Ride the Rails through Mexico's Copper Canyon

by Paris Permenter & John Bigley

No roads, no telephone poles, no electrical wires broke the pristine scene.The steep canyon walls and lush valleys were unmarred except for slim footpaths that wound like kite string through the dense vegetation.

This panorama in Mexico's Copper Canyon was witnessed by a small group of 40 vacationers who had arrived by rail, traveling from the desert to this elevation of over 8000 feet. More than distance, theirs was a journey back to a simpler time. Aboard a 1940's restored train, these vacationers had arrived in a land where high speed transportation means a fast horse and the change of seasons involves a nomadic move.

Copper Canyon is a remote area in Mexico's Sierra Madre mountains, located west of the town of Chihuahua. Most travelers arrive here by train, on a railway than many once said could never be built. With 86 tunnels and 37 bridges, construction of the Chihuahua al Pacifico took nearly a century, traveling through some of the most rugged terrain on the continent.

Often Copper Canyon or Barranca del Cobre is compared to the Grand Canyon. The Mexican chasm is four times larger and over 300 feet deeper than its American counterpart, although Copper Canyon does not have the vivid colors and stark beauty of the Arizona site. Instead, it boasts a quiet peace, a place where tourists are still somewhat of a novelty. This canyon is not a park, but home to over 50,000 Tarahumara Indians who live in caves along the canyon rim. The largest nomadic tribe in the Americas, the Tarahumara spend their winters in the interior of the canyon, amid lush vegetation including domestic orange groves.

Couples can ride on blue Mexican passenger trains that depart from Chihuahua and Los Mochis, but the most luxurious ride is aboard the Sierra Madre Express. The American-owned train consists of five beautifully restored 1940's Pullman cars, including sleepers, a two-story glass topped observation car, and a dining car.

Travelers begin their journey in Tucson with a bus ride across the Mexican border to the Nogales train station where the Sierra Madre Express awaits.The luxury of yesterday's train travel lives on aboard these restored cars. Touches from etched glass panels in the Arizona car to loungers that swivel 360 degrees in the observation car recall the days when trains were king.

Sleepers are large by train standards. Some rooms include double beds; others have a fold away upper bunk and a lower twin bed that serves a a couch in the day. Most rooms also include a small closet and a sink/toilet combination, although there are no shower facilities onboard.

The Sierra Madre Express is drawn by a locomotive that is part of the Mexican railway system. The train is usually linked with blue passenger cars of the Mexican railway as well as freight cars.

As the train rolls further and further south, it quickly leaves behind the reminders of modern life. The crowded streets of Nogales are soon replaced with a view of an arid land, unbroken except for small villages and ranch dwellings, some made of woven sticks. Telephone and electrical lines grow scarce.

In Sufragio, the train turns east and begins the steep ascent into the mountains. Soon cacti are replaced by blooming hibiscus and fragrant pine trees. The air cools. In small clearings among the forest, people tend their crops by hand, stopping to wave as the train passes.

Many passengers head to the Plaza Lamy observation car during this scenic stretch. Others stand on the open air platforms between the cars, feeling the rushing air, smelling the smoke of the locomotive, listening to the powerful wheels clanging against the tracks, and watching the countryside continue to change to an alpine splendor.

The highest elevation along the Copper Canyon journey is in Creel, a logging town at over 8000 feet. The streets here are narrow, traveled only by a few dusty cars as well as burros and horses.

Creel is home to the Mission Tarahumara, a local arts and crafts center whose profits go the the local Tarahumara hospital. The store sells a large variety of Indian handicrafts, produced from local materials such as pine needles, sotol, and pine scraps.

Most Tarahumara crafts are produced by women. The men typically work in the small fields in the canyon and are rarely seen by train passengers. The women and children, clad in colorful dresses and omnipresent scarves, sell their crafts at hotels, train stops and in the mission store. Small handcarved dolls, also sporting brightly colored clothing, are popular, as well as bark carvings of turtles, snakes and small animals. The most exquisite craftsmanship goes into violins, played by the Indians during their ceremonials, and sold to visitors for less than $20.

Prices at the Mission Tarahumara and throughout the canyon from the craftsmen themselves are uniformly low. Baskets begin at $1 and go to about $8 for a hamper-sized creation. Dolls range from $3 - 8. The Tarahumara speak very little Spanish and no English; most quietly answer with "tres" or "dos" when asked about prices. There is no bartering here.

The most remote view of the canyon is reached from Cerocahui, a mountain village that is the third night's stop. Located one hour from the train station, visitors board school buses for a somewhat bumpy ride to this quiet village. The next day, travelers journey to the lookout, with a stop at "La Virgencita", a grotto and water spring sometimes rumored to be a fountain of youth.

After Cerocahui, it's a return ride to Nogales, when many travelers head to the back car to watch videotapes like Runaway Train and The Great Train Robbery. It's an evening spent with new-found friends, people joined together by a look at an uncommon culture and a ride on an uncommonly elegant train.