BATOPILAS

The Batopilas Canyon in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico; is 462 mts. above sea level, is located 118 km south of Creel by a surfaced highway, and is surrounded by abundant vegetation.

Two narrow land zones between the river and the cliffs, allow mango, guava, and avocado trees to grow here in abundance.

The Batopilas town is found on the bank of the river, the majority of the population is Tarahumara.

The approximate driving time between Creel and Batopilas is 7 hours. This journey is an unforgettable experience which gives us the opportunity to see one of the world's most beautiful and spectacular ravines.

This district is located in one of the more rugged portions of the Sierra Madre mountains of southwestern Chihuahua. The mines have been operated intermittently since their discovery in 1632 and have yielded, at times, remarkably rich bonanzas of native silver ore. Despite the fact that Batopilas has been known as a silver producing district. for more than three centuries and has yielded over 50 million ounces of silver, surprisingly little has ever been published concerning the geology or mineralization of this famous locality. The mines have long been noted for the beauty and variety of native silver specimens and crystals of ruby silver, examples of which can be found in many of the larger museums throughout this country and in Mexico.

	The Batopilas Church, across the lower plaza from Casa Monse	250 year old "Lost Cathedral" (as some call it), located about 5 miles down stream from Batopilas proper
	A quiet part of the main street.	A side street - in fact the only side street - in Batopilas.  The electric lines and street lamp are recent additions.

Although there were various mining centers that were formed at the bottom of some canyons, such as Urique, Maguarichi, Uruachi and Ocampo, none can compare with the mineral richness of the Batopilas Canyon. The veins of La Bufa and those of the town of Batopilas itself reached renown of a world level. Its mining towns and mines characterize and identify this canyon. Among the outstanding are La Bufa, Batopilas, Cerro Colorado, the Raramuri communities of Munérachi and La Yerbabuena, and the Jesuit mission of Satevó.

In spite of the fact that the climate is extreme in the high regions of the canyon range, in the winter it is possible to admire a curious phenomenon - while the surrounding peaks are covered with snow the depths of the canyon are a subtropical or tropical climate year around. Due to this, towns like Batopilas have flora and fauna with many different characteristics than in the Sierras above. Oranges, papaya, mango, avocado are regular staples of the habitants. Bougainvillas and tabachine (a flowering tree) are among the tropical vegetation. Animals may include parrots, rosy boas, deer, and even possibly jaguar.

The Jesuit mission of San Miguel de Satevó, just outside the town, is known as the "Lost Mission" as there are no records describing it's existence. Believed to have been constructed in the 1760's, the mission is one of the canyon's best preserved. It's setting is ideal near the edge of the Batopilas River.

The silver mines of Batopilas were some of the richest in Mexico. In the 18th and 19th century both Spaniards and Mexicans gained great wealth out of the area. American John Robinson purchased an old claim in 1861 which turned out to have a large, hidden vein. He decided to sell the claim to fellow American Alexander Shepherd for $600,000 US in 1880.

Alexander Shepherd was the last mayor of Washington, D.C. and had been ousted under unproven corruption charges. Once Shepherd moved his family to Batopilas, he filed over 350 mining claims and formed the Batopilas Mining Company. His mines became some of the wealthiest in the world at their peak.

Noting the difficulty and time (over eight days) of transporting the silver ore to Chihuahua, Shepherd opened his own facilities and foundry along the river at his Hacienda San Miguel. Over 20 million ounces of silver were extracted from the mines, and this great wealth allowed Shepherd to bring cultural events and technological advances to this once sleepy town. Batopilas was the second city in Mexico to have electricty. His hydroelectric works provide the towns power still and he also built an aqueduct which is still in use today. So famous for it's wealth were Shepherd's mines that Pancho Villa once robbed a mule shipment of $40,000 US in silver bars.

Alexander Shepherd died in 1902, leaving the mines to his sons who ceased operation in 1920, although other miners would later try unsuccessfully to restart the old mines. In 1938, one son, Grant Shepherd, wrote The Silver Magnet about life in Batopilas and Alexander Shepherd. It is an excellent description about this once world famous town.