C

The weather was glorious as we set out early in the morning to drive the 43 kilometers (25 miles) to Cuarenta Casas.. n only minutes we were out of town and in ranch country. The sky was blue, the flat-bottomed valley was knee-deep in lush grasses and you could imagine John Wayne cantering his horse through the pastures to court his lady-love.

High as we were in Madera, we climbed even more to get the site and found more and more pine forests the higher we . gotHalfway there, we passed a road junction and figured that it must be the road to Nuevo Casas Grandes. Had we known for sure it was here, we would have brought all our stuff with us so that we could have driven straight there after 40 casas. Too bad!

The site was clearly marked but when we pulled off the road, we found that the gate was closed even though there were some workmen around, building a hut or house just inside of the gate. They were probably building a new visitor center and/or ticket booth. In our halting Spanish, we tried to ask what time it would open and were told soon so we sat down to wait for a . whileAfter half an hour no-one had showed up, so we decided to waste no more time, locked the car and climbed around the gate and headed into the woods along a sandy dirt road.

Caves seen across canyon

We walked about a mile and came into a clearing with what looked like a very simple visitor center. It was a one-room hut that was all locked up but all around were signs for parking suggesting that had we waited wecouldhavedrivenin.Still, we were happy to be the only people around, and even more happy with the cool temperatures moderated by bright sunshine and a light breeze — perfect walking weather. We looked around and quickly found the signs to a lookout point where we got our first view of the site.

Jan descending trail

We were on the edge of a steep-sided canyon that was maybe a quarter of a mile wide and maybe 300 or 400 feet deep We had been concerned about the amount of climbing there would be to do, but once we reached the canyon rim we knew it was nowhere near the 700 meters deep the brochure we had had said. On the far wall of the canyon, we could make out at least one cave and with binoculars confirmed that it was the Cueva de las Ventanas, our first goal.

Cueva de las Ventanas

Walking down to the bottom of the canyon posed no great difficulties, although Jan’s thigh muscles felt a wee bit jellyish by the time we reached the bottom. There we crossed a sturdy footbridge and started the climb back up. That was a bit harder, but flowering thistles and yuccas, darting lizards and butterflies helped distract us from the efforts our lungs had to make. By the time we reached the Casa de las Ventanas, the biggest group of houses, we were both throroughly out of breath. But it was worth it!

Far view of Cueva de la Ventana

The cliff at that point is in the shape of a Cobra hood with the top overhanging and protecting a shelf below, where the houses are built. It must have been great protection from both the sun and the rain. The front part of the shelf was in sun when we arrived at 11:30, but only half an hour later when we left, the entire settlement was in shade.

Cliff

There seemed to be about a dozen different homes, although since the upper floors have disappeared it is hard to determine where one ‘casa’ stops and another starts. But sitting on the wooden deck with the homes to our backs and looking out over the canyon which had surely not changed in the 8 centuries since they were abandoned, it was very easy to imagine a busy and active daily life taking place behind our backs.

Cueva de las Ventanas

Later in the year we would visit similar sites in Arizona, which in their own way were quite fascinating. But none of them was as magical as this, our first such site, reached under our own steam, with no guide, or other companions to disturb us as we admired it and contemplated its past. The site, the canyon, the view, all were quite unforgettable.

But we had to move on. We hoped to see one or two more of the dwellings and so climbed down from the Casa de las Ventanas looking for other trails. We did pass a couple of side trails but they were all closed off with police tape, suggesting that the other parts of the site were off limits. That was too bad, but we both agreed it was best not to trespass. On the way down we passed this lovely agave on which other tourist had carved their names. We understood the impulse but on the whole wished they had resisted it.

Cactus with graffitti

That meant that all we had left to do was climb back up to the eastern rim. Did I say all? Well, we managed it but again at the cost of much effort from our lungs and lots of sweating and straining. We wished we had not been two months away from our almost daily hikes up the escalator of the Rosslyn metro which had gotten us into OK shape. Too much sitting in the car, no doubt.

Chihuahua

The walk up and out was disturbed only by encountering two other groups of visitors. We smiled at one another smugly and congratulated ourselves on being there first and alone. But we had other fish to fry and so wasted no time in driving back into Madera.