Barrancas del Cobre- The Raramuri....The Men of Light Feet.....

Among the myriad wonders of the Barrancas del Cobre are the Tarahumara Indians. They refer to themselves the Raramuri, men of light feet. This name pays homage to their remarkable long distance running ability. Both the men and women run barefoot and compete in 100 mile long running races with the men kicking a ball as they run and the women twirling a hoop...!!!! 

This a one of the balls that the Tarahumara men kick as they run the traditional races. It's hand carved of wood by local tribes people and is  about as big as large orange. We bought it from a man who had a small stand on the top of a mountain.

Tarahumara is the name given to them by the Spanish.  Today the Spanish name is the most common reference but the tribe itself does not like that name and prefer their traditional tribal name......Raramuri... . They are direct descendant's  of the Aztecs and still live in small communal groups according to their own traditions, ideas, and beliefs. Some still live in caves tucked away in the canyon. 
Unfortunately, their story follows the same sad, tragic pattern as the the indigenous peoples of the United States....one of being violently exploited, subjugated, and persecuted by a more powerful arrogant culture which viewed them as being sub-human. In the case of the Raramuri it was the Spanish that violated, enslaved, exploited, and murdered! In an effort to save themselves and their way of life, the Raramuri fled deeper and deeper into the canyons of the 
Barrancas de Cobre which made them very difficult to find and capture. They were saved by their geography.
To survive in the modern world of today they  farm small tracts of land and rely on a steady stream of tourists coming into the canyon who purchase their crafts. They are elusive and still dwell in the remote canyons in the mountains and only come down to our world when they have to. If you should go to see them remember they are a shy people, innately distrustful of outsiders. They do not like their pictures taken...ask permission first and most likely their response will be no!

A mother and children buying something at a tienda in Divisadero

This lady was trying to sell some of her handicrafts to El Chepe passengers at the little train stop in Bahuichvio which is a little more than halfway to our ultimate destination....

This basket was hand crafted by local tribal women. You see them weaving these baskets all the time while sitting under a tree or off to the side of the road . We bought this from a lady at the Divisadero train station.

Incredibly this is one of their trails into the mountains where they live...........

We ran into this somewhere along the way....nice !!! Look closely and you'll see the rainbow....!!!

Tana and I were trying to hike up to a small group of Tarahumara that lived a couple of hours hike away....at this point we are two hours into the trek and still haven't reached the halfway point!! shortly after this pic was taken my knee gave out and we had to turn back.....never did reach the village.

Here is a typical inhabited Tarahumara dwelling in the 

Barrancas de Cobre

Waiting for the El Chepe at the Divisadero train station....

The food court at the Divisadero train station....great place to grab a snack while waiting for the train. Tana and I ate here several times while in the canyon.....

We got back to El Fuerte about 10pm.....we had made arrangements for a taxi driver to pick us up when the train arrived...don't forget that the station is remote and about 10 miles outside of town!! He was there waiting for us when we pulled in about 45 minutes late.....I tipped the guy ten bucks. 

Pleasant and uneventful six hour drive home.

That's our trip. Thanks for sharing it with us. We will be doing another one shortly....just don't know where yet.....and you know that we will definitely share it with you....until next time

peace to you all my friends...