A little over one month ago, we left Oaxaca for the US/Mexico border. I needed to take care of some documentation regarding the legality of my truck being in Mexico, which required us to exit and re-enter the country since my 6-month legal status (with the truck) was to expired. Initially, we contemplated the cost of making way to the border versus any potential fines for not doing so. I dismissed the idea of breaking the law, so we then had to decide whether to cross over at Matamoros/Brownsville, TX. (much closer and direct) or Aguas Prieta/Douglass, AZ. Aguas Prieta won over for a number of reasons, primarily because that route would take us through the renowned pottery town of Mata Ortiz in Northern Chihuahua, secondary was a trip through the Barrancas del Cobre, Mexico’s Copper Canyon.
Papers Please State Warning
Any time I am headed to the border -regardless of which side I’m on or which direction I’m crossing- I try not to read any US headlines regarding violence in Mexico. Even when south of the border it’s difficult to ignore the reality of cartel violence in the press. But after logging many thousands of kilometers under my fan-belt traveling through rural Mexico, I like my odds. Certain precautions are always employed and I make attempts to adhere to those self-imposed rules. All that being said, we departed on our multi-purposed journey that would take us from Oaxaca on a north-western trajectory, lasting six weeks and visiting 10 or 11 states, with most of that time being in the northern border state of Chihuahua. The 10-day drive getting to the border was great, especially through the state of Michoacan and staying in the capitol of Morelia, and Zacatecas, who’s capitol city shares the same name.
Finally arriving in the north you notice some of Chihuahua’s larger cities seems to be thriving, and my intuition suggested that it may be illicit money that is being pumped into the numerous strip malls, restaurants, housing development and more. After months of reading of Mexico’s “expanding middle-class”, Chihuahua was one of the few places I saw any evidence of those claims. Anyway, we didn’t come here for the cities, we were headed to the northern part of Chihuahua to visit Mata Ortiz, and eventually pass into Arizona.
My driving preferences tend to keep me off the major highways, something that the officials will admonish you from doing. But this choice keeps me in touch with the real face of Mexico and the real faces of Mexicanos. I take the warnings with a grain of salt. Driving the Cuota (Mexico’s pay-as-you-go highway system) is the equivalent to driving Interstate in the US. Secured highways that bypass tiny towns and bergs. There are no speed-bumps or stop signs on the Cuota that require you to have a relationship with the local population or allow you to smell food being prepared and offered street-side. You get a PEMEX for gas fill-ups, maybe an OXXO (7-11 type convenience store) and that’s about it. The limited reach of Mexico’s Quota system will -from time to time- require you take secondary roads anyway, but intentionally seeking out these rural secondary and tertiary routes is what makes a real difference.
We did make our way past the border into Arizona, staying a number of days in Bisbee while having my truck attended to. Whenever the subject came up with local Arizonans about traveling south across the border into Mexico, there wasn’t anyone who acknowledged a desire or even admitted (like one should be ashamed for doing so) they they crossed over. Traveling into Mexico simply wasn’t in the mix of options. What a shame.
Northern Chihuahua
As one who especially likes driving in places I am unfamiliar with, I could easily imagine numbers of off road vehicles from the US exploring Chihuahua, but this would only be part of my imagination. The rugged landscape equals anything you’d come across north of the border; Sedona, Moab, Zion, The Canyonlands. Our trip back across the border into Chihuahua for our second pottery search in Mata Ortiz, then entering and exploring the Barrancs del Cobre (Copper Canyon) from the northern canyon town of Creel. This would far surpassed any experience I had in the US, but the Copper Canyon trip isn’t without its foibles (no suitable maps, no up-to-date GSP data). All-in-all, the spectacular nature of the drive certainly compensates for any shortcomings. A total of seven canyons make up the Barrancas del Cobre (Copper Canyon), and anyone with the drive to drive will be more than satisfied. Even better, hikers and explorers who prefer to do things by the boot rather than the tire would be hard-pressed to find an equal to exploring the numerous ancient foot paths that lace the canyons. These foot paths were placed on the landscape by the Tarahumara tribe of indigenous people who have lived in the canyons for hundreds of years and continue to exist here, in spite of the inhospitable conditions.
I must admit that I did have the advantage of traveling with my wife Victoria, a native Mexicana and fluent in spanish. This was, without a doubt, an advantage that aided in the success of our travels. I would have been lost on numerous occasions where directions were needed, such as meeting a dead-end or a fork in the road, and where input from someone local was imperative in us getting from point-A to point-A1. Same goes for acquiring accommodations or gasoline in remote towns like Uriqre or Batopilas; you always feel that more welcomed (or accepted) when a native Mexican is asking the questions.
Our four days exploring the canyons ended with us passing through the southern canyons and the border of Chihuahua into Sinola, then eventually landing in the town of El Fuerte. Even without confirmation from maps, we made our way through remote areas of Chihuahua and into Sinaloa. After four days on unpaved roads, we were pleased to meet pavement and more-so to wind up in El Fuerte where we would find a hotel with running water, and hot running water at that (that canyons have been without rainfall for over two years, water is an issue). The days that followed took us to Mazatlan following the pacific coast south to San Blas (Nayarit) before bee-lining it back to Oaxaca.
For the more intrepid traveler, if you are able to dismiss the spectacular and sensational headlines and warnings about traveling south of the border I think you’re in for an amazing adventure. This doesn’t mean head down full-bore, as I mentioned in the start of this writing I always try and follow some basic precautions. Specifically, I try and limit my travels to daylight driving only and I try and place myself at day’s end where I can find a suitable accommodations for an overnight stay and one that offers secure overnight parking, most every hotel does.
The shakedown aspect of driving through Mexico is still part of the culture, and from my experience this comes more from local cops (Transito) than state or federal police. One of the more effective ways to deal with the “mordita” is to shift yourself into total “gringo-mode,” lacking ANY ability to communicate even one word in spanish. Don’t even try and don’t slip in any desire to communicate in spanish. Just repeat in clear and succinct english “I’m sorry officer, I don’t understand any spanish”. Usually out of frustration, you’ll be sent on your way if you convey yourself in a friendly “I’d love to help if I could” manner. However, if they persist, simply ask for their name or ask for a supervisor who can assist in the translation. Additionally, you will probably come across either Federal police of military roadblocks. From what I’ve been told, they’re primarily looking for guns and ammunition, and they usually ask the same thing; where are you coming from and where are you going? They might ask to look in your vehicle, but I’ve never been shaken down by these agencies, I think they have too much to risk. If you are cooperative and answer the questions as much as you are able to, things should be fine. There’s a piece on Cancun South website regarding getting pulled over by the police, recommended reading.
There’s also a chance that you’ll get stopped at an unauthorized roadblock. There’s no such thing as surprising anyone when pulling into a small town in the canyons, you’re driving switchbacks and visible to the town’s residents long before you arrive. We had one such incident where the road was blocked by a SUV, gun-toting driver approaching us and (I suspect) back-up sitting “shotgun”. Don’t panic and don’t be a hero, you’re in a no-mans land that employs “gun rules”, he with the gun makes the rules. Although a situation like this does get your hair on end, we left with the impression that whoever the person was simply wanted to know who we were and why we were driving through their town. We didn’t feel threatened at any point but it was a bit unnerving.
A few more final recommendations. If you’re a coffee (or tea) drinker and want your coffee in the morning, bring your own coffee maker and grinds. I carry one that employes a small pot that sits where the glass would usually go. Also, electrical outlets can be scarce in Mexican hotels, so bring a small extension cord so you don’t have to hold your coffee pot in the air while it’s brewing. Bring along some two-prong outlet adapters and make certain the blades are the same narrow width, not the usual one-wider then the other. Nothing worse than having the adapters but that don’t fit. Be prepared to go without TV and internet access as well, these aren’t as common and expected as they are north of the border.
You’d be hard pressed to eat as well in any tourist town as you will on the road. The taco stand or paleteria (ice cream), the pollo asado or the vat of carnitas being cooked up roadside. Mexican road food is the real deal, and with the exception of being in the North, don’t expect to find burritos on the menu, or tacos that you’d usually find to the north. Try and be as adventurous with eating as you are with your exploration of the landscape. The real Mexico lies just beyond the border and off the main road, in the same way the real America lies off the interstate and in the backroads. I highly recommend taking the trip. I should add, I’m not against traveling in the US, we managed nine months and 27K+ miles north of the border before this latest venture into Mexico. Its just different, and different is good.
Please enjoy the images below, from our latest trip from Oaxaca to the border and back. Saludos…
