Mexico Travel | Hole In The Donut Cultural Travel

From One Festival to Another in Zacatecas, Mexico

Published April 28, 2010 | By Barbara Weibel

By the time all the Semana Santa festivals had finally drawn to a close, I was ready for some quiet time. I boarded a first class Primera Plus bus in Chihuahua and settled back in my plush reclining seat for the ten hour ride to Zacatecas. Whenever I grew tired of watching movies on the overhead TV screens, I stared out my window at mile after mile of desolate desert covered with thirsty bushes and stunted, gnarled trees, marking our progress by distant dusky blue mountains that drew incrementally nearer.

My only concern was whether I would have a place to stay upon arrival. I had been trying to get in touch with Hostal Villa Colonial for the past two days but the contact form on their website wasn’t working. Finally, I emailed them directly and hoped for the best; the bus would arrive in Zacatecas at 11 p.m. and I had no way of knowing if the hostal would even be open at that hour.

From the bus station I grabbed a taxi for the short trip to the center of Zacatecas. This was a different world from northern Mexico. Stately colonial era buildings flanked stone-paved streets and despite being nearly midnight, the sidewalks were filled with people. Music drifted through the taxi’s open windows: jazz, drumming, rock and Mexican ballads mingled as we slowly carved our way through pedestrian clogged avenues. Directly behind the cathedral, my driver pulled over and pointed to a doorway barely visible for the people standing in front of it. I pushed through the crowd to the front desk, where the manager immediately greeted me: “Barbara you made it. We got your email and we have held our last room for you. It is the top floor, a very nice room, you will like it. Let me show you the way.”

View of Zacatecas Cathedral from my rooftop room at Hostal Villa Colonial

The streets are clogged wih people at all hours

La Bufa looms over the town

As I trudged up the narrow stairway to the third floor he apologized for the crowds and the noise; every inch of the hostel was crammed with people who were attending the fourth annual Zacatecas Cultural Festival. So much for a few days of quiet. Breathless and exhausted, I threw open the French doors of the penthouse and gazed out over the Centro Historico (historic downtown) of Zacatecas. The Cathedral’s floodlit dome dominated my rooftop vista in one direction, while more distant illuminated buildings outlined the hilltop known as La Bufa in the other direction. There was no doubt I was going to like Zacatecas, despite not having my wish for peace and quiet granted. Frankly, I was just grateful to have a bed and bathroom. Continue reading →

Posted in Mexico travel |

Tagged blogsherpa, culture, Hostal Villa Colonial, Mexico, Music, northern central highlands, Travel, Zacatecas |

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Is Mexico Really A Dangerous Travel Destination?

Published April 24, 2010 | By Barbara Weibel

It was my birthday and I was in Chihuahua, the last place in Mexico that I wanted to be. The city had been all over the news. Worried about the number of students who head to Mexico for spring break, in March the U.S. State Department had issued a travel warning that strongly advised against travel to Mexico, stating, among other things, the following:

“Recent violent attacks have prompted the U.S. Embassy to urge U.S. citizens to delay unnecessary travel to parts of Durango, Coahuila and Chihuahua states and advise U.S. citizens residing or traveling in those areas to exercise extreme caution. Drug cartels and associated criminal elements have retaliated violently against individuals who speak out against them or whom they otherwise view as a threat to their organizations. These attacks include the abduction and murder of two resident U.S. citizens in Chihuahua.“

Admittedly, I was nervous, but I had no choice. At the end of my Copper Canyon tour I was bound for the town of Zacatecas in central Mexico and the only reasonable way to get there was to take a bus from Chihuahua. And so, I gritted my teeth, steeled myself against fear, and stepped aboard a bus to Chihuahua, telling myself I’d be OK if I didn’t go out at night and took all the normal precautions.The bus arrived in Chihuahua at dusk and let us off in the central business district, next to an entire square city block that had been razed. Cars zoomed up and down the main boulevard but there were few pedestrians in sight. I looked across the barren lot to the lights of hotels on the other side and briefly considered picking my way through the chunks of concrete littering the site until common sense kicked in; I had only the name of a hostel I hoped would have a room available and no idea how to find it. Fortunately, at that very moment a taxi driver picked up my bag and ushered me to his vehicle.The ride was four whole blocks and he charged me $40 pesos, amounting to nearly $1 US per block, but since the driver waited until the hostel owner confirmed she had a room he was worth every last centavo.

The next morning I let myself out the double set of locked metal doors and headed out to investigate. By day, Chihuahua was a different place. I strolled the two blocks to the city’s massive cathedral and wandered around the central square. Women pushed baby strollers and children chased pigeons around the square. Office workers in crisp suits sat for a quick shoeshine before hurrying to their jobs. Tourists clustered around guides, straining to hear the history of Chihuahua over the din of traffic. Nowhere was there a hint of danger.

Chasing pigeons in Cathedral square

I crossed the street and leaned against the walls of the Palacio del Gobierno – the municipal offices of the Governor of the State of Chihuahua – hoping to take a photo of the entire Cathedral square, but try as I might I couldn’t catch a break in the pedestrian and vehicle traffic. I was about to give up when a young man approached me and asked if I would like to come into the Governor’s offices to take a photo from a second floor window overlooking the square. Jorge, who worked in the public relations office, ushered me into private offices where legislative meetings take place and threw the shutters wide, inviting me to take all the photos I wished. When I’d had my fill, he presented his business card and insisted I call him if I needed anything during my time in Chihuahua.

Board room of the Palacio del Gobierno, Chihuahua, Mexico

Cathedral and Plaza de Armas from the second floor of the Palacio del Gobierno

This type of courtesy was repeated time and again during my three day stay in Chihuahua. On my way back from a museum another young man who was washing cars on the street greeted me and we struck up a conversation. He had been a police officer in Copper Canyon until recently and he wanted to practice his English; he also gave me his number and told me to call if I needed any help. Back at Cathedral square, two teens insisted I take their photo, one posing like a muscle man, arms raised to flex biceps. “You tell everybody we are Chihuahuasenses!” they grinned. Even when I walked into the Quality Inn San Francisco Hotel unannounced, inquiring if I could see rooms in order to write a review, I was treated like royalty. Not only did I see rooms, I got a tour of the entire hotel was invited back to have breakfast in their restaurant Continue reading →

Posted in Mexico travel |

Tagged blogsherpa, central north mexico, Chihuahua, dangerous, drug wars, Mexico, narcotraficantes, Travel |

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An Adventure In Copper Canyon, Mexico, Final Chapter – Tarahumara Indians in Guapalayna End Semana Santa with a Drunken Bash

Published April 22, 2010 | By Barbara Weibel

This entry is part 14 of 15 in the series Copper Canyon, Mexico

For more than a week, Semana Santa (Easter week) celebrations have been occurring in Copper Canyon, Mexico. I was fortunate to attend two of these, one on Palm Sunday in the tiny Tarahumara village of Cusarare and another on Good Friday in Cerocahui, where I joined in a re-enactment of the crucifixion of Christ, but from the beginning I have been looking forward to the main attraction on Easter weekend. For this reason alone I have returned to Urique Canyon; I hope to witness the Tarahumara Indians perform their mystical religious rites in the village of Guapalayna.

Can’t see the above slide show about Semana Santa in Guapalayna, Mexico? Click here.

In mid-afternoon on Saturday, I joined the other guests staying at Cabanas San Isidro Lodge for the two hour drive to the bottom of the canyon. With no hotel facilities in Guapalayna, we planned to stay overnight in Urique, rising early on Easter Sunday morning for the short drive to the Tarahumara settlement. At least that was the plan. Unfortunately the hotel where we had reservations had other ideas. When we arrived, there was “no room at the inn.” Our reservations had been turned over to guests who wanted to stay more than one night. Since all accommodations in town were totally booked we drove back up to the canyon rim, placated by assurances from the lodge owner that we would return the next morning in time for the festivities.

Beginning in the mid-1600′s, Jesuit monks began converting the Tarahumara to Christianity. The Jesuits succeeded where other had failed, most likely because they allowed indigenous peoples to merge their traditional native beliefs with Catholicism, resulting in peculiar animistic/religious ceremonies that are today staged on religious sacred holidays, Easter being the most important celebration of the year. On Saturday afternoon, loose Continue reading →

Posted in Mexico travel |

Tagged adventure, Barranca del Cobre, Barrancas de Cobre, blogsherpa, Cabanas San Isidro Lodge, celebration, Copper Canyon, culture, festival, Guapalayna, Mexico, northwest Mexico, Raramuri Indians, Semana Santa, Tarahumara Indians, Travel, Urique |

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An Adventure In Copper Canyon, Mexico, Chapter Fourteen – Semana Santa Celebration in Cerocahui on Good Friday

Published April 20, 2010 | By Barbara Weibel

This entry is part 13 of 15 in the series Copper Canyon, Mexico

For the final days of Semana Santa (Easter Week) celebrations I returned to Urique Canyon, although this time I stayed atop the rim rather than at the bottom. After a hard day of travel on the economy class El Chepe, which was standing room only for the entire journey, I gratefully climbed into my plush bed at Cabana San Isidro Lodge, pulled three blankets up to my chin to ward off the high mountain chill, and was instantly, dreamlessly asleep.

Can’t view the above YouTube video of the Good Friday Celebration in Cerocahui? Click here.

The following morning, after a delicious breakfast of homemade biscuits and marmalade, French toast, and eggs scrambled with onions, peppers, and cheese; the lodge van delivered me to the small community of Cerocahui. This village of 900 residents, tucked into a high mountain valley dotted with apple orchards, is dominated by an impressive church that was constructed upon the crumbling adobe ruins of a Jesuit mission abandoned in the early Continue reading →

Posted in Mexico travel |

Tagged adventure, Barranca del Cobre, Barrancas de Cobre, blogsherpa, Cabanas San Isidro Lodge, celebration, Cerocahui, Copper Canyon, culture, festival, Good Friday, Mexico, northwest Mexico, Raramuri Indians, Semana Santa, Tarahumara Indians, Travel |

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An Adventure In Copper Canyon, Mexico, Chapter Thirteen – Batopilas Beckons

Published April 17, 2010 | By Barbara Weibel

This entry is part 12 of 15 in the series Copper Canyon, Mexico

From the moment I began planning my trip to Mexico’s Copper Canyon (Barrancas del Cobre in Spanish), I knew that visiting the villages of Urique and Batopilas were my top priorities. On the map they seemed quite close and I assumed I could start with Urique and take a short bus ride to Batopilas. I wasn’t totally wrong. Urique and Batopilas are quite close to one another…as the crow flies. But what looks like a short distance on the map is actually a rugged landscape of canyons that requires a two-night, three day hike. While I was in Urique I heard rumors that a rough new four-wheel drive road had been cut between the two villages, but I could never find anyone who knew where this mysterious road is located. In the end, I opted to do what everyone else does: I went to the town of Creel and took a five and a half hour ride down into Batopilas Canyon.

Can’t view the above YouTube video of the bus ride down into Batopilas Canyon, Mexico? Click here.

Unlike the descent into Urique Canyon, the trip to Batopilas is made in a brand spanking new bus. I boarded in front of the Los Pinos Motel at 7:30 a.m. and very shortly we were descending into the canyon on a good paved road. About three hours later the pavement was replaced by a rough dirt track that followed a torturous switchback route down into the canyon. The driver negotiated crumbling bridges and slowed to a crawl in areas where erosion had washed out a portion of the already narrow road. Brakes squealing like an upset sow, he navigated around impossible curves with overhanging rocks that left only inches of clearance – there was no room for error, since backing up was an impossibility. I gasped and held my breath where gorges plummeted thousands of feet just inches past our wheels; when I remembered to breathe the odor of hot brakes wafted through my open windows. Thankfully, the bus made several stops to let the brakes cool, but then I wondered what would happen if a tire blew or the driver had a heart attack. I could only repeat my trusty mantra: if I die here it will be doing something I love.

Can’t view the above slide show of the ride down into Batopilas canyon, Mexico? Click here.

On the canyon floor, a scattering of ranches and homes began to appear. We snaked along a crystalline river amidst rocky, cactus-dotted slopes and crossed one last bridge into the tiny town of Batopilas. As we pulled aside the town square I prepared for another sprint; it was the Wednesday before Semana Santa weekend and again I had no reservations. I dashed into Hotel Mary’s first. It was tolerable but very rough, so I ran across the plaza to Hotel Juanita, where Continue reading →

Posted in Mexico travel |

Tagged adventure, Barranca del Cobre, Barrancas de Cobre, Batopilas, blogsherpa, bus, Copper Canyon, Creel, culture, Mexico, Mission, northwest Mexico, Raramuri Indians, Satevo, Tarahumara Indians, Travel |

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An Adventure In Copper Canyon, Mexico, Chapter Twelve – Using Creel as a Staging Area

Published April 16, 2010 | By Barbara Weibel

This entry is part 11 of 15 in the series Copper Canyon, Mexico

The most interesting thing I could find to write about Creel is that it’s home to the worst hostel I’ve ever stayed at. Other than taking a quick stroll through the central plaza, where Tarahumara artisans display and sell their crafts, I found little that interested me in this town. Creel does, however, have one saving grace: it’s a perfect staging area for visits to the many interesting sites located in the eastern half of Copper Canyon and savvy tour operators have developed a number of well-designed trips to these sites.

Tarahumara Indian women sell their crafts in the central plaza in Creel

On my first full day in Creel I opted for a tour that visited six different locales, all well worth a visit. Our first stop was Cascada de Cusarare (Cusarare Waterfall Park), located on Tarahumara native lands a short distance outside of Creel. We paid a modest fee of $15 pesos per person (a little more than a dollar) and bumped along a rough road, churning up the omnipresent chalk-like dust that that defines the Sierra Madre Mountains. A couple of miles up the track our non-English speaking guide stopped and pointed out a path along the river for those of us who wished us to walk the remaining distance to the waterfall.

Dusty, barren landscape at Cusarare Waterfall Park (Cascada de Cusarare)

I followed it up a desolate rock-strewn hillside dotted with gnarled pines, wondering how it was possible to carve out a living on this barren terrain. For nine month each year, barely a drop of rain falls in the Sierra Madres. Trees turn tinder-dry, rivers shrink to rivulets, and everything in sight is coated in a fine layer of dust. When rains do finally arrive in June they come in deluges, flooding rivers and washing out roads. In this land of extremes the Tarahumara eke out a living, selling beadwork, carvings, and assorted other handicrafts, sometimes sitting for hours under a searing sun while awaiting the next tourist bus. Fortunately, Cusarare provides more shelter than most sites. Nearer the waterfall, pine forest thickened and branches intertwined overhead, creating a shade canopy beneath which Tarahumara women had set up their stands.

Tarahumara Indian girls at Cusarare Waterfall Park

Beyond the vendor area, an overlook offered a view of the waterfall, a mere trickle at this time of year. Not content to settle for the topside view, I descended about 300 concrete steps to a canyon floor choked with immense smooth boulders, providing irrefutable proof of summer inundation. Continue reading →

Posted in Mexico travel |