Introduction

At once ancient and modern, Chihuahua state is home to both ruins of bygone civilizations and monuments of a thriving industrialized society. Prosperous US-style suburbs flourish on its desert plains, while mysterious cave dwellings built thousands of years ago nestle in mountain crevices, awaiting exploration. Add to this the fact that it is also home to one of the country’s most famous natural attractions, the Copper Canyon, and you have the makings of a fascinating destination.

Mexico’s largest state, covering 150,000 square miles, is the country’s leading producer of apples, walnuts, oats, cotton and jalapeño chili peppers. But its strategic location along the US border has made assembly plants, called maquiladoras in Spanish, the mainstay of the economy. As many as 400 plants assemble mostly electronic and automotive goods for export. Lumber production and cattle ranching are the next biggest revenue earners.

Chihuahua City

Chihuahua city is modern, with outlying industrial parks and some historic attractions, including the home-turned-museum of revolutionary Pancho Villa, leader of the northern rebellion during the 1910 Mexican Revolution. Villa’s home has been turned into the Museum of the Revolution. On display is a “Wanted” poster issued in 1916 by the chief of police of Columbus, New Mexico, offering a 5,000 dollar reward for Villa’s capture after he and his men stormed the city, the only time a foreign army has invaded the United States.

Another interesting home-turned-museum is Quinta Gameros, a lavish French-style mansion built in 1910 for a local mining magnate. Other sites worth visiting are the state capitol, whose large main patio is decorated with impressive murals depicting the state’s history, from the arrival of the Spanish to the Mexican revolution; the cathedral, built between 1726 and 1825, and its underground Museum of Sacred Art; and Casa Redonda, home to the Contemporary Art Museum, with works by Rivera, Siqueiros and others.

The government-run Casa de las Artesanias, at Av. Juarez 705 (T. (614) 437 1292), has a large selection of regional handicrafts, mostly the work of Tarahumara Indians who live in the Copper Canyon. You might also want to get a bottle of Chihuahua’s local brand of firewater, called sotol, which is made from a variety of agave called sereque.