyon now on the opposite side of the train. The views made possible by this masterful engineering feat, considered to be one of the most outstanding achievements of railway engineering in the world, are truly spectacular.
Pack your bags and join us on this remarkable journey. Along with experiencing this spectacular train ride, you will meet the people who make this area of Northern Mexico their home, including the cave-dwelling Tarahumara Indians, who have managed to preserve their traditional life-style despite the encroachment of Spain, Mexico, and the coming of the railroad.
The holidays are coming up fast, but it is not too late to make your plans for a wonderful holiday getaway. We still have some spaces left on our Christmas/New Years escorted tour to Mexico’s Copper Canyon where we will celebrate Christmas with the Tarahumara Indians at the Paraiso del Oso Lodge.
Tarahumara children celebrate Christmas with a piñata at Copper Canyon's Paraiso del Oso.
On December 23rd, we will depart with our small group out of Los Angeles and Phoenix airports for an exciting tour into the canyon. The 11-day Ultimate tour spends nights in El Fuerte, Cerocahui, Divisadero, Creel, Batopilas, Chihuahua and the “woodsy” retreat at Nortari. As with all of our Copper Canyon tours, we ride the Chihuahua al Pacifico Railroad for one of the most spectacular train rides in the Western Hemisphere.
On this special trip, participants will have the opportunity to enjoy a special Christmas Eve known as Noche-bueno (the Good Night), a delicious dinner at the Paraiso del Oso, and Ana Maria’s famous Christmas punch. Those wishing to join the Tarahumara Indians and mestizo community may attend the midnight mass, also known as La Misa del Gallo (Rooster’s Mass). Traditional Tarahumara dancing usually starts an hour or two before the mass, then recommences afterwards to make it an all-night celebration. As an old Spanish saying goes, “Esta noche es Noche-Buena, y no es noche de dormir” (Tonight is the Good Night, and it is not meant for sleeping).
As Christmas morning arrives, the celebration moves back to the Oso Lodge where local Tarahumara, who live in isolated ranchitos in the rugged mountains surrounding the lodge, join the hotel guests for the piñata party. The children take turns swinging at the Christmas piñata until it explodes, showering candy and small toys. The hotel is filled with laughter and glee as the children scramble to collect their treasures. Then gifts from under the Christmas tree are handed out. As the locals return to their mountain ranchitos, The California Native guests prepare for a beautiful day trip to the bottom of Urique Canyon. In the evening after the excursion, guests enjoy a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings.
In a few days, it will be time to welcome in 2011, and we’ll spend New Year’s Eve surrounded by pine trees in the Sierra Madre Mountains. We will stay in comfortable log cabins at the Lodge at Norítari. In Rarumari, the language of the Tarahumara Indians, the name means a “Place Above the Clouds.” Here we can hike to a nearby lake or relax on an old-fashioned porch taking in the peacefulness of this lovely area.
Some other highlights of this tour are the Cusarare and Basaseachic waterfalls, a day trip to the village of Urique, the “Lost Cathedral of Satevo,” a trip back in time to the village of Batopilas, and magnificent vista points which overlook a whole series of intertwined “barrancas” (canyons).
Want to celebrate Christmas in Copper Canyon but can’t take the full 11-days for your winter vacation? We also have an 8-day trip which departs on December 19.
To be a part of this year’s celebration and enjoy this truly unique experience, call us at 1-800-926-1140 (or 1-310-642-1140) to make your reservations now as time is running out. Happy holiday season to all of our fellow travelers.
Due to the popularity of our Copper Canyon Tours, we occasionally find the need to add additional dates. Last month we added another date for our 11-day Ultimate Tour in October and this week we are adding an additional 8-day Special Tour to our Fall schedule.
In Mexico's Copper Canyon a young Tarahumara lady smiles as she weaves a basket.
Our newly scheduled 8-day trip begins on October 16th and returns home on the 23rd.
This exciting trip is similar to our 7-day Classic Tour but adds the adventure of traveling from Creel down to the village of Batopilas in the canyon bottom. During our two-night stay in Batopilas, we hike or ride to the “Lost Cathedral” and explore the many sights of this unique little town where time seems to have stopped in the 19th century. The itinerary of the trip is as follows:
October 16: We fly to the city of Los Mochis, then travel to the small colonial city of El Fuerte, where we spend the night and begin our Copper Canyon Adventure.
October 17: In the morning we board the first-class Copper Canyon train and travel up into the Sierra Madre Mountains, passing through 86 tunnels and crossing 37 bridges. This is one of the most spectacular train rides in the Western Hemisphere. After lunch we arrive at Divisadero and stay at a picturesque lodge located right on the edge of the canyon. Here we make our first contacts with the cave-dwelling Tarahumara Indians. In the afternoon we hike along the canyon rim for magnificent views. Dinner is at the lodge’s dining room, with its majestic view of the canyon.
October 18: After breakfast we hike to Tarahumara caves and spectacular canyon views. Usually our guides can make arrangements with the Indians to put on demonstrations of their famous foot races and folk dances. In the afternoon we board the train for the ride to Creel, a lumber town high in the Sierra Madre Mountains, where we spend the night.
October 19: We travel from Creel to the little town of Batopilas. We pass through mountains and valleys, and after reaching the Tarahumara community of Kirare we head down the long, winding dirt road that leads to the bottom of the canyon. We spend the next two nights in a charming little Mexican hotel in this village that seems suspended in time somewhere in the nineteenth century.
October 20: We hike or ride to the “Lost Cathedral” of Satevo and explore the area surrounding Batopilas.
October 21: Today we return to Creel. En route we hike to Cusarare Falls and a cave with petroglyphs.
October 22: Traveling to the city of Chihuahua, we stop at a Mennonite settlement for a homemade lunch, arriving in the afternoon at our deluxe hotel. After checking in we tour the city of Chihuahua—the State Capital with its murals, the State Museum and the home of Pancho Villa. This evening we enjoy our traditional farewell banquet.
October 23: We travel by van from Chihuahua to El Paso where we fly home, sad to leave but returning home with wonderful memories of this remote area of Mexico and the unique people who make it their home.
What’s included: These trips are fully escorted by our experienced bilingual guides. The price includes transportation and accommodations: one night in El Fuerte, one night in Divisadero, two nights in Creel, two nights in Batopilas and one night in Chihuahua; excursions, tips and most meals. Round-trip airfare from Los Angeles, Phoenix or El Paso is also included. Check with us for discounted air rates from other U.S. and Canadian cities.
Price per person (double occupancy): $2520
Space is limited to 14 passengers, so please join us now!
This year in Mexico is a year for celebration. It is the bicentennial of Mexico’s War of Independence as well as the centennial of the Mexican Revolution. Two hundred years ago the first of these events set our neighbor on the path to becoming the 14th largest independent nation on Earth, as well as the world’s largest Hispanic country. It was the inspiration and leadership of one man which led to Mexico’s throwing off the shackles of Spain after almost three centuries.
Father Miguel Hidalgo's speech, known as the Grito de Dolores, the “Cry of Dolores,” set off the Mexican War of Independence.
That man was a 57-year-old priest whose parish was in the city of Dolores, Guanajuato. The date was September 16, 1810. Early that morning Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla had the church bells rung to summon the townspeople to the church, where he told his followers that the time had come to expel the Spaniards who had misgoverned Mexico for so long. His speech, known as the Grito de Dolores, the “Cry of Dolores,” set off the Mexican War of Independence, which resulted in Mexico’s becoming an independent country.
Hidalgo was born in 1753 on the hacienda where his father was administrator. At twenty years of age he received his Bachelor of Theology degree and lectured in philosophy and theology at San Nicolás Obispo and, after being ordained as a priest, became rector of the school. His ideas and conduct were extremely liberal, which led to his being dismissed from that post, and twice being investigated by the Inquisition, who accused him of reading prohibited books, advocating doctrines of the French Revolution, doubting the virgin birth of Mary, gambling, and keeping a mistress. His last clerical position was that of parish priest in the little town of Dolores.
Hidalgo worked hard to improve the lives of his parishioners, mastering their Indian language and teaching them crafts and skills to improve their economic condition. He also introduced winemaking and silk culture, two industries which the government declared illegal in the colonies, and one day government officials came to the village and destroyed the vines and mulberry trees.
Late in the eighteenth century it became fashionable among cultured criollos, persons of Spanish descent who were born in Mexico, to form literary societies, which met for tea and cakes and discussed the classics. They also smuggled into the country books which were banned by the Church, such as the works of Rousseau, Voltaire, and Descartes. The literary societies gradually became political societies. Father Hidalgo belonged to one of these societies whose members were plotting a revolution to separate Mexico from Spain.
The group selected Hidalgo to lead the movement, and thus on the morning of September 16th, 1810, Hidalgo, with his “Cry of Dolores” launched the revolution, and the rebel army set forth, armed with machetes, swords, knives, clubs, axes, and a few muskets. As they passed through each town they opened the local jails and recruited the prisoners for their cause. Eventually their numbers grew to sixty thousand.
After six months of fighting, Hidalgo fell into a royalist trap and was captured. Because he was a priest, he was subjected to a lengthy hearing by the Inquisition, after which he was found guilty of heresy and treason, defrocked, and, on July 30, 1811, executed by a firing squad in the city of Chihuahua. His head, along with those of three other revolutionary leaders, was cut off and sent to Guanajuato, where it was put on a pole and displayed for a decade.
After Hidalgo’s death, the revolutionary movement continued until September 28,1821, when Mexico finally became an independent nation.
In Mexico, Hidalgo is credited with arousing the spirit of rebellion against the Spanish oppression. Because of his patriotism, his championing of human rights and his personal courage, he is considered by Mexicans to be the father of their nation and the symbol of Mexican independence.
Each year on September 15, Independence Day is celebrated throughout Mexico, with parades, fireworks, and the cry of “Mexicanos, Viva Mexico!”
We’re halfway through 2010 and it’s a good time to look forward to next year and the exciting places waiting to be visited. As an added bonus for your forward thinking, The California Native will help you save money on your 2011 vacation.
a young Tarahumara lady weaves a basket from leaves of the agave.
Everybody loves a bargain! So, if you book your trip to Mexico’s Copper Canyon, Yucatan or Costa Rica within the next 30 days, you can lock in our 2010 prices for your 2011 trip.
To quote some famous thinkers on the subject of saving money:
“Money frees you from doing things you dislike. Since I dislike doing nearly everything, money is handy.” – Groucho Marx
“Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons.” – Woody Allen
“A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.” – Yogi Berra
On May 21, 2010, California Native owners Lee and Ellen Klein were guests of Mexico’s President Felipe Calderón at a luncheon he held in Mexico City at Los Pinos, Mexico’s official presidential residence.
Guests at the luncheon were specially selected international tour operators, and members of the international press corps.
The event was the kick-off of an initiative to spur tourism in Mexico’s many beautiful and fascinating “non-beach-resort” destinations.
This year marks Mexico’s Bicentennial, as well as the Centennial of the Mexican Revolution. In recognition of these events, The Mexican Tourism Board has created “Rutas de Mexico,”—ten tourism routes covering the 31 States of Mexico.
We enjoyed a delicious lunch and listened to speeches from Gloria Guevara, Mexico’s new tourism minister, as well as the President himself, who spoke of each of the routes. He spent quite a bit of time on the Copper Canyon Route, and talked about the town of Batopilas, which is visited on most California Native Copper Canyon tours.
As guests of the Tourism Board and President Calderón, we spent the next four days touring on the “Revolution Route,” which included many charming Colonial Cities, including Querétaro, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi and others.
In the United States we honor the Irish on Saint Patrick’s Day, the Italians on Columbus Day, and the Mexicans on Cinco de Mayo. But what the heck is Cinco de Mayo?
Most Americans think that Cinco de Mayo (the 5th of May) celebrates Mexican Independence Day. Not so. Mexican Independence Day is September 16. Then what is Cinco de Mayo?
After Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, it went through forty years of internal power struggles and rebellions. By 1861 the country’s finances were so bad that the nation owed 80 million pesos in foreign debts. Mexico’s president, Benito Juarez, pledged to pay off these debts eventually but, as an emergency measure, he suspended all payment for two years.
In France, Napoleon III saw this as an opportunity to establish French colonies in Latin America. He believed that the United States was too involved with the Civil War to try and enforce the Monroe Doctrine, and that if the South won the war—and after the Battle of Bull Run it looked like they might—opposition to his plan would be minimal.
Napoleon enlisted England and Spain to join him in a mission to encourage Mexico to pay off its foreign debts. The mission began with the landing of French, English and Spanish troops at Vera Cruz. The French minister then demanded that Mexico pay 12 million pesos to France, an impossible amount, given the state of the Mexican treasury.
Napoleon then set up a provisional government with his personal emissary as its head, and brought in a much larger French army to enforce it. England and Spain, now realizing Napoleon’s scheme for French domination, protested France’s moves and withdrew their forces.
The French, now alone, marched 6000 dragoons and foot soldiers to occupy Mexico City. On May 5 (Cinco de Mayo), 1862, on their way to the capital, the French soldiers entered the town of Puebla. To stop the French, the Mexicans garrisoned a rag-tag army of 4000 men at Puebla, most of them armed with fifty-year-old antiquated guns. The French general, contemptuous of the Mexicans, ordered his men to charge right into the center of the Mexican defenses.
The handsomely uniformed French cavalry charged through soggy ditches, over crumbling adobe walls, and up the steep slopes of the Cerro de Guadalupe, right into the Mexican guns. When the shooting was over, the French ended up with a thousand dead troops. The Mexicans then counter-attacked and drove the French all the way to the coast.
Now the honor of France was at stake. Napoleon III committed an additional 28,000 men to the struggle. They eventually took over Puebla and Mexico City. Napoleon next arranged for the young archduke Maximilian (photo above), brother of Austria’s Emperor Franz Joseph, to establish himself as emperor of Mexico, as a way to set up a legitimate-seeming government, while insuring French interests in Mexico. Maximilian’s reign lasted just three years. On June 19, 1867, he was executed by a firing squad, four months after the last French troops left the country.
Every 5th of May in Mexico, school children throughout the country celebrate the victory of the Mexican people over the French at the Battle of Puebla, but these celebrations are minor compared to their counterparts in the United States, where millions of Americans drink beer, eat tacos and hold parties to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, even though they have no idea what the holiday is all about.
We arrived back last night. The trip was F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S !!!!!!
Thanks to you and California Native and the people you deal with, everything went like clockwork.
The Torres Hotel in El Fuerte absolutely “knocked our sox off.” So glad we ended up having three nights there. The restaurant is world class. Everyone from Jesus Torres to the chefs and the night watchman were charming and looked after us so well.
We could write a book about the rugged beauty and our delightful experiences touring the canyon.
We thought you might enjoy a different interpretation of a client’s Copper Canyon trip.
Except for a two hour customs wait at El Paso we loved the trip. All arrangements were well planned and executed with care. Rob was an excellent guide and we even survived his bad jokes.
We are professional photographers at work but our “travel photography” belongs to the world and we enjoy sharing it.
A dusty cowboy rides his horse down the sunbaked-earth main street, his pistol at his side. A small group of Indians, clad in bright colored blouses, breech cloths and headbands, pack their burros for the long journey back to their remote village, while nearby a group of children play tag around the bougainvilleas in the town square.
This is Batopilas, a small village located in Mexico’s Sierra Madres at the bottom of the deepest canyon in the vast complex of mountains and canyons known collectively as Copper Canyon. Today Batopilas is a sleepy little village, but it was not always this way. At the turn of the century it was one of the richest silver mining areas in the world, but after that period, time seems to have stood still.
The Spaniards first mined ore in Batopilas in 1632, and the mines continued to produce for the next three hundred years. The peak mining period was reached during the late 1800′s when an American named Alexander Shepherd developed the mines to their highest level of production—a level which ranked them among the richest silver mines in the world.
The mining operation at that time employed 1500 workers, and the total length of tunnels was more than 70 miles. Shepherd did much to improve the town, building bridges, aqueducts, and a hydroelectric plant, which made Batopilas the second city in Mexico to have electricity—second only to Mexico City itself. His headquarters was known as the Hacienda de San Miguel—a complex of adobe buildings which included the family residence, the business offices and a mill and reduction plant. He later constructed the Porfirio Diaz tunnel—a tunnel bored through the base of a mountain, where a train hauled out ore which was dropped down shafts from the tunnels above. The train had to be dismantled and hauled in almost 200 miles by burro and human labor, because there was no road to Batopilas. In fact, the road to Batopilas was not built until the 1970′s, almost a century later. The tunnel is still there, now deserted except by the bats.
Today there is no large-scale mining in Batopilas, though a few old prospectors still pan gold and silver from the river or extract small quantities of ore from the abandoned workings.
Three miles downstream from Batopilas, past an old suspension bridge, is a 400 year old Jesuit mission. The mission, recently restored, is known as the “Lost Cathedral” of Satevo, because over the course of time all records of it were lost by the Catholic Church.
Most of the buildings in Batopilas were built during the Victorian Era, but some date back to the 17th century. Many of the businesses have no signs on them—after all, in a town the size of Batopilas everyone knows where everything is. In the general store the counters are the old-fashioned high ones, worn smooth and wavy from a century of customers resting their elbows on them.
Evening is a special time in Batopilas. As the twilight spreads over the little town square the residents gather to visit with their neighbors, share the events of the day, and relax. Meanwhile, the youngsters play basketball until it is time for bed.
Traveling to Batopilas is an adventure in itself. Beginning in Creel, the road travels up and down through mountains and valleys and finally, just outside of the Tarahumara Indian village of Kirare, heads straight down along a windy, twisted, one-lane, “E-ticket ride” dirt road to the bottom of the canyon. From there it hugs the side of the canyon as it follows the Rio Batopilas down river for another hour, finally arriving in Batopilas after 5½ to 8 hours, depending on whether you travel by car or take the local bus. The local bus is a rickety old school bus which makes the trip down from Creel every other day. For the return trip, the bus departs Batopilas at 4:30 a.m. so that it can reach the rim of the canyon before the radiator boils over.
The journey to Batopilas is a breathtaking trip, but is not suitable for all travelers as the road down may make the faint-of-heart wish they had stayed at home. The best time to make the journey down is in the winter time, because Summer temperatures can soar above 100° Fahrenheit
Easter in Copper Canyon is the most colorful time of year. Small towns which are sleepy most of the year now are full of tourists—both Mexican and foreign—who have come to see the Easter celebrations of the Tarahumara Indians. The tourists cluster with their cameras in the Indian villages, but most of them have little idea of what is going on.
To begin to understand the Tarahumara ceremonies, one has to have a basic understanding of the Indians’ religion. The Tarahumara are outwardly Catholic, but their version of Catholicism is unlike any form we are familiar with.
In 1602, the Jesuits brought Christianity to the Indians, who adopted it, but interpreted and modified it to conform to their own customs and ideas. In 1767, King Charles III of Spain expelled the Jesuits from the New World, and the Tarahumara, on their own now, continued to develop their religious beliefs and rituals. Their resulting theology is as follows:
God is the father of the Tarahumara and is associated with the sun. His wife, the Virgin Mary, is their mother and is associated with the moon. God has an elder brother, the Devil, who is the uncle of the Indians. The Devil is the father of all non-Indians, whom the Tarahumara call chabóchi, “whiskered ones.” At death, the souls of the Tarahumara ascend to heaven while those of the chabóchi go to the bottommost level of the universe.
The well-being of the Tarahumara depends on their ability to maintain the proper relationship with God and the Devil. God is benevolent, but they must not fail to reward His attentions adequately. The Devil is the opposite, and will cause the Indians illness and misfortune unless they propitiate him with food. God is pleased by the dancing, chanting, feasting, and offerings of food and corn beer, that are a part of all Tarahumara religious festivals. The Devil is also pleased because the Indians bury food for him at these fiestas.
Of all the religious ceremonies throughout the year, The Easter celebrations are the most important. Hundreds of men, women, and children converge on the local church from villages as far away as fifteen miles. These celebrations are for socializing and having a good time, but the Indians also expect their efforts to please God so that He will give them long lives, abundant crops, and healthy children.
The Easter rituals concern the relationship between God and the Devil. Although God and the Devil are brothers, and occasionally get along, the Devil is usually bent on destroying God. Most of the time God fends the Devil off.
But each year, immediately prior to Holy Week, the Devil succeeds by trick or force in rendering God dangerously vulnerable. The Easter ceremonies are intended to protect and strengthen God so that He can prevent the Devil from destroying the world.
Each of the men and boys of the community takes part in the ceremonies as a member of one of two groups. The first group, the Pharisees, are the Devil’s allies, and carry wooden swords, painted white with ochre designs. The second group, the Soldados, the Soldiers, are allied with God, and carry bows and arrows.
The celebrations begin on the Saturday prior to Palm Sunday, with speeches and ritualized dances. The Pharisees, their bodies smeared with white earth, and the Soldados dance to the beating of drums and the melody of reed whistles. About midnight, a mass is held in the church. Shortly after sunrise, bowls of beef stew, stacks of tortillas and tamales and bundles of ground, parched maize, are lifted to the cardinal directions, allowing the aroma to waft heavenward to be consumed by God. The food is then distributed among the people. At mid-morning the Soldados and Pharisees set up wooden crosses marking the stations of the cross, a mass is held, and the priest leads a procession around the churchyard, with the participants carrying palm branches.
Three days later, on Holy Wednesday, the ceremonies resume, and for the next three days there are processions around the church. The point of the processions is to protect the church and, by extension, God and God’s wife.
On the afternoon of Good Friday, the Pharisees appear with three figures made of wood and long grasses representing Judas, Judas’s wife, and their dog. To the Indians, Judas is one of the Devil’s relatives, and they call him Grandfather and his wife Grandmother. Judas and his wife wear Mexican-style clothing and display their oversized genitalia prominently. The Pharisees and Soldados parade the figures around the church, dancing before them. The Pharisees then hide the figures away for the night.
On Saturday morning, the Soldados and Pharisees engage in wrestling matches, battling symbolically for control of Judas. The Soldados then take possession, shoot arrows into the three figures and set them afire. The people retire to continue the celebrations at the many tesguino drinking parties.
Long ago, about a hundred million years, a huge plateau arose in an area that is now part of northern Mexico. Seventy million years passed before volcanoes erupted and flooded the plateau with molten rock. Rivers then sliced this lava-covered plateau into deep twisting canyons—the largest area of canyons in North America.
At the interface between the volcanic layers and the old plateau are rich mineral deposits. The depth of the canyons exposes this interface, making the gold, silver, and copper accessible for mining. It is from the abundant copper ore, previously mined here, that the area derives its name—Copper Canyon.
The first people to mine the ore were the Spaniards, in 1632. Over the centuries, hundreds of mines were worked, peaking at the end of the 19th century when 20 million ounces of silver were extracted from the mines at Batopilas, making Copper Canyon one of the richest silver mining areas in the world.
The longest term residents of the canyon are the Tarahumara Indians. No one knows how long they have lived here, but archaeologists have found artifacts of people living in the area around 3000 years ago.
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado’s expedition, which passed through the Sierra Madres in 1540, in search of the legendary Seven Golden Cities of Cibola, may have been the first contact between the Tarahumara and Europeans.
Then, in 1607, the Jesuits established the first of their 29 missions to be built in the canyons and introduced the Tarahumara to Catholicism, domestic animals and the plow. When the Spaniards discovered the rich mineral wealth in the canyons, they forced the Indians to work as slaves in the mines. This led to many bloody revolts throughout the 17th century.
The influence of the Jesuits came to a halt in 1767 when the King of Spain expelled their order from the New World. The Franciscans took over from the Jesuits, but the Indians were pretty much left alone until the Jesuits returned in 1900.
Today the Tarahumara number around 50,000. They live in caves and small cabins and practice subsistence farming. The majority practice a form of Catholicism liberally intermixed with their traditional beliefs and ceremonies. Among the peoples of North America, they are considered to be the least touched by modern civilization and the most unmixed of any of the Indian tribes of Mexico.
I first became aware of Copper Canyon about twenty-five years ago when a travel writer friend of mine returned from a journey to Northern Mexico.
“Lee, you have to go to Copper Canyon,” he insisted. “It’s magnificent!!” After seeing his slides I became excited and put together our first Copper Canyon trip. Since then, we have introduced thousands of people to this beautiful area of mountains, rivers and canyons, and the unique people who make it their home.
As our California Native group saunters up to the door of the Paraiso del Oso Lodge, we are greeted by three dogs, a cat, and a large white goose known as “Pancho.” The lodge is located in a secluded valley in Mexico’s Sierra Madre mountains, surrounded by large, volcanically formed spires, one of which resembles Yogi Bear wearing his hat—hence the name Paraiso del Oso, Spanish for “Bear’s Paradise.”
We are met by Doug Rhodes, a smiling cowboy who boldly exclaims, “I’m glad y’all made it. Welcome to the Paraiso Del Oso.”
Doug is the owner and founder of the lodge, located halfway between the town of Bahuichivo and the farming village of Cerocahui. Established in 1679, Cerocahui now has around 600 inhabitants, mostly Tarahumara Indians and mestizos.
Doug, or “Diego” as he is referred to in Mexico, was once a tour guide in Copper Canyon. As he tells it, he became so frustrated by the region’s lack of reliable hotels, that he searched until he found a remote spot ideal for exploring the area’s rich flora, fauna, and natural history. Here he built his lodge and ranch.
Born in a rural Ohio farming community, Doug has followed many diverse paths. He was an army sergeant, a NASA electrical technician, an editor, a deputy sheriff, a bodyguard, and now an inn keeper. His greatest passion is horses—he owns at least a dozen, and he brags that they are the best trained and equipped in Northern Mexico.
Diego is married to Ana Maria Chavez Gutierrez, a native Cerocahuian, whose family has a long and rich history in the area. Her grandfather was a famous miner who fought alongside Pancho Villa in the Mexican Revolution.
Diego and Ana contribute much to the area, furnishing outreach services to local Tarahumara families, and other community services including an annual Christmas party for local children.
At the Paraiso, guests can hike, ride horses, bike, explore historical towns, go birding, or just settle down with a good book in front of the large fireplace, sip a margarita, and relax.
Please, let me tell you of our marvelous adventure to the Copper Canyon in Mexico. It began in El Fuerte in the state of Sinaloa at Hotel Torres Del Fuerte and ended at Hotel Torres Del Fuerte. The hotel is a delightful restored hacienda that is artistically decorated and each room is, individually unique. We stayed two nights in the hotel in the beginning of the trip and two nights at the end of the trip. The owners, Jesus and his wife and their son, Francisco, enhanced our trip with their graciousness, friendliness, and personal attentiveness to the point that we felt that we were personal guests at the hacienda.
The Chepe train ride into the Barrancas del Cobre was a beautiful exposure into the vistas of canyons and mountain ranges, which gave us an appreciation of the wonder and majesty of the many canyons of the area known as Copper Canyon. This is a natural wonder of the world and the man-made wonder of bridges and tunnels carved out of the rock from the canyons is a spectacular engineering accomplishment.
Our first stop was in Cerocahui. We stayed at a ranchito that gave us the opportunity to hike and to ride horses into the rugged canyons. It was also our first opportunity to meet two Tarahumara children. After two nights in Cerocahui, we then traveled to Creel for two nights then back to Posada Barrancas to stay at the El Mirador Hotel.
Our time in the canyons was memorable, enjoyable, pleasurable, and interesting.
On our return to El Fuerte, upon exiting the train, our chauffeur, picked us up at the railroad station and we waved goodbye to the Chepe. During our transfer to Hotel Torres Del Fuerte, I realized that I had left my purse on the train! Of course, it contained everything of importance, money, camera, and passport!
In panic, I informed the chauffeur that I had left my purse on the train. He was shocked and thought for sure that I had misplaced it in my luggage. The driver pulled off to the side of the road and he and my husband searched the luggage in the back of the suburban. Of course it was not there! Francisco, from Hotel Torres Del Fuerte, had been to the train station to pick up someone from the train, too.
While we were searching the Suburban, Francisco stopped his car to inquire why we had stopped. My husband said that Francisco and the driver talked for a couple of moments and Francisco asked where we were sitting on the train. The chauffeur then motioned for my husband to return to the car. The chauffeur drove off without saying a word and went past the town of El Fuerte and into the countryside.
The night was very dark, there were few stars, and there was a gusty wind. Suddenly, after about 40 minutes, the driver pulled to the side of the road, stopped in the “middle of nowhere”, and then turned off his car lights and turned on his car flashers. He motioned for us to get out of the car. As we got out of the car, we noticed the train track crossing the road at what is known as Santa Maria crossing. Within thirty seconds, the train, which we had exited in El Fuerte station and was now on its way to Los Mochis, grew out of the night darkness, began to slow down and was beginning to cross the road; at the same time, the train engineer shouted out of his window for us to go to the last car on the train.
The last car was brightly lit and we could see that the porter was hanging out of the door with one hand fully extended from the handrail and the other arm fully extended toward the approaching chauffeur. In his hand he was holding my purse! He handed the purse to the running chauffeur without the train ever fully stopping. It was another engineering event, or rather a miracle!
We learned later that in the short conversation between the chauffeur and Francisco that they had devised the plan to retrieve the purse. Francisco made several calls to contact the train operated by the Mexican Federal Railroad and the chauffeur told Francisco at what crossing he would meet the train. After several calls, Francisco successfully contacted the train’s engineer. Francisco, the chauffeur, the train engineer, and the porter made it all happen!
This story is a tribute to the personal service which one experiences at Hotel Torres Del Fuerte. We are so pleased and thankful with all of the Mexican people that helped us as they exhibited such warmth, honor, chivalry, honesty, and generosity. We shall never forget our rescuers!
We wish to thank California Native for their specialized help and expertise in making the train and hotel reservations. They were attentive to details and gracious to work with.
Needless to say, we highly recommend staying at Hotel Torres Del Fuerte for its ambiance, its charm, its history, the delicious menu items, the wonderful and generous owners, and for their outstanding ability to turn a tragedy into a miracle.
The power of Mexico is, and always has been, its people, living together in a lovely land, influenced by culture, traditions, history, art.
The year 2009 is coming to a close. We are now at the end of November and the holidays are coming up fast, but it is not too late to make your plans for a wonderful holiday getaway. We do have some space left on our Christmas/New Years escorted tour to Mexico’s Copper Canyon where we will celebrate Christmas with the Tarahumara Indians and the owners of the Paraiso del Oso.
On December 23rd, we will be departing with a small group out of Los Angeles and Phoenix airports for an exciting tour into the canyon. The 11-day Ultimate tour spends nights in El Fuerte, Cerocahui, Divisadero, Creel, Batopilas, Chihuahua and a wooded area just outside San Juanito. As with all of our Copper Canyon tours, we ride the Chihuahua al Pacifico Railroad for one of the most spectacular train rides in the Western Hemisphere. The train travels through the lowlands of Sinaloa State and up into the Sierra Madre Mountains, passing through 86 tunnels and crossing 37 bridges.
Some other highlights on this tour are the Cusarare and Basaseachic waterfalls, a day trip to the village of Urique, the “Lost Cathedral” just outside of the village of Batopilas located at the canyon bottom and the magnificent vista point which overlooks a whole series of intertwined “barrancas” (canyons).
On this special trip, participants will have the opportunity to enjoy a special Christmas Eve known as Noche-bueno (the Good Night), a delicious dinner at the Paraiso del Oso and Ana Maria’s famous Christmas punch. Those wishing to join the Tarahumara Indians and mestizo community may attend the midnight mass, also known as La Misa del Gallo (Rooster’s Mass). Traditional Tarahumara dancing usually starts an hour or two before the mass, then recommences afterwards to make it an all-night celebration. As an old Spanish saying goes, “Esta noche es Noche-Buena, y no es noche de dormir” (Tonight is the Good Night, and it is not meant for sleeping).
As Christmas morning arrives, the celebration moves back to the Oso Lodge where local Tarahumara join the hotel guests for the piñata party. The native Tarahumara live in isolated ranchitos in the rugged mountains surrounding the hotel. They take turns swinging at the Christmas piñata until it explodes showering candy and small toys to the ground. The hotel is filled with laughter and glee as the children scramble to collect their treasures. Gifts from under the Christmas tree are handed out. As the locals return to their mountain ranchitos, guests with The California Native prepare for the day trip to the Urique Canyon. In the evening after the excursion, guests enjoy a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings.
What better way to end this year and bring in the new year than to spend the night surrounded by pine trees in the Sierra Madre Mountains. We will stay in comfortable log cabins at the Lodge at Norítari meaning a “Place Above the Clouds” in the language of the Tarahumara Indians. Here one can hike to a nearby lake or relax on an old-fashion porch taking in the peacefulness of this lovely area.
To be a part of this year’s celebration and a truly unique experience, make your reservations now as time is running out. Happy holiday season to all of our fellow travelers.
Thinking about a trip in the next few months? Soon we will be posting our new 2010 prices for our tours to Mexico’s Copper Canyon. Now is you chance to book travel for 2010 at guaranteed 2009 prices! The best time to go to Copper Canyon is between now and May. What a wonderful vacation for the beginning of next year, and what a great price! Compare trips here and call us with your questions, and book it now.
We’ve spent an exciting day exploring the remote regions of Mexico’s Copper Canyon, and as sunset repaints the canyon walls, what better way to usher in the evening than with a cool refreshing margarita? Contreau or triple-sec, lime juice, ice, and, most important, tequila. But how much do we really know about this delightfully intoxicating beverage?
Before the arrival of the Spaniards, fermented sap from the Maguey plant was extracted into a beverage known as ‘pulque.’ Pulque holds the esteem of being North America’s first distilled drink. Aside from that, origins of the liquor seem as ethereal as the effects it produces. Tequila branches from this phantom lineage by way of a small town with the same name in the state of Jalisco. In the ancient Nuahatl language, “tequila” translates to “place of the plant harvest” and represents the relationship between the region and the raw material—the Blue Agave.
There are over 130 species of agave. However, only one variety is used in the production of tequila according to standards set by the Mexican government. That variety is the Blue Agave, or Agave Tequilana Weber Azul. A common misconception is that tequila is made from a cactus. The Agave is actually closer in relation to succulents like the Lily or the Amaryllis even though it looks spiky in appearance. Only the hearts of the plant are used in distillation while the thick leaves are processed into fiber. Other varieties may be used in the formulation of tequila’s kindred spirit Mezcal, but only the Blue Agave is used to distill tequila. Mature agave at the time of harvest can grow 5 to 8 feet tall, span 7 to 12 feet across and, although not a cactus, can live up to 15 years!
Another myth infusing the agave spirits of tequila and mezcal turns over the worm. Drinkers and non-drinkers alike recognize the connection. However, like all things Tequila, origins of this curious practice of adding worms to bottles survives mostly as folklore, even though many believe it is more marketing strategy than authentic Mexican Tradition. In fact, only Mezcal carries the worm, this again due to the Mexican standards authority, Norma Oficial Mexicana (NOM). The worms are the thoroughly pickled larvae of the moth species Hypopta Agavis and, although not found in higher-priced bottles of Mezcal, are believed to enhance the flavor as well as act as an aphrodisiac. Viewed as a delicacy by many in Mexico, the Gusano Rojo (Red Worm) and the Gusano Blanco (White Worm) are safe to eat, even if their properties and histories are debatable.
Knowing tequila is not cactus and has no worm, it now comes down to the matter of taste. Tequilas divide into three groups agreed upon by aficionados in the industry. Like many beverages, Tequilas are classified according to their age. Blanco (white), also referred to as Plata (silver), is the youngest of the three types. Tequila Blanco is aged less than two months and is distinguished through its abrasive flavor. Also identified in this category is Tequila Oro (gold). This is a blend of the young Tequila Blanco and a more-aged variety, often mixed with coloring to resemble older vintages. Second of the three classes is Tequila Reposado (rested). This mid-aged tequila is known for its peppery aftertaste and has an age greater than two months but less than one year. The third and final variety is Tequila Anejo (aged). Tequila Anejo mellows for a period between one year and three years and finishes smoother on the palate as a result.
Aside from these distinctions, the sky (or the floor) is the limit. From the heart of the agave all the way to expensive, individually-numbered collectable keepsake bottles, the taste of tequila really boils down to the spirit of personal preference. Sipping, shooting, mixing or just plain drinking are all part of the charm bottled in this passionate product from Mexico. Curious connoisseurs searching for the flavor that suits best may even find themselves, suitcase in hand, bouncing across the border for a measure of Mezcal complete with worm. No matter how it’s served, the taste as well as the mystery surrounding this potent potable are sure to leave any traveler thirsting for more of Mexico.
Down in the little town of Batopilas, tucked deep within the folds of Mexico’s Copper Canyon, I am witnessing something that is typically missing in this day and age: a craftsman in the process of creating a custom product. In this case the craftsman, José “Che” Rentería, is creating a unique pair of huaraches, sandals, for me.
I arrive in Batopilas after an exhilarating drive down the winding dirt road from the mountain town of Creel and make my way over to the Plaza de la Constitución to find the sandal maker. His door is closed and the tools covering the two wooden workbenches in front of his house lie dormant. As with many things in Mexico, I must wait.
After dinner I return to find Che working under the harsh light of a bare incandescent bulb. He wears a white shirt with the words “Austin, TX” embroidered on the breast. The lines etched in his face reflect the rugged contours of the canyon in which he lives. I tell him that I want to buy a pair of his sandals. He measures my feet with a trained eye and says definitively, “Ocho.” He asks if I can come back tomorrow. I tell him I will return around noon, and he nods his assent. With that, I am off. No deposit, no order form…he doesn’t even know my name. It is comforting to know some people still operate on trust. Perhaps it is the result of living in a place where time moves very slowly.
Che was born in Batopilas in 1934 and has lived in the same house for all of his 72 years. He makes his living as a leatherworker and is a master of the craft. Fifteen years ago he started making the unique Tarahumaran huaraches, and he is the only person in Batopilas who makes them.
The huaraches worn by the Tarahumara Indians, a sturdy people native to the Copper Canyon area, are rather simple sandals. The soles are made of old tires; the pair made for me still includes some white letters indicating that they are “All Terrain” sandals. A leather footbed is glued to the rubber with what looks like Che’s own homemade glue. What makes the Tarahumaran huaraches so distinct from other sandals is a very clever lacing system. A single leather strap per sandal, originating between the big and index toes, is threaded through two holes cut into the sole to create support for the heel. The strap is then wrapped around the ankle three times before being tied to itself by the heel. The result is a very comfortable, stable sandal. In fact, the Tarahumara, considered to be the greatest long-distance runners in the world, chose their traditional huaraches over high-tech running shoes as they ran to first, second and fifth place finishes at the Leadville Trail 100, a high-altitude ultra-marathon in the Colorado Rockies. These are simple, sturdy and functional footwear.
I return the following day at noon and find Che playing with his grandchildren outside of his house. He retrieves the bottoms of my sandals and asks me to wait while he assembles the straps. Using an old blade, he removes the hard surface from the straps with an assured steadiness acquired from years of working in this medium. The trimming ensures that the leather against the feet will be soft and comfortable. As he works, he asks me where I am from. When I say Los Angeles, he asks, “Hollywood?” I tell him that I live very close to Hollywood, and he disappears into his house, returning with a stack of photos showing him at, of all places, Universal Studios Hollywood. A few years ago he went to California to visit his daughter who lives there, and I wonder if he felt as far from home as I do here in the bottom of a canyon in Mexico.
Che finishes his work and begins the tutorial. He ties my right sandal for me, going through the motions very slowly to ensure that I understand how it’s done. I find them to be much more comfortable than I had anticipated, and they fit perfectly. “¿Bueno?” he asks. “Muy bueno,” I respond. We shake hands, his skin almost as tough as the leather with which he works, and I stride off in my new huaraches. With every step, they will serve as reminders of this old-fashioned craftsman plying his trade in this beautiful village in the bottom of the Copper Canyon.
Now is the prime time to travel into Mexico’s Copper Canyon and as travelers make their way into the canyon, so does our book, The California Native Copper Canyon Companion.
The book is a great tool to take along on any trip to Copper Canyon. It is filled with useful information, including lists of birds and plants, a table of mileage and distances, and a sightseer’s log of the Chihuahua al Pacifico Railroad. Written by members of our California Native staff, the Companion is a compendium of the many of the stories and photographs of Copper Canyon which have appeared in our newsletter over the past decades.
In its pages, you will meet the Tarahumara Indians—the cave-dwelling indigenous people who have lived in this area for centuries, and our California Native guides share with you their personal memories and affection for these proud people who refused to be conquered by both the Spaniards and the modern world.
The stories will take you back in time and introduce you to the 17th-century conquistadors and priests who radically changed the history of the Americas, and the 19th-century Americans who left their mark—Alexander Shepherd, who developed the silver mines into some of the richest in the world, and Albert Kimsey Owen, who established a utopian colony at Topolobampo Bay and, along with Arthur Stilwell, conceived the fantastic rail line which traverses the area. There are also stories about heroes and villains—Father Miguel Hidalgo, the “Father of Mexico,” Emperor Maximilian, who was installed by France to rule the country, and Pancho Villa, hero or villain of the Revolution.
Considering a trip? This book will give you an in-depth look into this unique region of Mexico’s Sierra Madres. Already been there? The stories and pictures will bring back wonderful memories and help you to share them with your friends. I know you’ll enjoy reading The Copper Canyon Companion as much as we have enjoyed putting it together.
You can check out this book along with other recommended books on this area at our travel book store.
Surrounded by pine trees in Mexico’s Sierra Madre Mountains, the Lodge at Norítari is a favorite relaxing place for California Native guests. In Rarámuri, the language of the Tarahumara Indians, Norítari means “Place Above the Clouds.”
The lodge is the realization of Lauro and Soledad Marquez, who live here with their daughter, Solecito, a Nahuatl Indian, whom they adopted at birth. Lauro was formerly an engineer with INEGI, the Mexican Government Institute for Statistical and Geographical Information. He met Soledad when she was working for the Acapulco city government. A few years before, she had taught in the Sierras and was enchanted by the beauty of the area and the friendliness of its people.
The couple purchased the land in 1995 and three years later began construction of the lodge. Presently they have nine log cabins (cabañas) with two rooms each, which Sol has decorated with colorful furniture and crafts from all over Mexico. Each room has a large fireplace—it gets cool at 7,800 feet in the Sierras.
Geese and turkeys clamor at visitors on the paths hiking to nearby lakes, while horses and cows graze peacefully in the meadows.
On the old-fashioned porch, which wraps around two pine trees, you can relax with cafe de olla, a cinnamon bark tea to which coffee grounds are added. Then Sol prepares a gourmet dinner: zucchini squash soup, cinnamon beef with sopes, and local baked apples in a delicious sauce. Lauro tends the bar and offers his private-label mescal.
The next day we drive to Basaseachic Falls—at 811 feet it is one of Mexico’s highest. The view of the falls is spectacular. From an observation point we enjoy picnic lunches. After lunch, hikers have the opportunity to stretch their legs, while the others chat and soak in the beautiful scenery. When the hikers return, we head back to Norítari for another fine dinner at our “place above the clouds.”
Our tiny boat bounced as the giant whale broke the water’s surface and rested close enough for us to touch. As she breached, the cameras clicked furiously. Our skipper pointed to more enormous whales—they were all around us!
After a summer spent in the frigid waters of the Chukchi and Bering Seas, feasting on immense quantities of small crustaceans, the California Gray Whales begin their annual migration south to Mexico’s Baja California. Swimming 5000 miles along the North American coast, they arrive in the warm, protected bays to breed, give birth, and rear their infants.
During the long southbound journey the whales court and mate. After a gestation period of thirteen months a female whale gives birth to her calf. Newborn Grays are about 15 feet long and can weigh up to 1500 pounds!
Another female, called an “auntie,” often assists the mother with her calf, so the whales are often spotted in groups of three. The calf nurses on its mother’s milk, ten times richer than cow’s milk. By swimming against the current in the lagoon, the young whale builds up its muscles, and by Spring it is fat (around 3000 pounds), mature (at least 19 feet long), and ready for the long northward journey.
One area the whales prefer is Magdalena Bay. This narrow section of calm waters between the coast of Baja and Magdalena Island may harbor fewer gray whales than other lagoons, but here they are densely congregated, creating a wonderful place to watch them swim and play.
Easily accessible from La Paz and Loreto, Lopez Mateos and San Carlos are two coastal towns where pangas, small motor boats, depart for whale watching. Skimming along the water with frigate birds soaring overhead and whales breaching in every direction is an unforgettable experience.
Magdalena Bay is also home to a variety of fish and shellfish, as well as bottlenose dolphins. In the dense thickets of mangroves, which dominate Magdalena Island, many species of birds can be found. A pack of coyotes inhabits the island, and from the boat they can be seen on the beach feasting on fish which they have learned to eat as they adapt to island life.
An invigorating boat trip like this is sure to build up a whale-sized appetite. Returning to shore, the day concludes by feasting on freshly-caught local seafood at one of the nearby restaurants. Baja offers many activities and is also an excellent gateway for tours to Copper Canyon.
Cuauhtemoc may have only been an Aztec ruler for the short period between 1520 to 1521, but the myths surrounding him are time tested. The name Cuauhtemoc translates from the ancient Nuahtl to mean “Descending Eagle.” He rose to power at the early age of 18 just as his homeland Tenochtitlan was being invaded by Spanish explorers.
After a brutal battle lasting nearly eighty days, Cuauhtemoc went to recruit new warriors to fend off the attacking Spanish during which time he was caught by Hernan Cortes himself. It is believed that Cortes took mercy on the Aztec who, in lieu of his capture, asked bravely to be killed with his own knife. Impressed by his courage, Cortes spared Cuauhtemoc.
However, Cortes’ motives would not prove to be so noble. He had Cuauhtemoc tortured in hopes that he would reveal the location of hidden gold sought after by the Spaniards. Cuauhtemoc’s feet were put to the fire but he refused to give up any information the royal treasurer, Aldrete, demanded. Only later would Cortes learn the gold he and his men hunted were not in quantities they had imagined.
Cortes eventually had Cuauhtemoc hanged. While on an expedition to Honduras, Cortes had taken Cuauhtemoc along with him fearing that he would lead a rebellion if he were not under careful supervision. During the trip, Cortes’ suspicions grew into fear that the leader of the Aztecs would strike and so had him killed. Cortes’ worried with good cause. Cuauhtemoc’s boldness against the invading forces was legendary.
Today, the legacy of Cuauhtemoc can be seen throughout Mexico in names and in statues. The city of Cuauhtemoc, in the area just outside of Copper Canyon, is modern and lies en route to the state capital of Chihuahua. Cuauhtemoc is now the home of several thousand Mennonites who came to the area shortly after the Mexican Revolution to farm lands which were formerly owned by William Randolph Hearst. The Mennonites live in a series of numbered “campos” just outside of the city and still preserve their traditional pious lifestyle. They are very prosperous farmers and market their crops throughout Mexico along with their famous cheese.
The beauty of Mexico’s Copper Canyon and the simple life-style of its Tarahumara residents is the real “Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” but this remote region of rugged mountains and deep canyons may also hold more traditional treasure—gold and silver buried in undiscovered troves.
In February, 1767, King Charles III of Spain decreed that all Jesuits be expelled from the New World and that their properties be confiscated. His counselors had advised him that the Jesuits held a special allegiance to the pope and opposed the supremacy of the monarchy. In addition, there were suspicions that the Jesuits were involved in political intrigues in Madrid. Some of this came about because the Jesuits, known as the “Black Robes,” had acquired much wealth and power throughout the empire, causing enmity among clergy of other orders.
To prevent the Jesuits from hiding their wealth, it became imperative that the expulsion be carried out simultaneously and without warning throughout the empire. Messages under seal of the king were sent to all military commanders and were not to be opened until June 25. On that day the officers were ordered to arrest and deport the Jesuits and confiscate all the church’s property for the crown.
Despite the best efforts at secrecy, the Jesuits in Mexico became aware of the plan and began conveying their treasure out of the country by secret channels. Because of the short notice, they could not transport all of the gold and silver and were forced to bury large quantities of it.
In the bottom of Copper Canyon, four miles beyond the town of Batopilas, is Satevo, a small settlement with a beautiful old church, Iglesias San Miguel de Satevo. The church, with its three-tiered bell tower and its three domes, is all that remains of the mission of Santo Angel Custodio de Satevo, built by the Jesuits around 1760 and destroyed by a fire in the late 1800’s. All of the mission’s records were lost in the fire and the church has become fancifully known as the “Lost Cathedral of Satevo.”
In the 1800’s, vandals looking for wealth hidden by the Jesuits, ransacked the church and its crypts, but there is no evidence that they found anything. Some people believe that treasure is still hidden in the vicinity of the old church and, indeed, throughout the Sierra Madre mountains.
Many of our Copper Canyon trips visit Satevo and the old church of San Miguel de Satevo. On these journeys to the bottom of the canyon you probably won’t uncover the gold and silver allegedly buried by the Jesuits, but among the beauty, tranquility, and the always-present history of the region, you’re sure to discover your own “Treasure of the Sierra Madre.”
The California Native is happy to announce our new email newsletter, “The Desktop Traveler.”
We like to keep in touch with our many friends and fellow travelers and so, way back in 1984, we began publishing our California Native Newsletter. Now the newsletter has more than 10,000 readers and we receive many cards and letters from our readers telling us how much they enjoy the publication. We have even had several people sending notes saying “Although I can no longer travel, I would like to continue receiving your newsletter and I am sending this to help cover the postage.” We very much appreciate these gestures and we donate any money we receive to charities supporting the Tarahumara people in Mexico’s Copper Canyon. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.
With the advent of the internet we added our California Native website. In addition to listing all of our current trips and prices, it is filled with useful information on all of our destinations including an archive of the hundreds of stories we have published over the years, charts to compare our various trips, travel books and supplies which you can order directly (we are an Amazon.com affiliate), and many other features.
Last year we introduced our Blog, Facebook and Twitter pages, to make it even easier to communicate with us.
Now we have added another way to keep in contact with our many friends, our email newsletter, “The Desktop Traveler.” This short little newsletter will be published once every few weeks and features stories which are fun and interesting to read.
If you are already a subscriber to The California Native Newsletter (and we have your current email address on file) you will automatically receive the Traveler. If you are not receiving it and would like to, please call or send us your email address. We don’t want this to be looked at as being “junk” mail, so you can always opt out by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom.
Alexander Robey “Boss” Shepherd, the last territorial governor of Washington D.C., developed the remote Copper Canyon village of Batopilas into one of the richest silver mining towns in the world. Read the full story.
The capital of the Chimus, Chan Chan dominated over 600 miles of Peru’s Pacific coastline before the Inca empire. The Chimu civilization lasted for almost 500 years. Read the full story.
Costa Rica is a great place for “monkey watching.” On our California Native trips we watch howler monkeys, spider monkeys, squirrel monkeys and capuchin monkeys, while they in turn watch us. Read the full story.
When you think about the history of wine, it’s easy to picture France, Italy, and Spain as popular destinations for the grape lover. Read MEXICO and WINE in the same sentence and you’re likely to think Tequila?, and rightly so, but did you know that a number of award-winning wines come out of the country as well?
Winemaking in Mexico has its own history and can be traced back to the arrival of the Spanish. Early settlers predicted that Mexico’s tropical climate would not be suitable for growing grapes, but that did not stop the explorer Hernando Cortes who enacted legislation calling for landholders to plant new vines every year. The Catholic Church was on board with this plan as they brought the Mission grape to be grown on land owned by the church. The vines prospered in the hot, dry climate and helped support the economic health of the colony. In fact, it could be said that in some ways, Mexico owes its independence to the grape. One man in particular, Miguel Hidalgo, was instrumental in planting the vines of revolution.
Miguel Hidalgo was born in 1753 and is credited with cultivating the spirit of rebellion against Spanish oppression. Because of his patriotism, his championing of human rights and his personal courage, he is considered by Mexicans to be the father of their nation and a symbol of Mexican independence. At twenty years of age Hidalgo received his Bachelor of Theology degree and lectured in philosophy and theology at San Nicolás Obispo and, after being ordained as a priest, became rector of the school. Hidalgo worked hard to improve the lives of his parishioners, mastering their native languages and teaching them crafts and skills to improve their economic condition. In his parish at Dolores and throughout Mexico, he promoted winemaking and silk culture.
Wine production continued robustly until the mid-to-late 17th century when the Spanish Monarchy saw the New World competition too great a risk to their profits. The cottage industry of winemaking was declared illegal in the colonies. The Spanish crown called for the eradication of vineyards and deployed Franciscan missionaries to ensure that only wine imported from Spain was used in the sacrament. However, this did not stop the Jesuits, who continued fermenting grapes on the sly. Father Hidalgo was a staunch supporter of this rebellious activity because he wanted self sufficiency for the people in his parish and was intolerant to the subjugation of those in a lower economic situation by those acting on behalf of the king. The ceasing of wine production along with other economic hardships imposed by the king led Hidalgo to organize protest and then revolt.
Today, Mexico is gaining recognition as a player on the world wine market. And, rightly so, with Baja wineries such as Monte Xanic earning acclaim with it’s award winning Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon; and Bodegas Santo Tomas, in operation for 120 years, regarded as the oldest continuously producing commercial winery in Mexico, there’s no doubt that Mexican wine is a force to be reckoned with.
Sitting in her simple wooden chair, Doña Luz Corral de Villa, widow of Pancho Villa, began a rambling discourse on her life with the famous—or infamous—bandit, general, and hero of the Mexican Revolution.
The year was 1974, seven years before her death, when I first met Mrs. Villa. My father and I were touring Copper Canyon, and we were introduced to her at her home in the city of Chihuahua.
Sharing her memories with us, eighty-two year old Doña Luz told us of her life as a child, living with her widowed mother in the town of San Andres. One day, when she was a teenager, Villa and his soldiers rode in and demanded monetary contributions from the townspeople. Her mother asked to be excluded, and Villa visited her small store to see if she was really as poor as she claimed to be. There he met Luz. The courtship was very brief, and over the objections of her mother, Luz married Villa. The attending priest asked Villa to make his confession. The General refused, stating that it would take days to list all his sins.
Luz was not the only woman in Villa’s life. He was linked with several in bogus marriages, but later Luz was able to produce a valid certificate proving that she was his only legal wife.
The couple had one child, a daughter, who died within a few years. Luz had no other children, but she took in children Villa had fathered with other women. Perhaps she felt that he would always return to her, knowing that several of his children were with her. Villa built the quinta (manor) during the Revolution, and Luz lived there until her death in 1981. Villa was assassinated in 1923, and several of his “wives” claimed the manor. The marriage certificate might not have been sufficient to safeguard her claim, but Luz had an important ally, Alvaro Obregon, President of Mexico. During the Revolution, Obregon had visited the Villas at the quinta. There Villa had plotted to have Obregon killed, but Luz had interceded, saving the future president’s life. The favor was not forgotten, and Obregon used his considerable influence to protect Luz’s claim.
Eventually the house became a museum, with Luz the resident caretaker, and she tried personally to meet each visitor. Luz traveled through Mexico and the United States, and in Los Angeles received the key to the city.
Shortly before her death she wrote a book about her life with Villa, Pancho Villa: an Intimacy, published by Centro Librero La Prensa, in the city of Chihuahua. In it she loyally defends Villa against most of the accusations against him for his many excesses while leading the Army of the North. While this book must be read with a skeptical eye, her account provides interesting insights into Villa and the Revolution.
The above story was written by Don Fuchik (1941-2004). A long-time travel consultant and guide for The California Native, Don was also my close friend for 51 years. Don held a Master’s Degree in Latin American history and received grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities for his studies of this region. Lee Klein
In the summer of 1993, two of our California Native guides, Doug Stewart and Tarahumara woman Lynn Reineke, escorted a small group of Indians from the depths of Mexico’s Copper Canyon to Leadville, Colorado, where they astounded the world of marathon racing by coming in first, second and fourth place in a 100 mile ultra-marathon race, wearing their native garb and sandals made out of discarded tires.
Who were these strangely-dressed people, who came from obscurity to outpace hundreds of experienced runners?
They call themselves the Rarámuri, the Runners, and they inhabit the rugged and remote area of mountains and canyons in Mexico known as the Barrancas del Cobre or Copper Canyon. They are known to the outside world as the Tarahumara.
No one knows how long the Tarahumara have lived in their rugged homeland. Archaeologists have found artifacts of people living in the area three thousand years ago, but it is not known if they were the ancestors of the present day Indians.
There is no recorded history of the Tarahumara prior to the coming of the Spaniards in the sixteenth century. Their first European contact may have been with Coronado’s expedition as it passed through the Sierra Madres searching for the legendary Seven Golden Cities of Cibola. In 1607 the Jesuit missionary Father Juan Fonte established the first Jesuit mission in their territory.
During the next one hundred and fifty years, the Jesuits built twenty-nine missions and introduced the Indians to Catholicism, domestic animals, the plow and the axe. Their influence came to an abrupt halt in 1767 when the King of Spain expelled their order from the New World. The Franciscans took over from the Jesuits, but their influence on the Tarahumara was minimal and the Indians were pretty much left alone until the Jesuits returned in 1900.
The Tarahumara have traditionally lived in isolated family units and small settlements. The Spaniards tried to bring them into more concentrated communities but the strong-willed Tarahumara managed to resist these efforts, and today a large number still live in small, isolated groups. During the time of the Jesuits, mineral wealth was discovered in the region and many Indians were forced to work as slaves in the mines. This and the encroachment of the Spaniards upon their lands, led to many bloody revolts throughout the seventeenth century.
Today the Tarahumara number around 50,000. They still inhabit the same region they have for centuries—the rugged Sierra Madre Occidental of northern Mexico. They live in caves and small wood or stone cabins and practice subsistence farming. The majority practice a form of Catholicism liberally inter-mixed with their traditional beliefs and ceremonies.
Among the peoples of North America, the Tarahumara are considered to be the most primitive, the least touched by modern civilization. They are also the most unmixed of any of the Indian tribes of Mexico.
Many of the men and most of the women still dress in their traditional styles. The ladies wear wide multiple skirts, full sleeved blouses, a head band or bandana, and a shawl for carrying a child or other objects on their backs. The little girls dress the same as their mothers and often carry a little brother or sister on their backs. The men wear a breech-cloth held together by a wool girdle wrapped around the waist, a cloth head band, and a loose cotton shirt.
Running up and down the steep canyons is an important part of the Tarahumara culture, not only as a means of transportation and communication in this rugged area, but as a sport in which villages compete against each other. From the time they are small children the Tarahumara take great pride in their running skills.
In the Rarámuri philosophy, respect for others is of prime importance. They give greater value to persons than to objects, and business matters take second place to respect for human beings. On our trips through Copper Canyon we also learn to respect other people, especially the Rarámuri, as we meet them, discover their unique culture and perhaps adopt some of their philosophy into our own lives.
My friend and I went to Copper Canyon on February 24, 2009. Only now do I find the time to tell you what a wonderful this trip was. For us this was the ideal way to travel. You made all the arrangements and we did the rest. The organization was absolutely flawless. The hotels were great, especially the Torres del Fuerte and, of course, the Hotel Mirador in Divisadero. You encouraged us to take 2 days there, and what a great idea that was. Even though we were late arriving in Los Mochis, our taxi was waiting to drive us to to El Fuerte. My thought was, “this is the one thing I did not want to do, drive in the dark in Mexico.” It turned out that the taxi driver was cautious and competent and put us both at ease. I think our favorite town was El Fuerte. It was great that we had 2 nights in several locations. It made for relaxed traveling and a chance to really walk around. The voucher system worked very well. We could chose wherever we wanted to eat and had the chance to sample several restaurants.
A real treat is the fact that there were no TVs in all the hotels, except for one. That was the Best Western in Creel. We turned on the news and turned it off fairly quickly. We were on vacation!
The train ride was all we were hoping for. Since we were only 2 people, we stayed most of the time in the bar car of the train, talked to many people and looked out of the big, clean windows. We had a ball. We took the train to Divisadero, stayed there for 2 nights and went to Creel. The ride from Creel to El Fuerte was just right. I was glad we did not stay on the train any longer.
I have read letters from your clients and all the good things they said about you were true for us. It helps to speak Spanish when you are on your own, but you made it very easy to get around. In Batopilas we ate at Mika’s. Great stuff! Our driver Arturo told us colorful stories about this magic town and made us feel less like tourists.
We thank you very much and hope to hook up with you again. Thanks for all your help.
The Summer/Fall 2009 edition of The California Native Newsletter is now in the mail. The newsletter, published by The California Native since 1984, has more than 10,000 readers (not counting those who download from the web). If you are not already a subscriber to this free newsletter you can signup now.
The desert markings, believed to have been made thousands of years ago, made little impression on occasional travelers who viewed them from ground level, but when they were spotted by aircraft in the 1930’s they caught the world’s attention. They have since been surveyed, mapped and studied. Only two questions remain—who made them, and why?
Costa Rica has long been a favorite destination for both the beginner and the experienced river runner. With ample annual rainfall, mountainous landscapes, and plenty of road-to-river access, the country prides itself on being a whitewater paradise.
Packing a pearl-handled revolver, a riding crop and three lovers, the Baroness Eloisa von Wagner Bosquet disembarked on the Island of Floreana, in 1932, and declared herself “Empress of the Galapagos.”
In 1880, Alexander “Boss” Shepherd, the last territorial governor of the District of Columbia, packed up his family and, in the remote village of Batopilas, at the bottom of Copper Canyon, developed one of the richest silver mining operations in the world.
Because the Olympics were hosted in Beijing, chances are that you learned more about China in 2008 than at any previous time. On the other end of the country, far from bustling Beijing is Yunnan Province—home to the largest variety of ethnic groups in China.
The following story was submitted to us by Kay Gilliland who describes her experience traveling with friends through Mexico’s Copper Canyon during the Christmas holidays. Today, Kay and her friends travel from Chihuahua City to El Paso for their flights home. The California Native is always thrilled to have groups of friends join our trips to this charming region of Mexico. We appreciate it when our guests share their stories with us and we like to add them to our blog for everyone to see. We hope you have enjoyed reading about Kay’s 11-day Copper Canyon Adventure.
January 2, Friday
We were up early the next day for cereal and huevos rancheros, then off to the border. We stopped twice, once at Ahumada and again farther on. Jenny bought dolce de leche and shared it with us. It had a good, sweet taste. We drove about 230 miles to Ciudad Juarez and waited in line for an hour and a half before we were able to cross the Ysleta Bridge into El Paso. During the wait, people were in the middle of the street with carts selling food, baskets, trinkets, copper goods, watches, hats, everything they could think of and carry. We had a bit of time at the airport together.
We said goodbye to Jessica and then to Sally and Bill. Jenny, Laurie and I boarded the plane, straight through with a stop in Las Vegas. Lori and Rhea picked us up at the Oakland Airport and we were soon at home with dreams of our experiences in the Copper Canyon.
The following story was submitted to us by Kay Gilliland who describes her experience traveling with friends through Mexico’s Copper Canyon during the Christmas holidays. Today, Kay and her friends journey from Creel to Chihuahua City and learn more about the birthplace of the Mexican Revolution.
The California Native is always thrilled to have groups of friends join our trips to this charming region of Mexico. We appreciate it when our guests share their stories with us and we like to add them to our blog for everyone to enjoy. Excerpts from her journal will be posted regularly, so check back often to learn more about Kay’s 11-day Copper Canyon Adventure.
January 1, 2009, Thursday, New Year’s Day
Breakfast was delicious with juice, fruit (papaya, watermelon and, for the first time, apple), eggs, beans and a cinnamon drink called “café.”
We said goodbye to Sol and climbed into our vehicle. Antonio headed out onto “Ruta 2010” named in honor of the succeeding hundred-year events in Mexican history. Jessica pointed out the major change in our surroundings; we were traversing the chaparo: wheat fields, cattle, large land holdings. We stopped at Ahumada and again at La Posta for snacks and el baño. Jenny bought dolce de leche to share with us. We passed a place where lead and zinc ore from Urique is processed. We drove into a Mennonite town looking for “Campo 2B, Casa 46.” The houses were well-built and prosperous-looking but drab in color by comparison to houses we had been seeing in Batopilas, Creel and San Juanito. Jessica described the Mennonites as industrious and homespun, who made everything themselves, especially foods—cheese, butter, bread, jam—and clothing, potholders, and tablecloths. We stopped at the home of Lisa (I asked for her last name but never got it), who had prepared coffee/tea, cookies, meat, cheese, jams and home-baked bread for us. Her sister Emma had just had a baby and Lisa showed us the camera with a picture. Everything tasted really good and Jessica noticed a type of cookie she had not seen before, so she commented that it was new and asked how Lisa made it. Lisa went into the kitchen and brought out a package of Duncan Hines mix to show us.
We walked around the Mennonite farm looking at the Chihuahua puppies, the goats, cows, pigs, geese and farm machinery. Lisa belongs to a family of Old Colony Mennonites who live in a more conservative way than some others of their group.
Back on the road we passed ocotillo, but not in bloom, and lots of apple orchards. We saw smudge pots and furled nets ready to combat frost and save the apple crops. The apple boxes we had seen at the lumberyard were also in readiness for this vast apple-growing operation. Even the local baseball team gets a piece of the action; they are the Manzaneros. Spring will bring a fragrant show of blossoms and fall will be bright with red apples, but we were driving through in winter.
Jessica gave us maps and told us the name Chihuahua is translated as “Sandy Place” or “Place Between Two Rivers.” The city of Chihuahua is the state capital of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Here, our local guide, Jesus, spoke Spanish and Jessica did an admirable job of translating. For two hundred years Chihuahua was a place of wars between the Apaches and the Comanches. It was the place where Hidalgo, hero of the Mexican Revolution was imprisoned and executed in 1811. We stopped to see a palacial home, Quinta Manuel Gameros, built 1907-1910. The “Quinta” refers to the size of the property: 1/5 of a hectare. A hectare is almost 2.5 acres, so these homes were well situated.
We toured the Pancho Villa Museum and were especially interested in a powerful mural by Felipe Castellanos Centurión. Afterward we went into the Cathedral and then walked around the Plaza de Armas to the various booths set up to sell food and gifts. At one I finally saw the tire sandals for sale. Jessica bought Natas to share with us; they were delicious. Jesus pointed out the Dancing Fountains near the Palacio de Gobierno and we drove back to the Chihuahua City Holiday Inn Suites. California Native provided free Margaritas for us and we were given a ride to a delightful dinner in a very quiet newly-opened restaurant. Back at our lodging we were soon asleep.
The following story was submitted to us by Kay Gilliland who describes her experience traveling with friends through Mexico’s Copper Canyon during the Christmas holidays. Today, the group reaches the cabins at Noritari and explore the forest and nearby lake before attending Mass to celebrate the new year.
The California Native is always thrilled to have groups of friends join our trips to this charming region of Mexico. We appreciate it when our guests share their stories with us and we like to add them to our blog for everyone to enjoy. Excerpts from her journal will be posted regularly, so check back often to learn more about Kay’s 11-day Copper Canyon Adventure.
December 31, Wednesday, New Year’s Eve
I enjoyed the breakfast: cereal, huevos rancheros and beans. We left Creel to make our way to San Juanito. Just past San Juanito was our lodging, Cabañas en el Bosque Noritari. Our hostess, Señora Sol, greeted us warmly and served hot “ponche” or “punch.”
We checked into our respective cabañas and tried to decide how to use our time. Jessica said we could drive two hours to the Cascada Basaseachi, the highest waterfall in all of Mexico, or drive only 39 minutes to a lake and have more time to walk around. Bill decided to go to neither place so someone came to light the wood in the fireplace for him. The rest of us opted for the lago.
Jessica explained that Noritari means “Place Among the Clouds,” and we certainly have the perfect day for it—big billowy clouds scud across the bright blue sky, sometimes obscuring the sun and reminding us of the light cool breeze.
We tried a route recommended by Señora Sol, passed a big lumber operation making apple boxes, drove between to trees with about an inch on either side of the vehicle. Finally Antonio said we could not make it going this way—the ditches were too deep. (Later we saw a big bridge that had been destroyed in the last storm). Antonio turned around, went back between the two trees and back along the rutted road to the main highway.
On our way again, Antonio turned at a sign: Mirado de la Prensa Situriachi. We parked at an overlook of the lake and ate our lunch. Jenny, Jessica and I went for a walk while the others drove to see the dam. It was a beautiful walk down through Manzanita to the stream, across along the lake and up to the swaying footbridges. We climbed a tower for views of the lake, then walked back and rode with the others back to the paved road. I asked Jessica about the big load of Tecate beer cans we had seen dumped in the road at Batopilas. She confirmed that they were there for cars to run over and flatten. She had talked with the man and he said he picked up cans from all the small villages and towns, then took them to a central point where he sold them to someone who shipped them to the United States for processing into new cans.
We returned to our cabaña in the Bosque Noritari to find that no fire had been lit. The cabin was quite cold and Jenny went to the office for help. They said they would take care of it, so Laurie, Jennie and I went off for a walk to find the “sweat lodge” that had been described to us. We followed a path labeled “Lago” but soon realized it was not going in the direction we wanted to go. There was a barbed-wire fence between us and our destination, so we walked along it trying to find an opening. Jenny went ahead and found a place where the barbed wire was loose. We could hold the wires apart and climb through. The sweat lodge was shaped like an igloo and appeared very new. We soon left because it was growing dark and we still needed to make our way back to the lodge for supper.
It was New Year’s Eve and we were invited to a Catholic Mass in the main room, the dining room, of the lodge. We were seated at the front round table, the two priests came into the room and celebrated a mass. It was very beautiful and full of tradition. When the mass was over we were served dinner. Sol did much of the serving, spreading joy wherever she went. At the end she put a bottle of wine on each table and proposed a toast to the New Year. We all clinked glasses many, many times, and Jenny and I talked past midnight in celebration of the New Year.
The following story was submitted to us by Kay Gilliland who describes her experience traveling with friends through Mexico’s Copper Canyon during the Christmas holidays. Today, the group leaves Batopilas and makes a stop at the majestic Cusarare Falls before returning to Creel.
The California Native is always thrilled to have groups of friends join our trips to this charming region of Mexico. We appreciate it when our guests share their stories with us and we like to add them to our blog for everyone to enjoy. Excerpts from her journal will be posted regularly, so check back often to learn more about Kay’s 11-day Copper Canyon Adventure.
December 30, Tuesday
Bags out early. Seven-thirty at Carolina’s for breakfast. There was good bread made by the proprietor of the General Store, eggs, freshly squeezed orange juice, and great fruit. We returned to Juanita’s Place, said goodbye, before Jenny and I started walking. We went into the church and a store and took pictures of people on the street.
Jessica caught up with us and we continued to the bridge. It was decided the tire needed air so Antonio took care of the vehicle in Batopilas while we walked on along the road. Antonio picked us up after having to take the tire off to check for leaks. It is 20 kilometers (more than 12 miles) uphill to La Buta and Jessica did that with a bicycle recently. Along that rutted, desolate-looking road, a man stood with his dog selling oranges.
We stopped at La Bufa and ate some of the oranges Jessica had purchased from the man at the side of the road.
We drove past the “U” in the road where I had walked on Sunday, gazed out at the curtain of rock and the “yurt” rock. We looked down to see the dirt road winding its way back to Batopilas.
We crossed a bridge where we looked down to see burros resting in the warm sand by the river. Next came Humira Point where we looked out at the canyon and bought things from local vendors. Much later we came to the paved road and clapped happily for Antonio who had maneuvered the long dirt road so capably. Little did we know there was more rough road to come.
Antonio soon turned onto on a dirt road and we were headed for Cascada Cusarare. Antonio crossed the boulder-filled stream five times. Jenny, Jessica and I got out to walk along the pine needle strewn trail, finally joining the others along the last half-mile of the trail to the cascade. We are such a disparate group that Jessica was running back and forth making sure each of us was okay, happy, and on the right path. All along the trail were Tarahumara families in beautiful, bright traditional clothing selling baskets, figurines, shawls, and other lovely things they had made. At the top of Cascada Cusarare the water fell in ribbons down to the stream far below.
When we reached the top Jenny had already hiked to the bottom of the falls 98 feet below so we took pictures of her down there. After walking back down the trail and buying a “snake” made from a root, I rode back out with Sally, Bill, Laurie, and Antonio.
Jenny and Jessica walked and we met them back at the paved road; they made it before we did. Soon we were back in Creel. Both museums were closed but the mission store was open, so, of course, we bought more mementos. I bought an offprint from the Annals of Sports Medicine entitled Rarajipari: The Kick-Ball Race of the Tarahumara Indians. At first I thought everything was very expensive, then I realized the prices were in pesos. Jessica explained that a share of the profits from the mission store goes to the Clinic of Santa Teresita, started by Jesuit priest Luis Verplancken in the 1950’s in an effort to improve the health the Tarahumara children. The clinic depends upon volunteers and provides services and medicines free to the Tarahumara and other people who need them. We walked across the street to supper—another delicious Mexican meal with Hibiscus juice and rice pudding for dessert. Back at The Lodge at Creel we were soon asleep.
The following story was submitted to us by Kay Gilliland who describes her experience traveling with friends through Mexico’s Copper Canyon during the Christmas holidays. Here, Kay and her traveling companions explore the village of Batopilas and the mysterious “Lost Cathedral” at Satevo.
The California Native is always thrilled to have groups of friends join our trips to this charming region of Mexico. We appreciate it when our guests share their stories with us and we like to add them to our blog for everyone to enjoy. Excerpts from her journal will be posted regularly, so check back often to learn more about Kay’s 11-day Copper Canyon Adventure.
December 29, Monday
In the morning, we walked to Carolina’s Restaurant in the Plaza Constitución for breakfast. We saw the sandal maker’s shop and his stack of tires. We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast, then got ready for the walk to Satevo. One of the local dogs, Perucho, joined us for the whole walk. Along the way Jenny found a sack of cheese and Perucho devoured it. I stopped to tie my boot lace and Perucho stayed with me. All of a sudden he looked up to find Jenny far ahead. Perucho ran as fast as his legs would carry him and caught up with her.
Up ahead, we heard a lot of animal snufflings which proved to be coming from one tiny piglet. I couldn’t believe that little thing was making all that noise.
We arrived at the “Lost Cathedral” of Satevo. A woman sitting in the gazebo of the plaza was making embroidered napkins. We sat down while Jessica told us about the Cathedral. It was built in the early 1600s or maybe the 1760s but the records were lost through fire. Another name for it is “Iglesias San Miguel de Satevo” but so little is known about who built it that the name “Lost Cathedral” has stayed with it. Piled around inside the cathedral were statues, basins, and other church paraphernalia. The walls are being restored (with government money) as near to the original as possible. The Christmas manger had many additions including a giraffe. Jenny climbed the ladder into the tower of the church and out onto the roof while we took pictures.
Jessica, Jenny, Sally, Laurie and I climbed into the truck for a ride back from Satevo. At the top of the hill Jessica and Jenny got out to walk, expecting Perucho to accompany them. Perucho would have none of it. He wanted to ride all the way back. He was finally pulled out of the truck and walked the rest of the way with Jenny and Jessica.
After a shower we walked over to Doña Mica’s for lunch. This restaurant is built onto her home and she cooks everything on an old-fashioned wood-fire stove.
A young woman came to the door of the restaurant with a basket full of something in red cellophane wrappers. Jessica bought some and introduced us to a sweet candy made of Cameron. After a refreshing lunch we walked to the General Store for chocolate covered frozen bananas and cups of frozen mango.
Back at Juanita’s Place I watched life on the Rio Batopilas: women washing clothes, children playing, teens swimming and teasing each other, cattle coming for a drink, and a truck driving down through the middle of it all. Sally crossed the swaying footbridge and returned saying there were many missing and broken slats. Bill pointed out the enormous bougainvillea tree and we talked about how it could exist when we knew the plant only as a slender vine.
We walked toward the Hacienda de San Miguel. I went the long way, getting a ride from Antonio for part of it, but everyone else crossed the river on a very narrow makeshift “bridge” with lots of help from Jessica. When asked if she felt like turning back, Sally said she was determined to make it because Laurie was making it. They did make it, but it was a “one-way bridge” because Jessica did not offer to take us back that way.
The ruins were quite impressive. Jessica explained that Alexander Shepherd administered his silver empire from this site. He decided the silver mines could be profitable if the silver was processed into ingots rather than trying to ship raw ore out of remote Batopilas, and those mines made him very rich. We walked around the ruins of stamp mills, an assay office, refectory, boardinghouse, corral and stables, machine shop, iron foundry, ingot mill, and other buildings and sheds. At one time an aerial tram linked canyon slopes on both sides of the river. Several large fig trees grow on the compound walls and the tallest building is overgrown with a huge bougainvillea; Jessica said the bougainvillea is considered the largest in the world.
We came back from our walk to find the museum as well as the craft store closed. We hung out in the Main Plaza watching the kids play ball. As we walked to supper Jessica saw Señora Montes and asked her to open the store after we had dinner. She said she would be there. We ate a wonderful supper at Patio Cinco Restaurante. The tostadas of avocado and of chicken tasted especially good. Jessica took glasses from the restaurant and walked across the street to get them filled at a place with a license. When we walked back the light was on in Señora Montes’ store and she greeted us at the door. We bought butterfly rattles, drums, baskets. Jennie bought a magnificent big drum for Lori.
We returned to Hotel Juanita’s and went star gazing on the roof. We found Orion, Auriga, Canis Major with Sirius the Dog Star, the Pleiades, the Great Square of Pegasus, Cassiopea, and the Milky Way but we never saw the Big Dipper, North Star or the Little Dipper. We went back down to our room and were soon asleep.
The following story was submitted to us by Kay Gilliland who describes her experience traveling with friends through Mexico’s Copper Canyon during the Christmas holidays. Today, Kay and her traveling companions descend into the canyon to the village of Batopilas.
The California Native is always thrilled to have groups of friends join our trips to this charming region of Mexico. We appreciate it when our guests share their stories with us and we like to add them to our blog for everyone to enjoy. Excerpts from her journal will be posted regularly, so check back often to learn more about Kay’s 11-day Copper Canyon Adventure.
December 28, Sunday
7:15 with Jenny up before me. Today we travel to the village of Batopilas to spend two nights at the bottom of the canyon. Breakfast in the lodge was a simple buffet, just right. Everything was set upon a big copper platter such as I had seen in the gift shop. After breakfast I asked the price of a copper platter and was told, $60.00 (or six-hundred persos). I appreciated that my morning breakfast plate was set upon a $60.00 platter.
Leaving Creel, with Antonio as our driver, we could see the Cristo Rey statue high above the town of Creel. We drove past a lake and Jessica pointed out some rocks that looked like elephants and a big rock shaped like a frog. Someone had scratched an eye and eyebrow to emphasize its frogness. We stopped by a bridge over the Urique River, walked across, and took pictures of the river and cliffs. Jenny climbed up to a shrine constructed like a miniature church and discovered it full of candles, plastic flowers, and assorted strange items. We walked back across the bridge where a family was selling baskets. We took two more walks, on one Jessica pointed out the jicama plant with a beautiful flower.
At Quirare, Jessica pointed out how the drop in elevation changes the vegetation from pine to oak and agave. Further on, we crossed the Batopilas River and stopped.
We saw a little school at La Bufa. Further on there was a sign saying “desponchado” meaning they would fix flat tires. We passed by Arroyo Santiago on the Batopilas River. Not far after that we saw the aqueduct which brings water to the town. Jessica explained that the aqueduct was built by Alexander Shepherd nearly a hundred years ago to provide a constant water supply for the town and to generate hydroelectric power. Batopilas still relies on the structure for its main water supply. We began seeing houses, signaling our entrance into the main part of Batopilas. The long, narrow town is along a road bordered by a river and the cliffs, leaving little room for expansion.
We arrived at Hotel Juanita’s across from the Main Plaza. Jenny and I have room 103 with a view of the river. There is a large patio and a veranda. Jessica gave us a map of Batopilas. We explored the town a bit with Jessica as guide. In the Main Plaza there was a wonderful mural made by schoolchildren.
We came back and explored the hotel’s second-floor balcony and rooftop lounge. We walked to the Plaza Constitutión for dinner at Doña Mica’s then walked back to our hotel. In the evening, Jenny and I walked up to the roof to see the stars and the Milky Way. We were in bed early and slept well.
The following story was submitted to us by Kay Gililand who describes her experience traveling with friends through Mexico’s Copper Canyon during the Christmas holidays. On this day, Kay and her traveling companions watch the sunrise over the canyon, visit a Tarahumara family, and ride the rails higher into the Sierras until they reach the town of Creel.
The California Native is always thrilled to have groups of friends join our trips to this charming region of Mexico. We appreciate it when our guests share their stories with us and we like to add them to our blog for everyone to enjoy. Excerpts from her journal will be posted regularly, so check back often to learn more about Kay’s 11-day Copper Canyon Adventure.
December 27, Saturday
A knock on the door got us up for a walk to the canyon rim to watch the sunrise. Laurie, Jenny and I bundled up against the cold and walked along the uneven path in the dark to a perfect spot to see a layer of red and gold in the sky. Clouds drifted along the cliffs making the cliffs themselves appear to move. The clouds kept moving and obscured the actual sunrise but the sky brightened with long sun rays highlighting the ridges.
We took tea to our room and sat on our porch watching the canyon colors change. Mexican eggs for breakfast, a shower, and then off for a walk along the canyon rim on ground strewn with long pine needles and oak leaves. We came to a cabin built for mining and railroad construction. We followed a large rock wall past a water supply to a big dog lying on a warm rock in the sun. A girl, Alicia, came from her house to greet us and was soon joined by her younger sister, Ypoli. They led us around the side of the dwelling—quite large for a cabin—and inside where we saw old furnishings, a victrola, hanging fixtures for candles, an old grinder, and other cabin necessities.
We walked with Alicia to their adobe house where we saw seven tiny puppies. Alicia said they were about one month old. Ypoli brought her little sister out and the girls played with the puppies and smiled at us. We left a bit regretfully; we had enjoyed the girls, the puppies and the setting.
Jenny had gone on a horseback ride and returned saying that she had a great time. Showers, lunch, and a short bus ride brought us to the train station. As usual the best place for sight-seeing was between train cars where Jenny and I rode the entire time and Sally part of the time. Jessica pointed out the Weeping Pine and explained there were more varieties of pines and oaks in the Tarahumara area than in any other region of similar size in the world.
On the train, we passed the highest point on the rail line (Los Ojitos at nearly 8000 feet) before we arrived at Creel.
Jessica gave us maps of Creel, the second-largest town in the municipality of Bocoyna, state of Chihuahua, and we boarded a big yellow school bus for a short ride to The Lodge at Creel. In our room, we lit the gas heater made to look like a little wood stove. Jenny and I walked to the museum to learn more about the Tarahumara people. Afterwards, we walked back and met the others for a complementary margarita provided by The California Native. Later, we walked to Veronica’s Restaurant for excellent guacamole and delicious vegetable soup.
The following story was submitted to us by Kay Gilliland who describes her experience traveling with friends through Mexico’s Copper Canyon during the Christmas holidays. Breathtaking is the word quite often associated with someone’s first view of the Copper Canyon at the area around Divisadero. Below Kay offers us a similar response.
The California Native is always thrilled to have groups of friends join our trips to this charming region of Mexico. We appreciate it when our guests share their stories with us and we like to add them to our blog for everyone to enjoy. Excerpts from her journal will be posted regularly, so check back often to learn more about Kay’s 11-day Copper Canyon Adventure.
December 26, Friday
Jenny made a fire in the neat little stove. We took pictures of the room and the rock high on the cliffs that resembled Yogi Bear.
Breakfast included eggs, cheese and mild chili sauce, all on a taco. We watched our cook make tortillas de aveno, then packed and thanked our hosts. Sally, Laurie and I went off for a hike with Jessica while Jenny went horseback riding. The hikers crossed an open area near lava- and tuff-layered cliffs, then up the arroyo to a small dam. Laurie decided to sit on a rock by the water. Sally and I followed Jessica upstream where she showed us an arrowhead. I asked if I could keep it and she said, “Oh, no. I always place it back under this leaf and rock so I can find it again for the next group. It is not considered to be of local origin, probably obtained in trade.” We continued upstream to the Cave of the Crosses. Fifty-three white crosses were painted on the black wall of the cave and there were human bones on the rocks. It is believed that the people died here of disease sometime around 1890 to 1900. There was possibly a storage area against the wall and there were several examples of the mano metate used for grinding corn. We hiked back down passing many kinds of oak and pine. Jessica pointed out the Alligator Juniper—it gets its name from the bark. I had seen a flock of little birds and a large bird like a woodpecker, but we did not see them again. We continued on to where Laurie was waiting and all four of us returned to the lodge in time to see Jenny coming in on her horse.
Jessica helped hoist our bags into the van and we all piled in for a ride to the train station. We talked with various people at the station. I rode between the cars in the open window. The canyons are very deep, 6135 feet in the case of the Urique (compare that to 6030 for the deepest part of the Grand Canyon in the United States). We passed the place where three canyons came together: Tararequa, Urique, and Copper. As before, many tunnels and bridges. The train stopped at San Rafael, a very colorful spot, where I bought my fourth basket.
Jessica explained that the pink-flowered trees were called Amapa and those trees came in yellow also. The beautiful fig type trees with yellow trunks and branches were Tescalame, one of the fig tree types. We got off at Divisidero for a van ride to the Mirador Hotel. We had a little porch outside our room with a fantastic view. Every room has a similar opportunity for its occupants to marvel at the canyon.
I saw a woman weaving a beautiful basket and wanted a picture. I bought my fifth basket so I could take a picture of her working on the basket.
The Mirador Hotel knows how to take full advantage of the reason for being on the rim of the Copper Canyon area. Jessica pointed out the place where the three canyons converge, only one of which is the Copper Canyon proper. Jenny’s and I sat on our porch filling our souls with the magnificence around us.
As we entered the lodge, Felipe gave us sombreros and began to play his guitar—lots of great songs. The Hat Dance brought a few people up to dance and more joined in as other tunes were played. Dinner of chicken, mashed potatoes and carrots (standing up like sentinels in the mashed potatoes) was followed by tea and cheesecake. Another wonderful day and off to bed.
Cerocahui Christmas Morning, Urique Canyon Christmas Day
The following story was submitted to us by Kay Gililand who describes her experience traveling with friends through Mexico’s Copper Canyon during the Christmas holidays. In this entry, Kay learns how Christmas cheer spreads from the lodge in Cerocahui to the village of Urique, deep in the valley below.
The California Native is always thrilled to have groups of friends join our trips to this charming region of Mexico. We appreciate it when our guests share their stories with us and we like to add them to our blog for everyone to enjoy. Excerpts from her journal will be posted regularly, so check back often to learn more about Kay’s 11-day Copper Canyon Adventure.
December 25, Thursday, Christmas Day
Jenny brought coffee from the lodge and made a fire. I wrote in my journal. The shower was nice and hot, breakfast was delicious including the bañuelos. I turned them over and filled all the little spaces with cinnamon and sugar: delicious. Laurie and Jenny helped stuff candy into a piñata. Children and parents began arriving and soon the piñata was swinging from a rope held by a boy on the roof. Diego started each child off and soon the piñata was broken and candy scattered out over a pile of children diving for it. Afterward Anna María handed out toys and toothbrushes and the children were delighted. The stuffed toys became prized possessions for each child and especially among the older girls.
We had a few minutes to get ready for a van ride to Urique Canyon. Along the way Diego picked up a man walking. We stopped at lookouts and then at a cave along the road. Diego Rhodes said at one time a family lived there, two parents and ten children. Now it is their shop and we bought baskets from a young girl inside the cave. It was my first basket purchase. The basket is made from the leaves of an agave plant and pine needles. We stopped at Mirador Cerro de Gallego, bought baskets, my second, and watched a family preparing and cooking goat meat. Later we visited that family in their home. From the lookout we could see our dirt road far below us with winding switchbacks clear to the bottom of the Urique Canyon.
As we approached the town we stopped to see a cemetery and then walked to Tortillerî Paulina Restaurant Plaza for a delicious lunch in an outdoor patio surrounded by flowers, other plants, and joyfully drunk people. We walked down the main street of town where trucks full of families lumbered toward an area near the Urique River. We turned back because of the dust and walked back up the main street. Young boys were driving four-wheelers up and down the street. By the time we got back toward town, people had cordoned off the central part of the street for a celebration. Diego drove back up the dirt road picking up those who were walking—a man, a family, some children—and dropping them off wherever they wanted at seemingly desolate places with no building in sight.
We stopped at the house of a Tarahumara family whom we had met at the lookout, Paula and Fabian. We saw their grain storage, the house, the fields of corn, some beans and melon, some apple trees, and the new room they had just built.
Back at the lodge, we had time to rest and write until 7:00 P. M. The five of us had a margarita together and then dinner: turkey and apple dressing. Off to bed afterwards, Jenny and I talked until late that night.
The following story was submitted to us by Kay Gililand who describes her experience traveling with friends through Mexico’s Copper Canyon during the Christmas holidays. On this day, Kay recalls her experience riding the train into the Sierra Tarahumara and spending Christmas Eve at the Paraiso del Oso Lodge in Cerocahui. The holidays are a fascinating time to visit Copper Canyon.
The California Native is always thrilled to have groups of friends join our trips to this charming region of Mexico. We appreciate it when our guests share their stories with us and we like to add them to our blog for everyone to enjoy. Excerpts from her journal will be posted regularly, so check back often to learn more about Kay’s 11-day Copper Canyon Adventure. December 24, Wednesday, Christmas Eve
Jessica’s knock on the door summoned us to a walk through El Fuerte. The town plaza was bordered by a church and public buildings with an elaborate ironwork gazebo at the center. Jessica had given us maps of El Fuerte, so it was easy to walk to the fort. The fort was constructed in 1610 under the order of the Viceroy of Montesclaros. We took pictures and hurried back for breakfast.
We returned to the Torres del Fuerte and walked through the lovely courtyard by the outside lounge area and into the dining room: papaya, watermelon, coffee, fresh orange juice, Mexican eggs, bacon, potato pancake and special toast.
It was not far to the train station. Bags were unloaded and we joined about 20 people waiting for the Chihuahua al Pacifico Railroad. A local boy carried my bag to the dock. Jessica gave us good maps of the train route and of the general area called Sierra Tarahumara, Barrancas del Cobre. We had assigned seats on the train but there were few passengers so we soon went wherever we wished. Favorite spots were a table in the dining car and standing on the platforms between the train cars. Those were the best viewing spots. Jessica pointed out typical plants of the thorn scrub: Kapok Tree, Palo Verde, Morning Glory Tree, Organpipe Cactus and Acacia. Many bridges and tunnels through spectacular mountains kept us on the platforms between the trains most of the time.
We got off the train at Bahuichivo Station. Our bags were loaded into a large van for the ride to the Hotel Paraiso del Oso (Paradise of the Bear). Located at kilometer 12 route 51 between Bahuichivo Station and Cerocahui, the lodge is in the Huetoibo Valley, Ejido de Cerocahui, Municipio de Urique, State of Chihuahua at an elevation of 5648 feet. Doug “Diego” Rhodes and Anna María Chavez de Rhodes own the 2.5 acre lodge and a 23 acre Rancho with horses. The theme is built around the enormous rock feature shaped like Yogi Bear, thus the name Paraiso del Oso.
Later, we went for a ride to Cerocahui. Diego picked up a family who were walking the road and then continued to the church where people were gathering for a posada because it was Christmas Eve. We looked into the church then walked about the town, bought food to take to a family, and returned to the plaza in front of the church to watch children trying to hit a piñata.
After a ride home, a few minutes of rest, a fire in the wood stove thanks to Jenny, we were off to the lodge for “ponche” (hot Christmas punch) and dinner. We were invited to a Midnight Mass with traditional dancing, but we were too tired and went to bed instead. Christmas Eve had been a delight.
The following story was submitted to us by Kay Gililand who describes her experience traveling with friends through Mexico’s Copper Canyon during the Christmas holidays. Here, Kay re-unites with her traveling companions and remembers an important rule-of-thumb when flying internationally.
The California Native is always thrilled to have groups of friends join our trips to this charming region of Mexico. We appreciate it when our guests share their stories with us and we like to add them to our blog for everyone to enjoy. Excerpts from her journal will be posted regularly, so check back often to learn more about Kay’s 11-day Copper Canyon Adventure.
December 23, Tuesday
It is 12:30 A. M. and I am still packing for the trip. To bed finally before the alarm rings at 6:00 am. Up to pack last-minute things and wheel my bag down to Vincent, our van. Rhea drove to Laurie Sheldon’s house and she was all ready so off we went. As Rhea pulled into the Oakland Airport, Laurie said, “We’ll get more stamps on our passports.” “Passport? Passport! I forgot my passport!” I cried. I jumped out, checked my bag at the airport, got back in the car and Rhea drove me lickety split back home. I grabbed my passport and Rhea got me back to the airport.
The plane left and we were in Los Angeles by 10:30 A. M. Sally and Bill Stanton were at the gate so we had fun talking and catching up. The plane was scheduled to leave at 1:30 P. M. We met Jessica Jerman, our tour guide.
We are finally off on an enormous plane with the three of us seated together. Then onto an EMB-145 (whatever that is) for the flight. Aduana (customs) was a snap.
We introduced ourselves along the way. Jessica’s parents are in Wisconsin; her mother made the cookies we enjoyed during the wait in the Los Angeles Airport—very rich and delicious. Jessica studied Spanish in college and has lived in Chile. She came to the Copper Canyon area nine years ago, worked at various jobs in the nearby towns and then started with The California Native. She has been one of their guides for three years.
We arrived at the Hotel Torres del Fuerte. I should have brought my hiking poles and my binoculars. I would have been better off with my daypack instead of my purse. And of course I will never forget my passport again!
We received this e-mail today from Janice and Greg Druian, of Terrebornne, Oregon, who have just returned from our 11-day Ultimate Copper Canyon Tour:
Greg and I have only been back two days, but we are convinced this is one of the best trips we have ever taken (the 11-day Copper Canyon guided tour).
We generally avoid tours, wanting to explore on our own. But we never could have arranged a trip like this…the sites were so carefully chosen; each lodge was not only unique but chosen so that we could experience the diversity of the area. Obviously care and attention was paid to the quality of the food (it ranged from very good to outstanding), And the choice of excursions allowed us in such a short period of time to get a really intimate glimpse of the culture, the terrain, and the history of this area.
As a guide, Jessica Jerman is outstanding. She had a wonderful balance between control (you have to get 13 people going in the same direction) and patience (inevitably there are a lot of personalities, styles and interests). She never seemed frustrated by our different requests or expectations. (I am not sure I could have been as patient.) She modeled wonderful behavior in her interactions with a wide range of people…giving us a role model for our own interactions.
We are definitely recommending this tour to our friends.
We received this letter from Robert Bolton, a photographer from Wellsville, Utah, who was delighted with his trip and the photographic opportunities in Copper Canyon.
Dear California Native,
Respecting my recent trip to Copper Canyon with your company, to begin Rob was an outstanding tour guide in all respects. He is highly competent, knows his facts and he was a pleasure to be with. Rob worked diligently to meet the various requests of tour participants. In summary, I count Rob as a new friend.
In regards to the trip itself, it was a thorough adventure. It seemed in some ways as though I was stepping back in time one hundred and fifty years – except for the modern amenities. I particularly enjoyed the cultural aspects of the sojourn, dealing with remote peoples and villages.
Batopilas was exceptional, and in my view the high point of the trip, although there were many other singular experiences as well. This remote village was a joy to visit, and, as I am a serious photographer, a pictorial feast. I spent the first afternoon there making pictures of the town and colorful facades. I would have enjoyed spending an additional day in Batopilas. Another aspect of this particular experience was observing the village inhabitants interacting with one another. They take time to enjoy one another’s company, something that is disappearing in western culture.
Further, this is the first time I have ridden a train since I was a child, other than a brief experience in Europe this past September. I thoroughly enjoyed the train and the various cultural experiences along the rails.
Our first nights stay at Torres Del Fuerte in El Fuerte was a special treat. The old world charm at this hotel was particularly memorable. I would have enjoyed spending a bit more time at this venue.
Throughout our travels the food was great. In particular, the cooking at the restaurant in Batopilas and at Diego’s – Paraiso del Oso – was outstanding. One other note: I had some of the best guacamole of my life at a small restaurant in Creel that Rob took us to.
To conclude, I’ll not soon forget this outstanding travel experience. Thank you for a wonderful adventure.
Sincerely,
Robert Bolton
Wellsville, UT
Thank you Mr. Bolton. And we invite others to share their impressions, photographs, and videos of their California Native trips. Lee Klein
The California Native is grateful to have comments from those who have traveled with us. We like to read about our guest’s experiences and have added this column to share their insights. Here, you can read first-hand from those who made the right choice to travel with The California Native.
Larry & Linda Emerson’s recent trip to the Copper Canyon was a success! Here’s what they had to say:
“We just returned from our 11-day trip to Copper Canyon with Rob Aikins. We wanted to let you know that we thoroughly enjoyed the trip. The overnight accommodations were distinctive and varied. The itinerary was also varied and well thought-out. We packed a lot of wonderful places and activities into a relatively short period of time without ever feeling rushed. And we appreciated the small size of our group and the fact that, much of the time, we were well away from the main tourist track.
“Rob [the guide] was terrific. He worked hard to accommodate everyone’s needs and desires and facilitated the bonding of 8 very different personalities into a cohesive group of travelers. Rob is clearly well-liked and respected by the local folks in all of the communities we visited, and he sweated the details of the trip so that none of us had to. We very much appreciate all the hard work he put into ensuring that we all had a wonderful, memorable trip.”
Here at the The California Native, we are always looking for new ways to connect with our “fans.” We love to share any information we have about our destinations like Mexico’s Copper Canyon, Costa Rica, Yucatan, Peru, Bhutan, Burma and more. Lately we have noticed that more and more people are joining social networking sites to keep abreast of their friends and interest groups.
We are happy to announce that we now have a California Native Page on Facebook, and you can become a fan on our Facebook page. If you are not yet a member of Facebook, you can also join and connect with old friends and make new ones too. You might learn about a trip some old friend took that you are dying to try yourself! Maybe they even posted some great pictures.
You may also have noticed that all of our stories, and this blog itself, are available for sharing on dozens of social networking sites as well as e-mail. Just click on the “share” icons on our website, www.calnative.com, to share a story, or page.
There is also an RSS feed on the top of our blog pages, to allow you to see blog updates, as soon as they are posted, on your Google Home Page or RSS reader.
Of course, you budding travel writers can always post your own story or photos on our blog or Facebook Page.
With the economy being at its lowest point since the Great Depression, our government is trying to give it a jump-start with a number of stimulus packages. We at California Native are announcing our own stimulus package:
We are giving a $100 discount to each person signing up for any of our trips to Mexico’s Copper Canyon. This offer applies to each person that you sign up, and you can join a small group tour or enjoy one of our independent adventures.
To qualify all you have to do is mention this offer at the time you sign up. Hurry, our stimulus package is valid only until April 15, 2009, but you can travel at any time. Yes You Can!
View from the Copper
Canyon train as it crosses
high above the Rio Fuerte.
Guests often ask why we run our Copper Canyon trips from west to east, beginning in El Fuerte and ending in Chihuahua, instead of the opposite direction. The answer is simple: It’s the best way to enjoy the sights!
One of the highlights of touring Copper Canyon is the ride on the Chihuahua al Pacifico Railroad—the famous Copper Canyon train. One of the world’s most scenic train rides, the route climbs from sea level to over 8,000 feet, passing through 86 tunnels and crossing 37 bridges along the way.
The tracks run from Los Mochis to Chihuahua City. Every morning a train is scheduled to leave from Los Mochis at 6:00 a.m. for Chihuahua, while a second train is scheduled to depart Chihuahua for the trip to Los Mochis. Notice that I say scheduled—it is not unusual for either train to lose two to four hours along the way. The two trains travel the same route in opposite directions and pass each other along the way.
The most scenic portion of the train ride is between El Fuerte and Creel. Shortly after leaving El Fuerte Station the train abandons the lowlands of Sinaloa and begins its ascent into the Sierra Madre Mountains. The vegetation changes as the elevation climbs and the views of the mountains, rivers, waterfalls and Tarahumara Indian homesteads are spectacular. At one point the train enters a tunnel, makes a U-turn in the mountain, and exits the tunnel with the canyon on the other side.
The midpoint of the trip is just west of Creel, after crossing the continental divide. After that, the train descends and the track parallels the highway, passing through industrialized farmland until it finally arrives in Chihuahua City.
One of my favorite spots to photograph the train ride is while we are crossing the Rio Fuerte Bridge, the longest bridge on the route. With the morning sun reflecting off the water, it is just gorgeous! The eastbound train crosses this bridge around ten in the morning while the westbound train arrives there approximately eight at night—dark during most times of the year. Starting trips at El Fuerte allows you to see the most scenic portions of the train ride during daylight hours.
The question most frequently asked by guests going on trips with The California Native to Mexico’s Copper Canyon or the Yucatan is, “What weather can I can expect?”
Having an idea of what the weather will be makes it much easier to pack. For those going to the Yucatan, packing is easy. Lightweight clothing (preferably from natural fibers), light-colors (they reflect the sun’s rays), and a wide-brimmed hat (to protect your face and ears from the sun). And, of course, don’t forget your swim-suit!
If you are traveling to Copper Canyon, predicting the weather is a bit more difficult. Mexico has three climate zones, tropical, temperate and cold, and the Copper Canyon tours traverse all three of them.
Upon arrival in the town of El Fuerte (around sea level), you can expect temps in the 70’s even in January. This changes dramatically as you climb high into the Sierra Madre Mountains to the town of Creel where elevations around 6500 feet can cool the air considerably. Expect frost in the early mornings from mid-October through the middle of March. It may even snow. Dress in layers. Avoid taking bulky overcoats—a comfortable jacket on a couple layers of long sleeves or a sweater should suffice. Don’t forget a pair of gloves. In the winter, if the day is sunny, you can expect the air to be mild (highs in the low 60’s). Don’t get too acclimated to the chillier air because from Creel, an excursion to the town of Batopilas in the bottom of the canyon brings you back to the heat of Mexico. It is a fact that the folks who live in Batopilas only acknowledge three seasons; summer, fall, and spring.
As winter approaches, people in the United States and Canada look to Mexico as a top vacation spot to escape the cold. Providing respite from the temperatures in the higher latitudes, Mexico has long been a sun-lover’s paradise. From the splendid heat and humidity of the Yucatan Peninsula, to the coastal climate at the tranquil town of La Paz, Mexico is renown for short sleeves, sandals, and sunscreen. But this time of year is also the perfect time to visit the wonders of Copper Canyon, with its scenery, cultural diversity and wide range of temperatures for everyone to enjoy.
Nothing can compare to a fresh, hot, homemade tortilla. I remember as a kid, my mom would give us tortillas right off the griddle sprinkled with a little cinnamon, sugar and butter. They were heavenly and simple to make (if you use the prepared flour).
Mayo Indian lady making
tortillas in Mexico’s Copper
Canyon
When you order a tortilla in Spain or South America you’ll receive an omelette—layers of eggs, potatoes and seasonings. But in the U.S., we are familiar with the tortillas of Mexico, kind of flat bread or pancakes. Meals are served with, in or on tortillas made of corn or wheat flour. Tortillas are very versatile and can be wrapped around fillings to make burritos and enchiladas, folded and filled to make tacos, served flat like a plate for a tostada, baked into a bowl for salads, or served like bread with a meal. Since 1985, NASA shuttle missions have been using tortillas to solve their food handling problems and eliminate bread crumbs in the instrument panels.
The Tortilla has become a regular food staple in most kitchens and can be found in every local grocery store. They are almost as common as a loaf of bread.
Of course you can’t beat the tortillas made in the traditional way in Mexico, such as the ones we enjoy on our trips to Mexico’s Copper Canyon , the Yucatan and Chiapas, but you can do a pretty good job of making them yourself.
The traditional way of making tortillas includes curing the corn in lime water until the hulls peel off, then grinding it with a stone mano (a cylinder-shaped stone similar to a rolling pin) and metate (a stone with a concave top for holding the corn). I usually skip this step, as it can be very time consuming.
Tortillas
3 cups flour (wheat, all-purpose or maza harina /corn flour)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
5-6 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening
1 1/4 cups warm water (mas o minos/more or less)
Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening or lard using a pastry cutter or criss-cross two knives.
If the mixture crumbles, you do not have enough shortening or it is not mixed. If it is a hard ball then you need to add more flour.
Add the warm water and mix the dough quickly by hand moving it around the sides to pick up any flour remaining in the bowl. Continue to knead the dough until it is soft and no longer sticky.
Cover the dough with a towel or plastic wrap to let it rest for about 5 to 10 minutes. Letting the dough set allows the water and flour to mix and will give you a softer tortilla after cooking.
Take your ball of dough and begin forming 1-inch diameter balls. Pat each between your hands, turning and patting until it is shaped like a fat disk. Place it aside and continue to do with the rest of dough.
On a lightly floured surface take one of the dough patties and begin to roll it out until you the dough is about 1/8-inch thick and 8 to 10 inches in diameter.
Heat your comal, or heavy griddle, over medium to medium-high heat. You will have to adjust
the heat after the first couple of tortillas. Heat till brown spots form, usually about 30 seconds each side.
Pull the tortillas off the griddle and lay them inside a folded towel or tortilla warmer until ready to serve. You can use these to make tacos, enchiladas or burritos. Or, butter one up and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar for special treat. Can’t get any better!
Christmas in Mexico’s Copper Canyon is a time of sharing and festivities. Nowhere is this more true than at the Hotel Paraiso del Oso. The rustic “Oso Lodge” is located in a beautiful valley just outside the town Cerocahui. All through the year, hotel owners Doug and Ana Maria Rhodes collect donations of gently-used toys and warm clothing and host a special Christmas celebration for the Tarahumara Indian children.
Guests visiting the lodge with The California Native on the 11-day Ultimate Adventure will enjoy a special Christmas Eve known as Noche-bueno (the Good Night). At 4 pm the hotel hosts the annual celebration at the Cerocahui Church. After a delicious dinner, Ana Maria’s serves her famous Christmas punch. Then, those wishing to join the Tarahumara Indians and mestizo community may attend the midnight mass, also known as La Misa del Gallo (Rooster’s Mass). Traditional Tarahumara dancing usually starts an hour or two before the mass, then recommences afterwards to make it an all-night celebration. As an old Spanish saying goes, “Esta noche es Noche-Buena, y no es noche de dormir” (Tonight is the Good Night, and it is not meant for sleeping).
As Christmas morning arrives, the celebration moves back to the Oso Lodge where local Tarahumara join the hotel guests for the piñata party. The native Tarahumara live in isolated ranchitos in the rugged mountains surrounding the hotel. They take turns swinging at the Christmas piñata until it explodes showering candy and small toys to the ground. The hotel is filled with laughter and glee as the children scramble to collect their treasures. Gifts from under the Christmas tree are handed out. As the locals return to their mountain ranchitos, guests with The California Native prepare for a day trip to the Barranca de Urique (Urique Canyon). In the evening after the excursion, guests enjoy a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings.
Spaces are still available on this adventure. So, please join us for a very unique Christmas celebration in the beautiful, caring village of Cerocahui. You’ll get to explore the great Copper Canyon area and meet the wonderful people who call it home.
The Tarahumara Indians are purported to be the world’s greatest runners,
Tarahumara runner in
Mexico’s Copper Canyon
running up and down the rugged canyons of their homeland, in Mexico’s remote Sierra Madre Mountains. The Tarahumara run for transportation and sport, and villages often compete against each other in races which last for several days. The area is commonly known as Copper Canyon, and its unique scenery and cave-dwelling inhabitants make it a favorite destination for active tourists looking to get off the beaten path.
The California Native has been running Copper Canyon tours for more than two decades, but the Tarahumara aren’t the only runners associated with the company. Several members of California Native’s staff are also avid runners.
The company’s founder and president, Lee Klein, began running two weeks before his 61st birthday. He has since competed in eleven marathons and is now training for his 12th.
Lee’s wife, Ellen, who also serves as California Native’s destination scout and researcher, is a race-walker and has completed five marathons, countless half-marathons, 5k and 10k races.
Lori Klein-Del Rosario, Lee’s daughter, who has guided California Native trips for almost twenty years, began running last year and completed her first marathon in June. She is now training for more races and is mentoring new runners.
In addition to running, California Native staff members participate in many other outdoor sports. Laurie Kraft, California Native’s Operations Manager, is an avid swimmer, while Jason Hall, California Native Tour Coordinator, can often be found surfing the waves at Malibu (after all, we are the California Native).
This is the second in our series of Images of the World taken over the course of the last twenty-five years since the founding of The California Native.
Over the more than 25 years that The California Native has been traveling the world, we have accumulated a large gallery of photos that we have taken around the globe. I thought it might be fun if we arranged a series of them by subject. So here is the first in our series of Images of the World.
I took this photo of a Tarahumara lady with a shy smile, weaving a basket in Mexico’s Copper Canyon.
A weaver in Thailand concentrates on her work in spite of the tourist (my wife) taking her photo.
A man in the remote Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, prepares fiber for weaving.
In Myanmar (Burma), a member of the Long Neck Paduang, a sub-group of the Karen hill tribes, is not inconvenienced by the neck rings she has worn since her youth.
Each year the California Native International Adventures invites travel agents to join them on a tour of Mexico’s Copper Canyon to experience the wonders of this remarkable destination. This year our group consisted of 20 travel agents and companions, a tour conductor, an assistant and a nurse. Not only did the group learn about the canyons, the Indians and the hotels—they had a blast.
We started our trip with a flight from Los Angeles to Los Mochis, then on to the colonial town of El Fuerte where we overnighted in a wonderful boutique hotel, the Hotel Torres. There we enjoyed a magnificent dinner, then got to know each other and the Torres Family, our hosts at the hotel. After a good nights sleep we boarded the Chihuahua al Pacifico railroad for the phenominal ride up into the Sierra Madre Mountains.
The Copper Canyon train is considered to be one of the most spectacular rail routes in the Western Hemisphere. It passes through 86 tunnels and crosses over 36 bridges as it climbs to over 8000 feet in the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains. At one point the train makes a 180° turn inside a tunnel and it was amazing to see the canyon suddenly appear on the opposite side of the train. As the train climbs higher into the mountains the scenery becomes more spectacular. The vegetation changes from semi-arid farmland to oak woodland. After several hours of a most enjoyable ride we arrived at the Bahuichivo Station and transferred to a lovely ranch-styled hotel, the Paraiso del Oso. This hotel, nestled in a beautiful valley just outside the town of Cerocahui, became our home for the next two days. The owners, Doug (Diego) and Ana Maria Rhodes made us feel like family. The home cooked meals were wonderful and the discada (a meal prepared on a disc over a fire pit) was a special treat.
The first afternoon at Del Oso we visited the little town of Cerocahui and its Spanish-colonial church. The next day we took a journey to an overlook with a fantastic view almost a mile down into the Urique Canyon. At the overlook, we enjoyed a wonderful Bar-B-Que and Diego told us about the area’s long history of mining, dating back to the days of the Conquistadors. We also visited a small boarding school where we met with Tarahumara children. Many of the travel agents brought donations of school supplies, toys and clothes. The smiles on the student’s faces were heart warming. The agents also took up a collection to help fund a scholarship program for the children.
The next day we were back on the train to enjoy more of this marvelous rail ride. Traveling higher into the mountains (up to 7200 feet) the oak trees disappeared and the pines took over. We arrived at the Posada Barrancas Station and took a short bus ride to the Mirador hotel, located right on the edge of the canyon, where we were greeted with margaritas on a patio overlooking the canyon. The view was indescribable and we could only hope to capture a small part of the beauty with our cameras. After checking into our rooms, we discovered that the same great view was now our backyard—the balconies of the rooms hung over the edge, giving each room a unbelievable view. Before dinner we met for a happy hour, and it really was—we danced and sang to a wonderful mixture of Mexican, South American, and popular dance music.
The next morning, after a full breakfast, local Tarahumara Indians, dressed in traditional costumes demonstrated their unique dances. They also performed a version of their running races. Real races can last over several days, the men kicking wooden balls ahead of them as they run, and the women rolling hoops. We enthusiastically cheered them on. After the race, we took a hike along the canyon’s edge to visit some Tarahumara caves (the indigenous people are cave-dwellers) and enjoy more wonderful views.
Next we traveled to the mountain town of Creel where we visited the plaza, the museum and the Mission Store. Here we purchased handicrafts made by the Tarahumara. The proceeds of the store fund the clinic that provides medical care to the Indians. We also had free time to wander the town and its many shops.
After a comfortable night in The Lodge at Creel, we headed out of town to tour the surrounding area. Our first stop was a visit to a Tarahumara cave and the families living there. Next we went to the rock formations in Mushroom Valley and Frog Valley, where nature has carved the rocks into strange imaginative formations. Next, we visited the San Ignacio Mission, built in the 17th Century to Catholicize the Indians, and the peaceful Lago de Arareko (Horseshoe Lake). We then had a lovely hike along the Cusárare River to Cusárare Falls, and enjoyed our sack lunches sitting upon rocks and logs, trading cookies and chips like schoolyard children. We then visited the 18th Century Cusárare Mission and the Loyola Museum, which houses a collection of masterfully restored paintings from the surrounding Sierra Madre missions. All along the way we came across Tarahumaras ready to sell us their handmade baskets, carvings and jewelry. The travel agents purchased many treasures and showed off their unique finds to each other.
Six days into the ten-day tour we traveled past the town of San Juanito to Norítari, a 200-acre ecotourism project located in the heart of a pine forest. Upon arrival, the owners, Lauro and Sol greeted us and showed us around. Each cabin was uniquely decorated with country-style crafts and lovely art and equipped with fireplaces, solar-powered lighting, and private bathrooms. A true gem in the woods. After lunch, some of us chose to take a van ride to the reservoir while others wanted to hike. The hikers got wet from an afternoon rain but the fireplaces in the rooms were heavenly. All of the meals at Norítari were freshly prepared by the family using unique and healthy seasonings and techniques.
After a feast of a breakfast, we were on our way again. Driving over a bumpy mountain road allowed more breathtaking views at each turn. At last we arrived at our destination—Cascada de Basaseachic, the second highest waterfall in Mexico. We were fortunate to see a lovely rainbow arch across the cascade’s spray. We made a brief stop at a Mennonite community and then continued on our way to Chihuahua City, the capitol of the state.
A good night sleep and we were ready to see all the sights Chihuahua has to offer. We visited the Government Palace, with its murals, painted by Aarón Piña Mora to commemorate the history of the state. Then we visited the home of the notorious Pancho Villa, which is now a state museum. We also visited Quinta Gameros, a pre-revolutionary estate which, legend has it, was built as a wedding gift for a young bride by a much older man who was one of the world’s richest—she refused to marry him and left for Paris. The house was never lived in by a family and now hosts art exhibits. We also visited the Chihuahua Cathederal—it took almost 100 years to build. After touring the city’s highlights, some of the group went back to relax, swim, and enjoy the amenities of the hotel. The rest of us went on to the open-air market to sample and purchase artifacts from all over Mexico.
Our last night in Mexico was a grand one. We all joined in for a margarita party and farewell banquet, complete with folkloric dancers and a great dinner. Then we finished it off with a fellow traveler’s birthday celebration. What a night!
On the last day we traveled the historic route of the Sante Fe trail and to the El Paso Airport for our flights home. We said our good-byes and made plans to stay in touch with our new friends.
Thank you to all that traveled with me and made this trip such a special event. Happy Trails!
The Fall/Winter 2008 edition of The California Native newsletter is now in the mail. The newsletter, published by The California Native since 1984, has more than 10,000 readers (not counting those who download from the web). If you are not already a subscriber to this free newsletter you can signup now.
This issues feature stories include:
CALIFORNIA NATIVES FOLLOW THE TEA HORSE ROAD
“My grandfather dipped his silver bracelet into the water, to make sure it was not poisoned,” related Chen Dong Mei, her eyes sparkling as she related stories of her grandfather who drove horses along the historical Tea Horse Road. The tea horse road, leading from Jing Hong, China, to Llhasa in Tibet, has been a major trade route for almost 5000 years.
THE BOWMEN FROM BHUTAN
Dancing about and shouting sexual insults at the opposing team, Bhutanese sports fans enjoy their favorite pastime, which is, of all things, archery!
COPPER CANYON TRIPS FEATURED IN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PUBLICATION
A new book, published by National Geographic, features The California Native’s tours through Mexico’s Copper Canyon.
THE LADY OF GUADALUPE
Throughout Mexico, in churches, roadside shrines, restaurants, and automobile decals, the Virgin of Guadalupe is a sacred icon for both Catholic faith and nationalism.
TELL THEM TO “GO TO XIBALBA”
It is the darkest place in Mayan lore, the underworld, the Place of Fear. It is ruled by the spirits of disease and death. And archaeologists believe that it actually existed in a series of underground chambers and passages.
THE MISSING SOLDIERS OF ALBERMARLE ISLAND
“The day was overpoweringly hot, and the lake looked clear and blue; I hurried down the cindery slope, and choked with dust, eagerly tasted the water—but, to my sorrow, I found it salt as brine.” So wrote Charles Darwin in The Voyage of the Beagle. Sixty-five years later, in 1904, eleven soldiers disappeared in the unforgiving landscape of Albermarle (Isabella) Island, the largest island in the Galapagos Archipelago.
Have the Copper Canyon and the Yucatan both been on your travel list for years? Now you can visit them together on a grand vacation to both of these wonderful Mexico destinations. The California Native has been leading small group tours through Mexico’s Copper Canyon for over a quarter of a century. A few years ago we added the Yucatan to our growing list of exciting destinations. Now, at the request of many of our clients we have tied these two destinations together by scheduling tours which explore both Copper Canyon and the Yucatan. Two views of Mexico, both completely different.
Copper Canyon is four times as large as the Grand Canyon and is located in the rugged Sierra Madre Mountains of Northern Mexico. It is the homeland of the cave-dwelling Tarahumara Indians and is accessed by one of the world’s most spectacular rail rides. On our tours of this fascinating area we travel to remote villages and discover the culture and history of these people who are also considered to be the world’s greatest long distance runners.
In contrast to this, on the tropical Yucatan Peninsula we visit the ancient ruins of the mighty Mayan civilization, as well as charming colonial cities, forts constructed to fend off the Caribbean pirates, and beautiful white sand beaches. Some of the tours also visit the state of Chiapas, with its lovely colonial mountain towns, jungle-draped ruins, and magnificent Canyon de Sumidero.
The combined trips are scheduled to depart on October 18, November 1, and December 28. Our 2009 departures are scheduled for February 14, March 1, May 11, October 5, and November 1. Each destination can also be booked on its own.
Please call us at 1-800-926-1140 for more information on these combined Copper Canyon/Yucatan adventures.
The California Native International Adventures is proud to welcome the Hotel Torres del Fuerte to their line of preferred Copper Canyon hotels. The newly restored hotel is in the colonial town of El Fuerte, the gateway to Mexico’s Copper Canyon.
This family-owned boutique hotel has been in the Torres family for nearly 200 years. Some of the structures date back to the time of the town’s original settlers 400 hundred years ago. This impressive property is conveniently located within a one-block stroll to the town’s plaza.
Upon stepping through the front archway, a member of the Torres family is there to greet you and show you around the hacienda. The friendly welcome and beautiful courtyard are just the beginning of a wonderful visit. There are 25 enchanting rooms, each uniquely decorated with fine art, antiques and materials from around the world (China, Morocco and Paris to name a few). The eclectic décor of the hotel gives it the feel of a home belonging to a rich silver trader who had, over the years, brought treasures back from his world travels.
The hotel’s elegant dining room offers gourmet meals and local fares including fresh caught black bass when available. The grounds are spectacular with luscious gardens and fascinating water features. A cozy cantina with an inviting patio lounge is just off the garden. The relaxed atmosphere and friendly service is a nice way to end a long day of touring.
Riding the Hulahula to the Arctic Ocean: a Guide to 50 Extraordinary Adventures for the Seasoned Traveler edited by Don Mankin and Shannon Stowell is not a typical walk in the park, not by a long shot. Instead, the anthology, published by National Geographic, takes the reader from the frozen latitudes of polar ice caps to the desert sands of Tunisia and most everywhere in between to highlight adventures for the active traveler. Since no adventure compendium would be complete without featuring the remote Sierra Madre mountains, Joan Merrick, a contributor to Hulahula and California Native client, reflects on her experience touring Mexico’s Copper Canyon.
Merrick, a New Yorker now living in Alaska working as a nurse practitioner, is no stranger to adventure. Her work serving patients of fly-in villages along the Yukon River and Pribilof Islands is thrilling enough that vacations to the bottom of Copper Canyon are the only way she and her husband keep in step with this excitement. “I wanted a destination that offered more than just sand and sun and sweet alcoholic drinks with funny umbrellas,” writes Merrick in her essay. For Merrick, the escorted 11-day Ultimate Tour, arranged by The California Native and guided by Jessica Jerman, proved to be this and much more: “The ride to the bottom of Copper Canyon was breathtaking. . . The information from our tour operator had warned us that the ride was not for the faint of heart, but I had no idea just how hair-raising it would be!”
While safety is paramount on all California Native trips, the nature of travel in this rugged area of Mexico is known to be effective at raising the pulse. Descending approximately 5000 feet while traversing 40 miles of poorly maintained gravel roads without guard rails to protect from the sometimes vertical shoulders is indeed a test of fortitude. However, clients tend to agree with Merrick, feeling vertigo is a small price to pay when they arrive at the town of Batopilas: “The town has 1500 people, one main street, a small sleepy town square, and a sprinkling of businesses, including a sandal maker who uses old tires for soles. . . A small store sells mango ices dusted with chili powder. The town was charming, a step back into the past and well worth a little discomfort and anxiety to get there.” It’s hard to tell these days, but the sleepy town of Batopilas was once the site of the largest silver-mining operation in the world, adding a rich history to this quaint village.
The flagstone of California Native Copper Canyon Adventures rests on the capabilities of guides who accompany guests on deluxe escorted tours. Guides enjoy sharing their knowledge of the area with clients. In many cases, California Native guides have spent time working with charitable organizations in the area and can provide a behind-the-scenes look at the Tarahumara culture. Such is the case with Jessica Jerman, the 27 year old from Wisconsin who facilitated Merrick’s trip. Merrick remarks: “Through Jessica’s efforts, we had the good fortune to visit the home of a Tarahumara weaver. . . Jessica also arranged a dance and game demonstration and took us to the home of a violin maker. These are just two examples of the several times during the trip that Jessica’s language skills and the goodwill that she and the company had built up over the years led to a unique experience.” These personal touches did not go unnoticed by Merrick, who was at first hesitant to group-style travel, but warmed to it when she realized she was in good hands: “These experiences convinced me of the advantages of visiting this area with a guide who has already established personal relationships with these very special people.”
Riding the Hulahula to the Arctic Ocean offers similar accounts from other traveler writers who, like Merrick, are more in their element when hiking the backcountry or interacting with an exotic culture.
The California Native prides itself in developing tours for the active traveler who enjoys creature comforts—even in the most remote locations. For twenty-five years The California Native has led adventurous people to exotic places all over the globe and continues to scout for new destinations off the beaten path.
Launched in June 1983, our company is celebrating its 25th year leading wonderful trips to unique destinations. This silver anniversary comes as a proud moment for our company’s founder, Lee Klein, who continues to scout new locations world-wide in search of new destinations for the active traveler. Klein, a graduate from Loyola Marymount University with a MBA in Management spent more than two decades as a corporate manager and college professor until, while climbing Ayer’s Rock in the Australian Outback, he decided to venture into the adventure travel business. As he did, he took to heart the lessons he taught his students on how to succeed in business: “keep it simple, and learn to do it right before adding new products and services.”
The initial offering from The California Native was a tour billed as “The Other Los Angeles.” This day-long excursion traced the route of the San Andreas Fault from the Mojave Desert to the San Gabriel Mountains without ever leaving Los Angeles County. The tour became so popular that colleges in three California counties offered them as part of their community-education programs. From this, the company expanded its offerings to include tours to the Channel Islands, Santa Barbara Wine Country, Death Valley, and other uniquely California destinations, as well as white-water rafting, ballooning, spelunking (caving), sailplane gliding, and other outdoor adventures. “My family has lived in Los Angeles for generations,” writes Klein in the company newsletter, “hence the name The California Native.”
Satisfying the growing client base led across the border to the development of The California Native’s most popular destination—escorted and independent tours of Mexico’s Copper Canyon. These tours feature the Chihuahua al Pacifico Railroad (labeled as one of the most spectacular train rides in the western hemisphere) and highlight one of the most primitive indigenous cultures still subsisting in North America—the Tarahumara Indians. The California Native has become a major source of information on this remote area of Mexico, and it’s guides are known throughout the area for their work with the Tarahumara.
Deep in the heart of Mexico’s Sierra Madres, in the town of Creel, the center of 
Now is the time to book your trip for Easter in Mexico’s 
As we come to the end of another year, it’s time to reflect on what we have accomplished in the last year and what we are looking forward to in the new year.
On May 21, 2010, California Native owners Lee and Ellen Klein were guests of Mexico’s President Felipe Calderón at a luncheon he held in Mexico City at Los Pinos, Mexico’s official presidential residence.
Most Americans think that Cinco de Mayo (the 5th of May) celebrates Mexican Independence Day. Not so. Mexican Independence Day is September 16. Then what is Cinco de Mayo?
Napoleon enlisted England and Spain to join him in a mission to encourage Mexico to pay off its foreign debts. The mission began with the landing of French, English and Spanish troops at Vera Cruz. The French minister then demanded that Mexico pay 12 million pesos to France, an impossible amount, given the state of the Mexican treasury.
Thanks to you and 
This is Batopilas, a small village located in Mexico’s Sierra Madres at the bottom of the deepest canyon in the vast complex of mountains and canyons known collectively as 
Three miles downstream from Batopilas, past an old suspension bridge, is a 400 year old Jesuit mission. The mission, recently restored, is known as the “Lost Cathedral” of Satevo, because over the course of time all records of it were lost by the Catholic Church.
To begin to understand the Tarahumara ceremonies, one has to have a basic understanding of the Indians’ religion. The Tarahumara are outwardly Catholic, but their version of Catholicism is unlike any form we are familiar with.
Born in a rural Ohio farming community, Doug has followed many diverse paths. He was an army sergeant, a NASA electrical technician, an editor, a deputy sheriff, a bodyguard, and now an inn keeper. His greatest passion is horses—he owns at least a dozen, and he brags that they are the best trained and equipped in Northern Mexico.
We’ve spent an exciting day exploring the remote regions of 
I arrive in Batopilas after an exhilarating drive down the winding dirt road from the mountain town of 
After a summer spent in the frigid waters of the Chukchi and Bering Seas, feasting on immense quantities of small crustaceans, the California Gray Whales begin their annual migration south to 
Easily accessible from 
Who were these strangely-dressed people, who came from obscurity to outpace hundreds of experienced runners?
silver anniversary comes as a proud moment for our company’s founder, Lee Klein, who continues to scout new locations world-wide in search of new destinations for the active traveler. Klein, a graduate from Loyola Marymount University with a MBA in Management spent more than two decades as a corporate manager and college professor until, while climbing Ayer’s Rock in the Australian Outback, he decided to venture into the adventure travel business. As he did, he took to heart the lessons he taught his students on how to succeed in business: “keep it simple, and learn to do it right before adding new products and services.”