Traveling To the Village
I hope I’ll always be able to answer that question this way: I've been in close contact with Casas Grandes/Mata Ortiz for 30 years, and in that time, had there been an incident of violence against a visiting American, I would have heard of it. People would have told me, “Spencer, such and such happened!” But no one ever has. Thirty years (and who knows how many more before that) is a good record. The worst mishap in all that time is that teenagers on several occasions pilfered things from a car, including some checks which they tried to cash. Don’t leave valuables in your vehicle in Mexico any more than you would at home.
From the United States, call anywhere in the Casas Grandes/Mata Ortiz area by direct dialing 011-52 (for overseas operator and country code) followed by area code 636 and number as in the United States. Thus the Hotel Hacienda number is 011-52-636-694-1048. Local calls require only the last 7 digits (except that cellular numbers must be preceded by 044-636).
When direct-dialing from Mexico to the United States, dial 00 and then proceed as if you were in the United States, beginning with 1 and the area code. This costs nearly 50 cents/minute. MCI customers, however, can charge to their home phone and call anywhere in the United States for about 12 cents/minute. Dial the access code 001-800-674-7000. When the recording says, “Welcome to World Phone,” dial your home number and 3-digit security code. You will then be asked to dial the number you want to call, starting with 1 and the area code.
A growing number of people in Chihuahua have broadband (voice-over-Internet) service. Spencer and Emi, for example, have Voicepulse.com which, for $25/month, gives unlimited calling in the United States plus a Stateside number that rings in Mexico. So if you are a guest of such a person, you can call home at no cost.
Should your party in Mata Ortiz not have a phone, try the casetas. Anyone in Mata Ortiz can be reached through a caseta. Call, ask in Spanish to speak to so-and-so, and someone will take the message and ask you to call back in 15 minutes. If all goes well, the person you want will be at the caseta for your second call. Caseta numbers are: Marta Martínez (by the old plaza and Posada de las Ollas) voice/fax 661-7026; Don Ernesto’s Pharmacy (near the Adobe Inn Hotel) voice/fax 661-7007; Yolanda Tena at Angela’s Store in Porvenir (voice only) 661-7027. Debi Flanigan lives next to Angela’s and is usually available to translate for the Porvenir neighborhood.
The Calendar maintains a Mata Ortiz phone list which we periodically update and are glad to email on request. The list includes some artists in Nuevo Casas Grandes, where several families have moved for better schooling for their children.
Postal service to Mexico takes 1-3 weeks and is not always reliable. Never send checks in the mail, as the mail is often tampered with. That said, the postal address for any potter in the village is: Domicilio Conocido, Ejido Juan Mata Ortiz, Municipio Casas Grandes, Chihuahua 31861, Mexico.
Getting to Nuevo Casas Grandes (if you haven’t your own car)
Rental Car – It is cheaper to rent in the United States and drive into Mexico than to rent in Mexico. Many car-rental companies allow their cars to be driven 250 miles into Mexico. Since policy is set by each local office, call the national 800 number of the rental company only to obtain the number of a local office in, say, El Paso or Tucson. To cross the border, you will need (1) a letter from the car company authorizing you to drive into Mexico, (2) insurance from the car company, which runs about $30/day for each day in Mexico, and (3) a vehicle permit and window sticker which you will get at the border (if you overlook this, you'll be stopped at the checkpoint south of Janos and have to backtrack 100 miles to the border).
Bus – Buses operate frequently between Nuevo Casas Grandes and border points at Agua Prieta (opposite Douglas AZ), Palomas (opposite Columbus NM), and Ciudad Juarez (opposite El Paso). From Douglas or El Paso, taxi or bus to the terminal (central autobuses) on the Mexican side. Direct van or taxi service is available in either direction between the El Paso Airport and the terminal in Juárez ($40 for 1-4 persons). Call a day ahead, if possible, and José Rivera (Chuma’s Tours, 915-859-2455, Cell 915-892-1837) will meet your bus or flight. The preferred bus line in Mexico is Omnibus Mexico, which has new, European built equipment. Departures begin 6 am, approximately hourly in the morning and hour-and-a-halfly in the afternoon. Last departure 7:45 pm. The trip to Nuevo Casas Grandes takes four hours and costs about $14 USD.
From Palomas NM (opposite Columbus), a van meets the Omnibus coming from Juárez at El Entronque junction, some 20 miles south. This van runs every hour or two from 6 am to 7 pm and costs about 25 pesos.
Shuttle Van — Departing about 7 am in either direction, two shuttle-van companies operate daily between Phoenix and Nuevo Casas Grandes and one, on alternate days, between Albuquerque and Nuevo Casas Grandes. Phoenix vans cross at Antelope Wells NM/Berrendo, the Albuquerque van at Columbus NM/Palomas. All take about eight hours, making several stops at points en-route. The vans serving Phoenix will usually provide door-to-door service on request. We regularly use these services. If we fly into Phoenix, returning to Casas Grandes, we overnight at the Motel 6 nearest the airport (602-267-8555) at 5315 E. Van Buren Street. It has a free shuttle from the airport, and the van picks up there about 6:30 am if you’ve arranged ahead. Reserve a day or two ahead and be prepared for the possibility of having to speak in Spanish:
· Transportes Quezada & Son. $45. Phoenix, call 623-937-9650. Nuevo Casas Grandes, call 694-0151 or 694-3155. Office in Nuevo Casas Grandes: Seventh Street between Francisco Madero and Libertad, Col. Dublán. Office in Phoenix: 6225 W. Cavalier, Glendale, AZ 85302. The owner, Adán Quezada (no relation to Juan Quezada), can be reached at the Phoenix office.
· Transportes Salcido. $55 ($45 for persons over 60). Albuquerque, call 505-867-7981 or Cell 505-699-3995/3997. Nuevo Casas Grandes 694-3651. Service south Tue, Thu, Sat, leaving Albuquerque 7 am from the corner of César Chávez and Broadway. Service north Wed, Fri, Sun, leaving Nuevo Casas Grandes also at 7 am. NCG office is located in Colonia Villa Hermosa at Carranza and Lopez Mateos #1100 (opposite Tienda Ocas). Owner: Tacho Salcido
Private Plane - Nuevo Casas Grandes lacks scheduled service, but its airport Northeast of the city accommodates private planes. There is a hill East of the runway with a letter on it. It has an old unused terminal painted green with the letters ACG on the roof.
The runway's altitude is 4350 feet above sea level (ASL). The length of the runway estimate is 6000 feet, about 100 feet wide. It is recently blacktopped over cement with good white markings. Runways are 310 (31) and 130 (13). The winds general favors landing and departure on 31. There is no taxiway except the turn off to the terminal.
There is a good plane tie down in front of the terminal. The superintend charges US$20/night to safeguard the plane. He lives in a home behind and beside the terminal. There is also a big hangar. If it is not occupied, he will offer to store the plane there.
There is a dirt runway West of the
city. It seems to be new and probably
private. Do not confuse it with the Casas Grandes airport.
From Nuevo Casas Grandes to Mata Ortiz
· A bus operates between Mata Ortiz and Nuevo Casas Grandes daily except Sundays and Wednesdays, leaving MO at 8:30 am and returning from NCG at 4 pm. The trip takes about 40 minutes. It passes through Casas Grandes (Pueblo Viejo) and stops at the Hacienda de San Diego. Fare each way is 30 pesos (about US$2.75). In Mata Ortiz the bus parks near the NE corner of the old plaza. In Nuevo Casas Grandes, it parks near the Motel Piñon on J. Urueta between Av. Juarez and Constitución--a block east of the Dodge Agency.
Custom excursions originate at the train station in Nuevo Casas Grandes whenever desired (but reserve 2-3 days ahead). They cost $200 pesos/person for ten people, $150 for 20, or $100 for 30. Three meals and overnight in a private home in either Aguaje or “24” (so named because it used to be a stop 324 km from Ciudad Juarez) costs $150 pesos /person additional. Short trips to Mata Ortiz and back cost $60 pesos /person for a minimum of six people and include a two-hour layover (a longer wait or overnight can be negotiated). Contact Carlos Escarcega (694-7449), owner, Aventura Sobre Rieles, or Javier Pedraza (692-4012 or 698-1557), Manager, Paquimé Museum gift shop artespaquime[at]laplaya.com.mx ),.
Scheduled service on a space-available basis operates to Mata Ortiz and as far south into the mountains as Heroina (81 km). The government subsidizes this for the local people, who have been without other transportation since the train closed. The fare is a flat 20 pesos and, for non-locals, perhaps something extra to the chofer to get aboard. Leaves Nuevo Casas Grandes Tuesdays and Saturdays at noon running south, stopping at Mata Ortiz opposite the Mata Jari store around 1 pm. Leaves Heroina Mondays and Fridays at 9 am running north, stopping at Mata Ortiz around noon. Entire trip takes about four hours. For information, call Heroina by satellite phone 01-555-151-2836 (Escarcega and Pedraza are often knowledgeable as well). Suggestion: Take the train to Mata Ortiz for half-a-day in the village, stay overnight, and return on the morning bus.
Attractions on the Way Down
If driving from New Mexico: After crossing at Columbus/Palomas and doing your vehicle permit and other paperwork, relax with a frozen Margarita at The Pink Store. The Pink Store is an exceptional setting with an unusually good selection of Mexican crafts. About 15 miles farther, at El Entronque, you will turn right onto the road to Casas Grandes. If a bit hungry at this point, immediately after turning right, Gorditas Damaris (marked by a Mennonite wagon hoisted high in the air) sells good gorditas.
JANOS was the Spanish colonial administrative center for the region and has a 17th-century Spanish church under restoration that is well worth a stop (just visible from the highway off to the right). A quarter-mile beyond, on the same street, is the ruined church of San Juan de Dios, rebuilt in 1866 and once an important pilgrimage site for miraculous cures. Right after clearing the customs check point some ten miles south of Janos, turn left (east) to visit the Mennonite settlements of LOS ALAMOS along the Rio Casas Grandes. Mennonite cheese is famous throughout Mexico. See it being made (two queserías are open Mon-Sat 9-2 pm, although cheese-making is over by 10 am) and buy it by the brick or by the wheel. If wrapped not in plastic but in paper, it will keep for days without refrigeration.
NUEVO CASAS GRANDES—locally just called “Nuevo.”
· Nuevo boasts a good Mata Ortiz pottery gallery, operated by Manuel Hernandez Villalobos (694-0795). Immediately on entering the city, look for a sign on the right at 10th Street. Turn right to the second house on the right. mata_ortiz_pottery[at]msn.com
· The Malmedy Restaurant, located in a brick Victorian home with gingerbread trim and garden on the right past the Pemex station soon after entering town, offers Belgian cuisine. Better than dropping in, call in advance (694-1056); they'll prepare something delightful.
· The jewelry shop at the Hotel Hacienda, El Castillo de los Cuarzos, carries tasteful silver jewelry incorporating shards of Mata Ortiz pottery saved from pottery lost in firing.
· Try the ice creams, fruit drinks, and fruit-ice-on-a-stick at any of several La Reina de Michoacán stores, one of which is at the far side of the main plaza. They are clean, safe, and decidedly a treat. One recently opened in Albuquerque, La Michoacana de Paquimé; hopefully there will soon be more in the United States.
· Some visitors enjoy a peek into the enormous brick oven where pan dulces are baked in the traditional way, put in and retrieved on a long wooden paddle, at the Panaderia La Guadalupana, Avenida Hidalgo #813 in the block behind the Motel Piñón. The oldest bakery in town, it was founded 60 years ago by the father of the present owner, Luís Antonio Rodríguez.
· Some of the best tacos in Nuevo Casas Grandes, including shrimp, which are Emi’s favorite, are served al aire fresco on the northwest corner of the main business intersection at Cinco de Mayo and Madero, across from the Pemex station. Probably the best chicken in town is served just a few doors west, at El Pollo Feliz.
· Old-fashioned oil cloth in bright colors, now scarce and expensive when it can be found at all in the United States, is sold at Madrigal de la Luz a block east and south of the main plaza. Ask anyone for directions.
· Two open-air markets take place Saturday morning and one on Sunday. Vendors start setting up about 5 am and are ready for business by 7. On Saturday, go east from Avenida Tecnológico on Avenida Carranza. Two blocks beyond where the paving ends, turn right another two blocks to the Plaza de la Reforma. The other Saturday market is in the southwest part of town. At the Pemex station leaving Nuevo in the direction of Casas Grandes, turn left across the tracks on Chihuahua Street (which is unpaved) and go about six blocks to the Plaza Obrera. The third and last market is Sunday morning. Go as if you were going to the Plaza de la Reforma, above. On your right, several blocks before the paving ends, you will see the Plaza de la Villahermosa. Both the Reforma and Villahermosa markets are noted for fresh-fruit concoctions and other delicious regional street foods.
CASAS GRANDES—3 miles beyond Nuevo Casas Grandes, locally called
El Pueblo Viejo, or just the “El Pueblo.”
· Casas Grandes has two outstanding restaurants. El Mesón del Kiote (636-692-4037) is on your left as you enter town, and La Finca de Don Cruz (636-692-4343) is on the left as you leave it toward Mata Ortiz. Both offer fine cuisine. On the main plaza is the Rosti-Pollo. There’s nothing pretentious about Rosti-Pollo, but it offers good traditional Mexican food and has the virtue of being open for breakfast (8 am – 9 pm). Mar y Sol, also on the plaza, sells ice cream, hamburgers, burritos, etc. [To everyone’s dismay, El Santo, a wonderful tapas lounge on the church plaza, has closed. Should it ever reopen, we’ll be the first to let you know.]
· Stop by appointment at the Galería Mosaicos y Más, two blocks south of the plaza at Constitución #45. (Constitución bounds the far west side of the plaza.) Here, besides pleasant bathrooms and free coffee, artists Sabina Muñoz and Jack Anderson offer blown glass, mosaics, and other gifts. The finely crafted wood art of Roberto Hernández is also shown here. This gallery is at the back of an old adobe barn restored/renovated by the MacCallums. Call ahead for appointment at 692-4454 or 692-4402. Continue on this street to Paquimé and the Museum of Northern Cultures.
· Attractions in El Pueblo include most prominently the prehistoric ruins of Paquimé, once the largest and most complex settlement in the Puebloan world, and the Museum of Northern Cultures (10-5 pm, closed Mondays). Designed by Mario Schetinan, this world-class museum won international prizes for its harmonious integration with the landscape. It is ranked as one of the best archaeological-site museums in North America.
· Near the Museum is the Galería de las Guacamayas. Salmon colored with a distinctive key-hole-shaped door, it can be seen in the distance to the left as you exit the Museum gate. This is the art gallery, bed-and-breakfast, and home of Mayté Luján, who built it using the same rammed-earth building technique as the prehistoric ruins. Juan Quezada reconstructed the method experimentally and oversaw the initial construction. This gallery has the finest selection of high-end Mata Ortiz pottery to be found anywhere in the world.
· A few miles on the other (north) side of the pueblo is the Ojo Vareleño, an attractively landscaped private park, French in feeling, with a series of swimming and wading pools built around the ample spring that in ancient times provided water for Paquimé and today irrigates the pueblo. The park is open 9-8 pm every day except Mondays, April through August, and is highly recommended. Family oriented, beer only. $30 pesos per person admission. Some RV parking is available. To reach it, drive one block past the main plaza, turn right on Victoria 1.6 miles, then left on an unmarked road 1.5 miles to the end. Contact Antonio Varela (636-694-5608, Cell 044-636-699-5948), proprietor, Nuevo Casas Grandes, Chihuahua.
· Also north of the pueblo, though not especially recommended since only a few adobe walls remain and the area is badly littered, is the ruined Convento San Antonio de Padua, a Franciscan mission built in 1663. (But see two paragraphs below for a fine reproduction of its church.) Turn right off Victoria at the sign “Cabaña la Tecate Escondida” (this is 0.5 miles before the turn to Ojo Vareleño) and go 1.3 miles. At 0.3 miles, the ruin will be visible ahead of you, silhouetted on the horizon. Just before arriving, take a sharp turn left, up the hill.
· Back in the center of town, just below the church plaza, turn south on Calle Ojinaga and go three miles to the renovated Hacienda El Refugio. The Hacienda is the private home of Robert Whetten (695-0099), who will sometimes grant permission to visit if you phone ahead. Calle Ojinaga is thought to be a part of the historic Camino Real that once stretched from Mexico City to Santa Fe, New Mexico. From Chihuahua City, it went to Casas Grandes and the Franciscan mission, then to Janos and El Paso.
· Leaving town toward Mata Ortiz, turn left (south) at Nicolás Quezada’s pottery gallery, which is just beyond and across the street from La Finca de Don Cruz. After several blocks, you will see to your right, across a large area to be developed into a new plaza, a new Catholic church, La Capilla de la Divina Misericordia. This is a tasteful replica of the 17th-century church of the ruined Convento San Antonio de Padua north of the pueblo. Besides showing Chihuahua’s earliest style of church architecture, it boasts over the entire wall behind the altar an outstanding fresco by local painter Grisel Martínez, who trained in Italy and painted chapels there. Highly recommended, it’s an easy walk three blocks west and one block north from the Galería Las Guacamayas. You may want to call the MacCallums (915-261-0502 or locally at 636-692-4402) before your visit. They can arrange to borrow the key from the padre, as the Capilla is not always open during the week.
· Those who are interested can visit traditional local industries to see adobes being formed and dried in the sun; hard bricks being fired in brick kilns; cheese making; saddle making; various kinds of fine woodworking. Call the MacCallums (915-261-0502 or locally at 636-692-4402) for arrangements.
Staying Over in the Area
Nuevo Casas Grandes
Besides many excellent hotels in Nuevo Casas Grandes (a city of 70,000 population), good accommodations are available both in the old pueblo of Casas Grandes and in Mata Ortiz itself. In order entering Nuevo Casas Grandes are the Motel Casas Grandes 694-4844, Hotel Hacienda 694-1048 (the city’s most luxurious digs), Hotel Villa Colonial 694-3520, Hotel Piñón 694-0655 (traditionally the archaeologists’ digs), Hotel Paquimé 694-4620, and Hotel California 694-1110. Crossing to the east side of the city, on Avenida Tecnológico near Zapata, are Motel Las Fuentes 694-5441 and Motel Cabañas 694-0624. The last is clean and attractive and, at about $21 for a single or $25 for two persons occupying two beds, is our favorite budget motel (unless you are arriving by bus, in which case taxi fare to get across town will offset the saving). RV parks include RV Park de Dublán los Metates 694-1203 (highly recommended); RV Park Pistoleros 694-2964; and on the east side of the city RV Park/Hotel Los Arcos 694-4250. An attractive RV possibility for dry camping from April through August is Ojo Vareleño in the old pueblo of Casas Grandes (see several paragraphs above).
Among the many good places to eat in Nuevo are, in order on entering town, Algremi (Av. Juárez #4807 – new with garden but pricey), El Rincón Oriental, a sushi restaurant (1-10pm, closed Mondays) next to the John Deere agency across from the Motel Casas Grandes; the Motel Piñon’s own restaurant, now under new management; Constantino’s a couple of blocks farther toward the plaza; El Pollo Feliz on Cinco de Mayo half-a-block west of Avenida Madero for outstanding roast chicken; Dinno’s at Avenida Obregón and Jesús Urueta; and El Pistolero as you leave town going south. On the other side of town are the Motel Fuentes’ dining room and, at the Motel Cabañas, Tai Wah, a good Chinese buffet. Please let us know your own good dining experiences here.
Casas Grandes (“Pueblo Viejo”)
· PUEBLO VIEJO COURTYARDS offers extended-stay rentals in tastefully restored adobes near the plaza. Furnished in local antiques, they offer the ambience of “Rural Chihuahua Rustic.” Adobe walls nearly two feet thick moderate seasonal temperatures, while guests here find an escape from phones and TV. Owners are knowledgeable and can make suggestions about attractions and conveniences in the area. Ask for a brochure. Contact Spencer and Emalie MacCallum (915-261-0502 or, in Mexico, 636-692-4402), Avenida Victoria #17 at Revolución, Casas Grandes. sm[at]look.net
reservations[at]mataortiz-adobeinn.com http://www.mataortiz-adobeinn.com/
At the southern extremity of the village across the arroyo in Barrio Porvenir, DEBI FLANIGAN (661-7035) serves good lunches for $7 per person (reservations required for groups). Several doors south of the old plaza in the center of Mata Ortiz, where once was the TORTILLERÍA AZALIA (sign is still legible—and don’t be put off by the humble appearance), the Ramirez family will prepare good meals on request. Two full restaurants, the TREVIZO (661-7129), owned by Oscar Trevizo, son-in-law of Juan Quezada and proprietor of the Trevizo Gallery facing the train station, and the CAPORAL (661-7012), operated by master potter Ruben Lozano and Alma, his wife, both in the center of Mata Ortiz, are open seasonally and at other times by reservation a day ahead. On advance notice of as little as an hour, the ADOBE INN HOTEL will prepare good meals throughout the day for three or more people (call on Jorge Quintana at his store 661-7135).
English-Speaking Guides
The following are available locally to guide and translate and are well recommended. Please let us hear of your experience with anyone who has helped you in this way. The going rate is $30-$50/day or $10/hour.
· DIANA ACOSTA (044-636-100-0631 Cell) lives with her family at the Hacienda de San Diego and is a recent graduate in tourism from the University of Juárez. Bilingual and knowledgeable, can arrange tours to attractions in the region.
· CÉSAR DOMÍNGUEZ JR. (694-6208), son of master potters César and Gaby Domínguez in Nuevo Casas Grandes.
· DEBI FLANIGAN (698-9159), married to Enrique Bugarini in the Porvenir (southernmost) section of Mata Ortiz across the dry arroyo, is often available to guide and translate. She also serves lunch at $7/person (reservations required for groups). Next door to Angela’s caseta (695-0246), she can translate or carry phone messages in the Porvenir neighborhood.
· JORGE MUÑOZ (694-5558, Cell 044-636-699-2226) is completing his degree in tourism at the Nuevo Casas Grandes campus of the University of Juárez. His Suburban will carry up to eight people to Mata Ortiz, Cave of the Olla, Santa Rosa, or other places of interest. He is based at La Teporaka, Avenida Benito Juárez #2906, Nuevo Casas Grandes, just past the Pemex station as you leave Nuevo Casas Grandes in the direction of Mata Ortiz.
· DAGOBERTO QUINTANA (Cell 044-636-700-3674) is thoroughly knowledgeable and an accomplished potter. He lives in Casas Grandes (Pueblo Viejo) across from Nicolás Quezada. Toward the edge of town as you leave Casas Grandes for Mata Ortiz, turn left at the little sign for Nicolás Quezada pottery. “Bert’s” house is at the very end of the street on the right (round the corner to reach his front gate).
While traditional and colorful Matachín dances are held several times during the year, only two dates are certain: San Ysidro (May 15) and the Virgin of Guadalupe (December 12). Held throughout Mexico and the Southwestern United States, these dances date from earliest Spanish times and are a celebration of the conversion of the Indians to Catholicism, hence contain both Indian and Catholic themes. The costumes are of European origin. In Mata Ortiz, Eusebio Sandoval and Esperanza Tena are the monarcas de la danza and keep the costumes. In fulfillment of a religious vow, a person may stay up for an all-night vigil and then dance from dawn to dark, a feat of endurance.
MAR 19 - honoring San José, patron saint of Mata Ortiz. Matachín dancing likely . The
church is decorated, and usually there will be a parade with pick-up-truck floats.
APR 14 (2006) - Good Friday is generally observed in Mata Ortiz with a parade winding
through several barrios of the pueblo and ending at the church.
MAY 15 – honoring San Ysidro, patron saint of agriculture. Mass in the Capilla de San
Ysidro, Matachín dancing.
JUN 15 – honoring San Antonio. Matachín dancing likely.
SEP 16 – Dia de Independencia. Parade in the morning to the plaza for coronation of
queen and princesses, a jaripeo (bull-riding) in the afternoon, and a public dance to live music in the evening at the salón de bailes, celebrating the "Grito" of Father Hidalgo which launched the 1810 revolution of independence from Spain.
NOV 1-2 – Dias de los Muertos (Days of the Dead). Mata Ortiz and Casas Grandes
celebrate in the traditional way for Mexico, with a procession to the cemetery,
flowers and favorite foods of loved ones on the graves, etc.
NOV 20 – Constitución del País. Celebration to honor Gen. Francisco Madero and the
revolution that overthrew dictator Porfirio Díaz. Gather at the school 9 am to see the
making of the floats for the parade--which starts an hour later with horses and girls
and ends at the bandstand (old plaza) with the ceremony of the Queen of the Rodeo.
By 1 pm, people are heading toward the stadium (around which the Queen is
parading on horseback) for the rodeo which lasts all afternoon. In the evening, a
dance at the Salon de Actos.
DEC 12 – honoring the Virgin of Guadalupe following nine days of processions. Matachín
dancing.
**Seasonal Weather in Mata Ortiz
At 5,900 feet (1,800 meters), Mata Ortiz is high desert. Winter months can have some chilly days but are otherwise good for visiting. Walter Parks has encountered ideal weather on some January trips. In March and April, strong and dusty winds can be unpleasant, whereas in May and early June, the landscape is dry and some days hot, though less so than in much of the American Southwest. Rains cool things down a bit in late June, July, and August, making those good months for visiting. Many groups schedule tours for late September to early November, when the weather is more dependable and calm and the country still green from the summer rains.
Summer may be preferred to spring for visiting, since you don’t risk the occasionally very windy/dusty days in March and April. Due to the elevation here, summers have few uncomfortably hot days. Ironically, however, travel companies cannot sell tours to Mexico in the summer because the public thinks of Mexico as being hot. This may create an advantage for those visiting in summer; off-season travel can yield better-than-usual pottery buys.
Something like a Mailboxes Etc. is much needed in the Casas Grandes area. Potters have no way of shipping to the United States or of dealing with U.S. Customs requirements. Susana Nava (636-694-2600, susypottery[at]hotmailcom), in Nuevo Casas Grandes, will take pottery north across the border and arrange with UPS or some other specified shipper to pack and send it to you. If driving back to the El Paso airport, the Postal Annex managed by Pete Carrasco (915-585-0045) at Crossroads Shopping Center, 8001 N. Mesa, Ste E, may be convenient for shipping a pot rather than carrying it on the plane. When you come to Route US I-10 from Columbus or Santa Teresa (Artcraft Road), go a very short distance toward town and exit east on Mesa.
Last Minute Thoughts
Bring boxes and bubble-wrap for pottery--and any Mata Ortiz books you might like the artists to sign. Dollars are accepted everywhere. The current exchange is about 10½ pesos to the dollar. Should you want extra cash, there are ATM machines at any bank in Nuevo Casas Grandes and also at the Pemex station entering the old pueblo of Casas Grandes. Travelers’ checks are not accepted in stores and can be cashed at a bank only after arranging beforehand with the manager and then standing in yet another line for a teller. Or you can change it at a money exchange (casa de cambio) for a fee. Many potters accept a personal check but will add five percent to cover the fee for cashing it at the casa de cambio. Suggestion: Ask your banker at home to raise your daily ATM limit to whatever amount you might desire while in Mexico, obviating the need for travelers’ checks.
Horses are still a part of everyday life in Chihuahua. In Mata Ortiz, for $20 dollars per person per day, Jesús and Carmen Veloz will rent horses for solo or group excursions into the mountains (petroglyphs are 2 ½ hours away) or along the river north toward the Hacienda San Diego or south toward Santa Rosa. Their sons Martín and Antonio, though not strong on English, are available to guide. If desired, they will rendezvous and prepare a picnic lunch over an open fire ($5/person, minimum 4). Twelve-year-old Juan gives burro rides. The Veloz live across from the church, a couple of doors south of Jorge Quintana’s gallery.
Ana Trillo also rents horses for riding (two hours for $10 or all day for $20). Children are invited to ride her gentle burros. Her home is behind the elementary school on the way to the Adobe Inn Hotel. Phone her at 636-661-7054.
Border Compliance
A tourist permit and, if driving, a vehicle permit, are required to travel farther into Mexico than Janos. At that point, if you cannot show your vehicle permit, you will be turned back to the border to get it. These two permits can be obtained from a Mexican consulate or at the border.
A seven-day tourist permit will be issued free under the Programa Paquimé; a permit for a longer period costs $20, payable at any bank before returning to the U.S. To get a tourist permit, you need only show a US passport valid beyond your anticipated date of return. Lacking a passport, you will need a government-issued photo ID plus a birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or a military ID. These latter must be original or a certified copy. If you haven’t one of these, the photo ID plus a notarized voter registration or a notarized affidavit may suffice, but no guarantee. Anyone under 18 not accompanied by both parents will need a notarized letter of permission from the absent parent.
Three requisites for a vehicle permit are car registration, driver's license, and a credit card, and all these documents must be in the driver's name. If the car is not yours or is financed, you must have a letter from the owner or the lien holder giving you permission to take the car into Mexico (we recommend it be notarized). U.S. car insurance is invalid in Mexico, but Mexican insurance is readily available from an auto club, at the border when you get your vehicle permit, or by phone from a company like Palms Mexico Insurance (800-666-4778). Call any Mexican consulate if you still have questions before your trip. Locations of Mexican consulates in the United States are found at: www.mexonline.com/consulate.htm.
Before returning to the U.S., visit any bank and pay the $20 for the tourist permit you received on entering. The bank will stamp it paid. This permit and your vehicle permit must both be canceled at the border before the expiry date. Keep all canceled or expired permits or receipts, since the Mexican government computer system cannot be relied upon. Failure to cancel all permits and keep the receipts could mean fines and/or lengthy delays on a return trip.
To avoid quarantine, pets returning to the United States should have rabies papers.
Pottery is duty-free but must be declared. Keep receipts (just any notation of amounts with the potter's initials and Pagado—"Paid"—will suffice). Under $800 per person, no entry paperwork is needed. From $800-$2,000 per person, an informal entry will suffice (this may be waived if the agent takes your word that the pots are for personal use and not for resale, but no guarantees). Higher amounts require a formal entry using a customs broker. Each pot intended for resale must be labeled "Mexico." This can be written on "safe release" Scotch tape, which is unlikely to mark the pot, or, with the eraser end of a long wooden pencil, you can press a sticker onto the bottom inside the pot.
What is an "informal entry?" Obtain ahead of time Customs Form No. 7523 (080295), enter on it the District Port Code (Douglas is 2601, Columbus 2406, El Paso 2402), identify the pottery as "Decorative art pottery from Mata Ortiz" (identified, if the question arises, as TSUS No. MX6913905000). Informal entries (also called "commercial declarations") can be processed 9-5 pm weekdays and 10- 2 pm Saturdays. How much of this is necessary, of course, will depend on the Customs agent. We can send you a copy of the Customs form on request. For information on the various ports of entry, see http://www.customs.ustreas.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/ports/ Phone numbers are: Douglas AZ: 520-364-8486; Columbus NM: 505-531-2686; Santa Teresa, NM 505-589-9354; El Paso TX: 915-872-3444.
In the event of a seemingly unfair problem with an agent on either side of the border, our best advice is to keep cool and ask courteously to speak with a supervisor.
News of the Crossings
The Naco crossing, just southwest of Bisbee AZ has little or no waiting, and Douglas/Agua Prieta is usually not bad. Emi and I sometimes rent a car at the airport in El Paso but never cross there because of the border congestion and navigating through Juárez. Instead we take Exit 8, Artcraft Road, from Freeway 10 and drive west 12 miles. At that point we could cross at Santa Teresa, which now offers full Customs services from 6 am–10 pm (commercial 8-6 pm) for those re-entering the United States and, for those entering Mexico, vehicle and tourist permits the same as Palomas. However, our preference is to turn right on Route 9 and continue west, paralleling the border 60 miles to Columbus/Palomas. Columbus is a good crossing point, open 24 hours for tourist permits and 8 am–midnight for vehicle permits. After doing the border requirements, stop at the Pink Store in Palomas for food and/or Margaritas, good ambience, and a great selection of Mexican crafts.
Road Conditions
Daytime driving is fine, but avoid driving at night if possible. Roads are 20 percent narrower than in the United States and usually lack a shoulder, which means that a disabled vehicle may not be able to move out of the line of traffic. In the event of an electrical problem, a truck could be stopped in your lane at night without lights. Painted striping is often non-existent, and potholes and livestock can be hazardous.
The new paved road to Mata Ortiz is superb, however, and the highways from Palomas or Agua Prieta to Janos are currently in good condition. Last winter, the latter has had so many potholes, especially on the Chihuahua side, that we couldn’t recommend it for travel. That is not the case now. The road is in fine shape. Nevertheless, when weather conditions combine with the curves and heavy trucks to make driving hazardous through the mountains, many people coming from Arizona drive the extra 100 miles through Deming, New Mexico to cross at Palomas.
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