Mapimi

Mapimi is a small, once thriving mining community in the northwestern state of Durango. The town was largely abandoned in the early 20th century as the mineral deposits were exhausted, and today is largely a ghost town with a remaining population of about 5,000. It is one of the designated sites on the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (a ) and has been designated a Pueblo Magico by the government's ministry of tourism (SECTUR).

Get in
The nearest airport with commercial flights is Torreon International Airport. From there, you can rent a car and drive to Mapimi. Torreon is also the hub for bus transportation in the region. Buses from Torreon can be used as far as Bermejillo, but no direct bus service is available to Mapimi. A taxi from Bermejillo to Mapimi will cost about M$300.

Mapimi is best reached by car via the Torreon/Gomez Palacios area.

From the Torreon Airport, drive north on Calle a San Pedro for about 1 km until you come to a major overpass, this is Lib. de Torreon. Go under the overpass and turn left onto the feeder road, then merge into the main lanes heading west towards Gomez Palacios. The road skirts the northern parts of Gomez Palacios so you avoid most of the industrial congestion. Continue on Lib. de Torreon for about 7 km after you cross the river then take the exit for MEX 49 / 49D headed north toward Bermejillo. When you reach Bermejillo, exit west on highway MEX 30 (Carr. Bermejillo-Mapimi) and continue about 25 km to the town of Mapimi.

Get around
You can walk around the small Centro area of Mapimi, but you'll want a taxi to visit the Ojuela mine and bridge, and you'll want a rental car if you go to the Biosphere Reserve or Zone of Silence, since they are far out into the desert.

See

 * Ojuela Mine (Carr. Bermejillo-Mapimi, 5 km east of Mapimi), also known as Mina de Santa Rita, Open, Admission M$120 -
 * Ojuela Bridge (Carr. Bermejillo-Mapimi) - The suspension bridge over the canyon was built in 1898 to support mining operations. It's a famous bridge in engineering circles, built by Washington Roebling, who is most noted for supervising construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. The Ojuela Bridge was restored in 1991 and reopened as a pedestrian bridge and tourist attraction. The bridge spans a distance of 315 meters between the two pylons.
 * Ojuela Bridge (Carr. Bermejillo-Mapimi) - The suspension bridge over the canyon was built in 1898 to support mining operations. It's a famous bridge in engineering circles, built by Washington Roebling, who is most noted for supervising construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. The Ojuela Bridge was restored in 1991 and reopened as a pedestrian bridge and tourist attraction. The bridge spans a distance of 315 meters between the two pylons.


 * Zone of Silence (Zona de Silencio) - A great place of mystery and unexplained phenomena. Supposedly, it's a place where no radio or communication signals can carry. UFO spotters believe its been visited by extraterrestrials. Government conspiracy theorists have all sorts of ideas about why a U.S. Air Force missile from White Sands once went off course contaminating much of the area. Rational minds think it's all bunk, but X-Files fans maintain that "the truth is out there..."


 * Mapimi Biosphere Reserve - A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve that preserves an area of Chihuahua desert. It connects to the Big Bend Biosphere Reserve in Texas and the Jornado Biosphere Reserve in New Mexico. Wildlife in the reserve includes puma, mule deer, sandhill cranes, kit fox, and a large number of reptiles. Plant life is mostly xerophytic scrub brush and desert grasslands with 39 types of cacti. Notable geographic features include a salt lagoon and sand dunes called the Dunas de Soledad.


 * Museo Benito Juarez, Av. Ignacio Zaragoza esquina carretera MEX 30, - Also known as Casa Cigarroa, the museum is housed in a building where former President Benito Juarez slept not just once, but three times. Historical exhibits including the room and bed where Juarez slept.


 * Templo de Santiago Apóstol (Av. Ignacio Zaragoza, s/n, Centro) - Baroque style church with bright interior and carved granite altars.


 * Panteón Municipal - celebrates the life and death of people who originated or lived in Mapimi. It is famous for the range of funerary sculptures produced by local sculptor Benigno Montoya.

Go next

 * Mazatlan
 * Torreon
 * Durango