Spanish people came to Copper Canyon in the 1600s. They found native people living in this area and the Spanish explorers named them "Tarahumara." The Spanish explorers soon discovered silver in the Copper Canyon area and quickly recruited the Tarahumara people to be workers in the silver mines. As time went on, the Spaniards pushed the Tarahumara people up into the cliffs of the canyon and kept the better land for themselves.
The lowest points of Copper Canyon are sub-tropical so these areas are warm the entire year. Higher elevations have slightly cooler temperatures, especially between the months of October and April. Drought is an ongoing issue, but the rainy season typically begins in July and lasts several weeks.
There are 200 different varieties of oak trees that grow in the Copper Canyon area and 23 different varieties of pine trees. Upper elevations are covered with wild flowers from the end of the rainy season and last until October. In the autumn, the deciduous trees brighten the canyon with bright colors. In the bottom of the canyon, palm and fig trees grow abundantly in the warm and wet weather.
The Tarahumara people have descended from the Aztec Indians. They are quiet and prefer to keep to themselves. The Tarahumara migrate between the mountainous areas and the bottom of the canyons throughout the year. Their diets consist of vegetables they grow, meat they hunt and the fruit and berries they pick.
Exploring Copper Canyon may be done on foot, on bicycle, by car or by horseback. Another popular way to see the canyon is by the train that travels through the main canyon. This railroad is 405 miles long, has 86 tunnels and 39 bridges. The train ride takes 15 hours and is an enjoyable way to see a large amount of Copper Canyon, its citizens and the plants and animals that live there.
