Copper Canyon (Spanish: Barrancas del Cobre) is a group of six distinct
canyons
A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency to cu ...
in the
Sierra Madre Occidental
The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American C ...
in the southwestern part of the
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of
Chihuahua in northwestern
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
that is in size. The canyons were formed by six rivers that drain the western side of the
Sierra Tarahumara (a part of the
Sierra Madre Occidental
The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American C ...
). All six rivers merge into the
Rio Fuerte
The Fuerte River is a river in the state of Sinaloa, in northwestern Mexico. It flows from headwaters in the Sierra Madre Occidental to the Pacific Ocean in the Gulf of California.
Course
It begins at the junction of the Rio Verde (also called ...
and empty into the
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja Ca ...
. The walls of the canyon are a copper/green color, which is the origin of the name.
History
The
New Spanish arrived in the Copper Canyon area in the 17th century and encountered the indigenous locals throughout Chihuahua. For the New Spanish,
America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
was a new land to explore for gold and silver and also to spread Christianity. The New Spanish named the people they encountered "
Tarahumara", derived from the word Rarámuri, which is what the indigenous people call their men. Some scholars theorize that this word may mean 'The running people'. During the 17th century, silver was discovered by the Hispanic in the land of the Tarahumara tribe. Some were enslaved for mining efforts. There were small uprisings by the Tarahumara, but to little avail. They eventually were forced off the more desirable lands and up into the canyon cliffs.
Climate
The alpine climate of the mountainous regions of Copper Canyon has moderate temperatures from October to November and March to April. The bottom of the canyons are humid and warm and remain that way throughout the year. During the warmest months, April through June, drought is a chronic problem with little rainfall until July when the rainy season begins.
Flora and fauna
The Sierra Tarahumara Occidental region contains numerous species of pine and oak trees.
Mexican Douglas-fir
''Pseudotsuga menziesii var. lindleyana'', commonly known as the Mexican Douglas-fir, is a conifer in the genus '' Pseudotsuga'' that is endemic to Mexico. DNA sequence and morphological evidence suggests it is most closely related to Rocky Mou ...
(''
Pseudotsuga lindleyana'') trees cover the high plateaus in altitudes over , but due to deforestation in the area, many species of wildlife are endangered.
Cougar
The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large Felidae, cat native to the Americas. Its Species distribution, range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mamm ...
s live in the remotest of regions and are rarely seen. After the summer rainy season these upper regions blossom with wildflowers until October.
From ,
oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
trees grow in the huge forests as well as the more shade-tolerant types of trees. In the fall the forests become brilliant with color from Andean alder (''
Alnus acuminata
''Alnus acuminata'' is a species of deciduous tree in the Betulaceae family. It is found in montane forests from central Mexico to Argentina.Zuloaga, F. O., O. N. Morrone, M. J. Belgrano, C. Marticorena & E. Marchesi. (eds.) 2008. Catálogo de la ...
'') and poplar (''
Populus
''Populus'' is a genus of 25–30 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar (), aspen, and cottonwood.
The we ...
'' spp.) trees. Brushwood and scrubby trees grow on the canyon slopes, which can accommodate the dry season. Huge fig (''
Ficus
''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending in ...
'' spp.) and
palm trees
Palm most commonly refers to:
* Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand
* Palm plants, of family Arecaceae
**List of Arecaceae genera
* Several other plants known as "palm"
Palm or Palms may also refer to:
Music
* Palm ( ...
thrive at the bottom where water is plentiful and the climate is tropical.
Threats to the ecosystem
Due to increases in human population, there are many threats to the ecosystems of the Sierra Tarahumara Occidental region. The government funding to build a "tourist friendly" atmosphere poses threats to the environment and indigenous cultures. Roads have been built in the former isolated mountainous zones. Agriculture and grazing as well as the cutting of hardwoods and other trees for firewood has accelerated a soil
erosion
Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...
problem.
Mesquite
Mesquite is a common name for several plants in the genus ''Prosopis'', which contains over 40 species of small leguminous trees. They are native to dry areas in the Americas.
They have extremely long roots to seek water from very far under grou ...
(''Prosopis'' spp.) and desert ironwood (''
Olneya tesota
''Olneya tesota'' is a perennial flowering tree of the family Fabaceae, legumes (peas, beans, etc.), which is commonly known as ironwood, desert ironwood, or palo fierro in Spanish. It is the only species in the monotypic genus ''Olneya''. This t ...
'') trees are cut and exported primarily to the U.S. for charcoal. Amapa (''
Tabebuia chrysantha
''Handroanthus chrysanthus'' (araguaney or yellow ipê), formerly classified as ''Tabebuia chrysantha'', also known as ''araguaney'' in Venezuela, as ''guayacán'' in Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador, as ''tajibo'' in Bolivia, and as ''ipê-amarelo ...
'') trees yield highly prized lumber for building and furniture making. Other trees are also cut and sold for their high-priced lumber.
Over-harvesting
Overexploitation, also called overharvesting, refers to harvesting a renewable resource to the point of diminishing returns. Continued overexploitation can lead to the destruction of the resource, as it will be unable to replenish. The term ap ...
of the forests in the area has caused the extinction of the
imperial woodpecker
The imperial woodpecker (''Campephilus imperialis'') is a woodpecker species endemic to Mexico. If it is not extinct, it is the world's largest woodpecker species, at long. Researchers have discovered that the imperial woodpecker has slow climb ...
and
Mexican wolf
The Mexican wolf (''Canis lupus baileyi''), also known as the lobo,; nah, Cuetlāchcoyōtl is a subspecies of gray wolf native to southeastern Arizona and southern New Mexico in the United States, and northern Mexico; it also previously rang ...
. Approximately, two percent of the original
old-growth forest
An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...
remains. However, a massive forest-harvesting project in the region has been abandoned, for now, by the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
. The Mexican forestry department deemed these species of trees "legally protected," but enforcement is difficult.
The government has taken measures to halt or slow down the cultivation of
opium poppies
Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which i ...
and
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...
by spraying crops with
herbicide
Herbicides (, ), also commonly known as weedkillers, are substances used to control undesired plants, also known as weeds.EPA. February 201Pesticides Industry. Sales and Usage 2006 and 2007: Market Estimates. Summary in press releasMain page fo ...
s, which threaten the populations of many different species. A large
saturniid moth, ''
Rothschildia
''Rothschildia'' is a genus of moths in the family (biology), family Saturniidae first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1896.
Species are found in North America and South America from the United States to Argentina.
Species
*''Rothschil ...
cincta'', is one of the species that are threatened by the spraying. Their
cocoons are used by the native population for ceremonial purposes.
Open-pit mining
Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or open-cut mining and in larger contexts mega-mining, is a surface mining technique of extracting rock or minerals from the earth from an open-air pit, sometimes known as a borrow.
This form of mining ...
for copper, gold and other metals not only produces air pollution from
smelters
Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore, to extract a base metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy. It is used to extract many metals from their ores, including silver, iron, copper, and other base metals. Smelting uses heat and a c ...
, but has been linked to the serious decline of the Tarahumara frog (''
Rana tarahumarae''). Every river system has been dammed causing fresh water shortages in nearby desert communities. An enormous dam is being constructed on the Rio Fuerte, which poses major environmental problems and may lead to massive losses of tropical forest and habitats.
Conservation is underway, but remains informal and slow. Mexico has environmental laws, but suffers from lack of financial resources. Enforcement has been lax or non-existent. Agencies are actively trying to increase the protection for natural preserves.
Indigenous people
Copper Canyon traditional inhabitants are the
Tarahumara or Rarámuri. With no official census, the population of the Rarámuri people probably ranges between 35,000 and 70,000.
Many Rarámuri reside in the cooler, mountainous regions during the hot summer months and migrate deeper into the canyons in the cooler winter months, where the climate is more temperate. Their survival strategies have been to occupy areas that are too remote for city people, way off-the-beaten-path to remain isolated and independent so as to avoid losing their culture.
Tourism is a growing industry for Copper Canyon, but the acceptance of it is debated in the local communities. Some communities accept government funding for building roads, restaurants and lodging to make the area attractive for tourists. Many other groups of Rarámuri maintain their independence by living in areas that are as far away from city life as possible. Their way of life is protected by the mountainous landscape.
Their diet is largely domestic agrarian but does consist of meat from domesticated cows, chickens and goats, wild game and freshwater fish. Corn (maize) is the most important staple of the Rarámuri's diet.
The Rarámuri people are known for their endurance running. Living in the canyons, they travel great vertical distances, which they often do by running nonstop for hours. A popular Rarámuri community race called
rarajipari, is played by kicking a wooden ball along the paths of the steep canyons.
Tourism
There are many other ways to explore Copper Canyon such as hiking, biking, driving or horseback riding. The most popular way is by train, as the
Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico
The Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico (Chihuahua-Pacific Railway), also known as El Chepe from its reporting mark CHP, is a major rail line in northwest Mexico, linking Chihuahua City, to Los Mochis and its port, Topolobampo. It crosses the Si ...
or ChePe, runs along the main canyon called Canyon Urique, between Chihuahua and Los Mochis, on the Gulf of California.
The Chihuahua al Pacifico began in the late 19th century. The
revolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
, lack of funding, and the overall difficulty of building a railroad over such terrain hindered its completion until 1961. The railroad comprises of rails with 39 bridges and 86 tunnels. The total trip takes approximately 15 hours and passes through towns, as well as the towering cliffs of the canyons. Along the railway, many Tarahumarans lay out their food, crafts and other wares for sale.
Mexico established the Parque Nacional Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon National Park) to showcase this remote area. The park is located in the municipalities of
Batopilas,
Bocoyna
Bocoyna is a town and seat of the municipality of Bocoyna, in Chihuahua state of northern Mexico. As of 2010, the town of Bocoyna had a population of 796, up from 735 as of 2005. Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía. Principales r ...
,
Guachochi
Guachochi is a city in the south-western portion of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. The city of Guachochi serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name.
As of 2010, the city of Guachochi had a population of 14,5 ...
, and
Urique
Urique ( Tarahumara: ''Urike'') is a town and seat of the municipality of Urique, in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to:
Places
* Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state
**Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the s ...
.
The
Basaseachic Falls National Park
Basaseachic Falls National Park is a national park located in the western side of the state of Chihuahua in the heart of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range. The park is named after Basaseachic Falls (Cascada de Basaseachic) the second ...
around the
Basaseachic Falls
Basaseachic Falls (Spanish: ''Cascada de Basaseachi'') on the Basaseachic River is the second-highest waterfall in Mexico, located in the Parque Nacional Basaseachic (Basaseachic Falls National Park) at Cañón Basaseachic in the Copper Canyon ...
is located within the canyon area.
Cities and towns
Among the villages located in or on the Copper Canyon are:
*
Bahuichivo, ChePe train stop for Cerocahui, Urique, Piedras Verdes, Tubares
*
Basaseachi, located near the Cascada Basaseachi waterfall in the Barranca Candameña. The towns and ranchos of San Lorenzo, Cahuisori, and Huahumar encircle the rim of the canyon, also home to Mexico's highest waterfall
Piedra Volada (). It is on the main
Federal Highway 16 between Chihuahua, Chihuahua, and Hermosillo, Sonora. The Rio Candameña is a tributary of the
Rio Mayo which flows into the
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja Ca ...
.
*
Batopilas, elevation , a town on the
Batopilas River at the bottom of a canyon; first established by the Spanish around 1632 to mine silver. It is located southeast of Urique.
*
Bocoyna
Bocoyna is a town and seat of the municipality of Bocoyna, in Chihuahua state of northern Mexico. As of 2010, the town of Bocoyna had a population of 796, up from 735 as of 2005. Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía. Principales r ...
, east of Creel, and on the eastern escarpment of the continental divide. The nearby
Rio Conchos
The Río Conchos (Conchos River) is a large river in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It joins the Río Bravo del Norte (known in the United States as the Rio Grande) at the town of Ojinaga, Chihuahua.
Description
The Rio Conchos is the main rive ...
flows into the
Rio Bravo (Rio Grande) on the Mexico-Texas border.
Carichí
Carichí is a town in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It serves as the municipal seat of the surrounding municipality of the same name.
The town was founded as a Jesuit mission (Misión de Jesús de Carachí) on 18 November 1675. Its name com ...
, Sisoguichi, and Panalachi are important Tarahumara settlements on the Rio Conchos drainage system.
*
Cerocahui, S. of the train stop at Bahuichivo.
*
Creel, atop the canyon and, at altitude, marking one of the highest points on the
ChePe railroad route (San Juanito is higher at ); a central point for commerce and tourism.
*
Divisadero, a key train stop and vista point with views down into the Urique Canyon of the Barranca del Cobre. The ChePe train allows a 15-20 minute stop for visitors wishing to see the view. Divisadero and nearby Areponapuchi located south are major canyon-rim trailheads for hiking into the Rio Urique canyon. This high mesa is home to three tourist class hotels located on the canyon rim, as well as several guesthouses.
*
Témoris, a dual town located apart in elevation. The ChePe train
traverses the valley 3 times including a long
tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...
to gain
elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...
. Located on the Rio Septentrion, lower Temoris is at .
*
Urique
Urique ( Tarahumara: ''Urike'') is a town and seat of the municipality of Urique, in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to:
Places
* Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state
**Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the s ...
, . Located at the bottom of the canyon rim below Bahuichivo, on the Urique River. It is NW of Batopilas, now connected by a rough road.
In popular culture
Copper Canyon was featured on Season 1 Episode 12, of ''
Man vs. Wild'' on the
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...
, on ''Raramuri Tale'',
The nonfiction book ''
Born to Run
''Born to Run'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on August 25, 1975, by Columbia Records. As his effort to break into the mainstream, the album was a commercial success, peaking at number thr ...
'' by
Christopher McDougall
Christopher McDougall (born 1962) is an American author and journalist. He is best known for his 2009 book '' Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen''. He has also written for ''Esquire'', ''Th ...
, chronicling the story of ultra-runner
Micah True
Micah True (November 10, 1953 – March 27, 2012), born Michael Randall Hickman and also known as Caballo Blanco (white horse), was an American ultrarunner from Boulder, Colorado, who received attention because of his depiction as a central ...
in the Copper Canyon with the Tarahumara Indians, who taught him a better way to run.
True was the race director of the
Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon,
which ends in
Urique
Urique ( Tarahumara: ''Urike'') is a town and seat of the municipality of Urique, in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to:
Places
* Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state
**Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the s ...
's plaza. The race covers of single track trail and dirt road.
See also
*
Carl Lumholtz
Carl Sofus Lumholtz (23 April 1851 – 5 May 1922) was a Norwegian explorer and ethnographer, best known for his meticulous field research and ethnographic publications on indigenous cultures of Australia and Mexico.
Biography
Born in Fåberg, N ...
References
General references
*Cassel, Jonathon F. ''Tarahumara Indians '' Naylor Co. 1969
*Disappearance of the Tarahumara frog. In ''Our living resources 1994, National Status and Trends Report''. National Biological Survey, Washington, D.C.
*Fayhee, John M. "Mexico's Copper Canyon Country: A Hiking and Backpacking Guide to Tarahumara-land", Cordillera Press, 1989,
*Fontana, Bernard L. ''Tarahumara: Where Night is the Day of the Moon.'' University of Arizona Press, 1997.
*Grant, Richard. "God's Middle Finger: Into the Lawless Heart of the Sierra Madre", 2008,
*Hart, John M. ''The Silver of the Sierra Madre: John Robinson, Boss Shepherd and the People of the Canyons.'' Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2008.
*Hendricks, E.M. "Barranca Trails: Camino Reales in Mexico's Copper Canyon", 1994,
*Kennedy, John G. "Tarahumara of the Sierra Madre: Beer, Ecology, and the Social Organization" 1978,
*Lumholtz, Carl (1987) ''Unknown Mexico: Explorations in the Sierra Madre and Other Regions, 1890-1898. Vol 1.'' Dover Publications. pp 118–421.
*McDougall, Christopher "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen." , Knopf, May 2009.
*Merrill, William L. "Raramuri Souls: Knowledge and Social Process in Northern Mexico", 1988;
*Pennington, Campbell W. "The Tarahumara of Mexico: Their Environment and Material Culture", University of Utah, 1963,
*Roca, Paul M., ''Spanish Jesuit Churches in Mexico's Tarahumara'', University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 1979,
*Seedhead News (1991). Sierra Madre World Bank "development" or logging project? ''The Seedhead News'' Nos. 32 & 33: 1–11.
*Zingg, Robert, ''Behind the Mexican Mountains'', University of Texas Press, Austin, 2001,
External links
{{Authority control
Canyons and gorges of Mexico
Landforms of Chihuahua (state)
Landforms of the Sierra Madre Occidental
Sierra Madre Occidental
Tourist attractions in Chihuahua (state)