🇲🇽  COPPER CANON – BARRANCA DEL COBRE – EL CHEPE

The Journey through the Copper Canyon by train is an experience of one of the most scenic train rides in the world. TAs El Chepe chugs along its 653 km (405 mi) of track, a journey which takes anywhere from 9 to 16 hours, it crosses over 37 bridges and through 86 tunnels. It crosses the Copper Canyon, called the Barranca del Cobre by Mexicans.

The Copper Canyon is one of Mexico’s lesser-known gems. …

is a group of six distinct canyons in the Sierra Madre Occidental in the southwestern part of the state of Chihuahua
It is 65,000 sqk  / 25,000 sqm  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).

All six rivers merge into the Rio Fuerte and empty into the Gulf of California. The walls of the canyon are a copper/green color, which is the origin of the name.

The Spanish arrived in the Copper Canyon area in the 17th century and encountered the indigenous locals throughout Chihuahua. For these New Spanish, America was a new land to explore for gold and silver and also to spread Christianity. The New Spanish named the people “Tarahumara”, they encountered derived from the word Rarámuri, which is what the indigenous people call their men.

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.