Tijuana to El Fuerte via Los Mochis
May 2, 2017
Hotel El Torres
There are many ways to travel to Mexico’s Copper Canyon, but, as Californians, we chose to go through San Diego. It is a simple, and amazingly efficient walk across the bridge from San Diego to the Tijuana airport. $16 in advance, purchasable online, for the bridge crossing, and 15 minutes later you are at the Tijuana airport. After checking our bags we head to our gate and a very quick flight to Los Mochis. We had a pre-arranged cab ride to the town of El Fuerte, about one and half hours away from the airport, I will be honest, I do not know what we paid, as it was pre-arranged by the hotel and part of our room rate.
The Center of El Fuerte – Plaza de Armas
El Fuerte is on the Chihuahua-Pacific Railroad which is why we are here. The town of El Fuerte is very small with a population of only 12,000 people. Tourism was once its main industry, but first, fear of drug violence, and then a drop in tourism to Mexico because of the United States current political climate, has seen the tourism industry suffer greatly here. I am traveling with two of my dearest friends, the Browns, and we are the only gringos in town tonight.
Evening service in Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The sign on the wall of the church.
We had just a few hours to explore this afternoon, and the train departs early in the morning, but the town is lovely. We are staying at Hotel Torres. The hotel was an old casona (large home) owned and operated by the Torres family for 400 years until it was remodeled into a hotel in 2006. The rooms are absolutely huge, with thick, thick stone walls to keep them cool, although air conditioning is in every room. The rooms are all of traditional materials with old wooden doors and tile floors.
The Municipal building in El Fuerte, Mexico
The historic center of El Fuerte is a beautiful example of colonial nineteenth-century architecture, characterized by the orderly lines of its streets, buildings with smooth walls topped by cornices, and homes with their symmetrically framed windows and wood doors.
We had a lovely dinner at El Zorro in the Hotel Posada Hidalgo. The menu read like a typical white bread Mexican menu, but the food was surprisingly true to its roots, with deep flavors and well-considered combinations.
Swallows in the Municipal Building of El Fuerte, Mexico
We will be back at the end of this trip and I will hope to explore more and bring it to you, but tomorrow, the train to Copper Canyon.
The colors of El Fuerte, Mexico
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A blooming Hecho Cactus in the garden of Hotel Torres
The gardens of Hotel Torres
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The bar at Hotel Torres
The exterior of two of the rooms at Hotel Torres
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Just some of the whimsical decor of Hotel Torres