Ay Chihuahua! - Visiting a City in Northern Mexico

Last weekend I had the pleasure to get to know a part of Mexico I had never been to before: The city of Chihuahua, capital of the state with the same name, located in the arid, mountainous region of Northern Mexico, south from the US states Texas and New Mexico. The primary reason for our visit was a wedding, plus my wife and I had enough work related things to do, however we still found opportunities for exploring this city a bit, which until then only brought the little dog to my mind which is said to have originated there.

Suburban Sprawl on the Desert's Edge

One thing I immediately noticed about Chihuahua, is the ample amount of space everywhere. Streets and highways are much wider than in the capital, with considerably less traffic! The same thing can be said about the sidewalks, and even between buildings there seems to be more room than what I'd normally consider typical for Mexico. In fact, it reminds a lot of the western states in the US (except for population-dense California), where there is so much space that it seems like a waste not to use it.

The apartment we rented was located in the area of the UACH university on the edge of the city. This gave me the chance to go out on a short hike one morning, and scale one of the nearby hills overlooking the surrounding desert... and the housing developments reaching into it. Instead of the one-family homes with huge yards around a meandering cul-de-sac, which is so typical in US suburbia, its Mexican counterparts are more focused on security: gated communities with modest sized houses inside, looking fairly identical not only to each other, but also to the other similar neighborhoods.

It didn't take me long to reach the end of civilization, and climbing a somewhat risky looking grade between two such developments, I found myself out in the desert. From the nearest peak I got a spectacular view over the arid mountains on one side, and ... what I assumed must be only part of the city, from the other side. This hill is even marked on Google, known as Cerro de Sansa, but the access to it is already virtually non-existent, making me wonder about its future when the suburbs keep sprawling.

History of Independence and Revolution

The downtown area of Chihuahua is equally wide and open, with the typical centers for commerce, transportation, and culture. Most importantly, it is the Casa Chihuahua everyone keeps mentioning, where the father of the nation Miguel Hidalgo was kept prisoner before being executed. Today the place is a museum, but visiting it feels a lot more like some shrine, given the personality cult this insurgent priest still enjoys to this day. Interestingly, I posted about him only recently, though not in relation to Chihuahua.

The other place of historical significance is the house of Pancho Villa, one of the most known characters of the Mexican revolution. Again, I only posted about him a few weeks ago, having to do with cinematic dramatizations of this historical period. Pancho Villa spent two months being the interim governor of the state, living in this house. Though he was executed a few years later, not in this city but in Parral a bit further south, his widow kept living there until 1981. Afterwards the house became a museum, not only of Pancho Villa, but the Mexican revolution in general. Its exhibitions feature everything from tools and household items from the period, to saddles, rifles, and photos and murals of the revolution's protagonists. It even includes the car Villa was riding in, when they were ambushed by his assassins. In the background the museum was playing Mexican corridos, singing about the events of those times.

Cowboys, Charros, Vaqueros

Since the history and culture of Chihuahua is so centered around cattle ranching, it also has a strong effect on the clothing style of its inhabitants. Broad hats and pointy boots are everywhere, along with huge belt buckles and other such accessories. What would seem as exaggerated or even costume-like in other places, is the norm in this city, as well as all over Northern Mexico. This attire can also be neatly combined with a fancy business suit, or on the other hand the rugged worker look. This goes for both sexes, by the way, and in both cases it can range from the authentic to the ... shall we call it corny, gaudy, flashy, in short completely tasteless cowboy style. Of course this didn't stop us from trying on the worst examples, only for a photo, of course.

All in all, Chihuahua had quite a positive impression on us, and I am certain that we will be back for more later. Next time, however, I would be interested in staying longer, so we could explore the surrounding countryside, of which there is a lot. And from what I've heard, it also offers plenty of interesting places, from natural wonders to cultural sites. But that will be another post, some other time.