Discover these delicacies of the Sierra Tarahumara.
Barranco shrimp
In the depths of the Sierra Tarahumara, the typical dish is aguachile, that is, raw shrimp marinated in lemon. Baffling? Not at all. This is in Urique, a small town that, due to its location at the bottom of the ravine of the same name, has more geographic kinship — and better communications — with the Fuerte River valley, in Sinaloa, than with the highlands of the Sierra Madre Occidental, in Chihuahua. In fact, it is only 600 meters above sea level and much closer to the Pacific coast (185 kilometers in a straight line) than it is to the state capital (240 kilometers).
However, Urique is still Chihuahua, and the presence of the Tarahumara has given a very peculiar twist to aguachile, which is otherwise a typically Sinaloan dish. Here, the aguachile is seasoned with oregano and arí, a gum produced by ants that the rarámuri of the canyon collect patiently and always in small quantities. Thanks to this, they say, the resulting aguachile is so tasty that the pilots who travel through the mountains make unscheduled stops in Urique just to taste this dish.
Tarahumara wine
Another of the gastronomic surprises that the Sierra Tarahumara has in store is the Cerocahui wine. Yes, this small town founded in 1688, of 1,200 inhabitants, without canteens and without jail, famous for its beautiful missionary church, has a few hectares planted with vineyards. And the product that comes out of there is not bad at all.
In 1975, the Balderrama family bought a house and a large property in Cerocahui. The building turned it into the central Misión hotel (one of the most elegant in the mountains), and the land was dedicated to the production of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonay grapes, from there for 15 years making the red and white varieties of wine Cerocahui Mission.
One can speculate on what are the conditions that favor the Cerocahui vines: the moderate climate and the rains, the altitude (1620 meters above sea level), the protection of the mountains that surround the valley, the hand of the vine growers. … Or all of the above. The truth is that the 1,900 bottles produced here contain a table wine without acidity, smooth, aromatic and quite pleasant to the palate.
5 Essentials
• Visit Creel, one of the most picturesque towns with more and better services in the Sierra Tarahumara.
• Take a boat ride on Lake Arareco, surrounded by rocks and tall conifers (near Creel).
• Go up to the viewpoint on the very edge of the Barranca del Cobre and the Piedra Volada. You will feel like owner of the world! (58 km from Creel).
• Address El Chepe. The first class ticket costs 1,552 pesos. You will be able to know, between Creel and El Fuerte, the most impressive views of the Sierra.
• Rappelling or cycling through the Basaseachi Waterfall area (www.conexionalaaventura.com).
Journalist and historian. He is a professor of Geography and History and Historical Journalism at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the National Autonomous University of Mexico where he tries to spread his delirium through the rare corners that make up this country.
