Northern Mexico, with the exception of overnight drunken binges into Tijuana by underage college students, is often overlooked in favour of the beaches and jungles of southern Mexico. For the somewhat adventurous traveler there is still plenty to see and do, especially if your interests include hiking and history. The city of Chihuahua offers plenty to see and do if you have a couple of days.

I crossed into Mexico from El Paso Texas  on a shuttle that took me directly to the Ciudad Juarez bus station. The shuttle stopped at customs allowing me plenty of time to complete the paperwork required for a 6 month tourist card. Keep in mind that a $20 tourist card fee is required if you’re planning on staying in Mexico for more than 72 hours or if you’re traveling more than 20 miles south of the border. Detailed information is available here.

The 5 hour trip from the border to Chihuahua costs roughly $20 for an air conditioned coach with on board movies. The landscape, while harsh, is still interesting and an enjoyable part of the trip if you’ve never spent much time in a desert before. You’ll also notice a lot of military roadblocks along the road heading back north, an attempt to stop the drug trafficking that has fueled a violent war between the cartels and the Mexican government.

Once I arrived in the city of Chihuahua I hopped a cab to the town center close to the cathedral. There were plenty of inexpensive hotels around here as well as numerous markets and restaurants. A decent hotel should run you anywhere from $10 to $20 for a simple but clean room.

The city of Chihuahua does offer a lot of interesting and attractive sites and shouldn’t be passed off as nothing more than a transit point for the Copper Canyon. The centrally located cathedral and surrounding markets make for a great area to acclimatize and just stroll around. Chihuahua is famous for its cowboy boots and you’ll notice plenty of these stores in and around this area. Grab a coffee or an ice cream and just relax on a park bench if people watching is your fancy.

Close to the cathedral is a city tour bus that can drop you at all of the sites Chihuahua has to offer. With a one day ticket you can get on and off the bus as often as you’d like and it’s a great way to get around the city to some of its famous attractions. One of the first and most popular stops along its route is the Pancho Villa museum owned by the Mexican military. It was once the home of the famous Mexican revolutionary and now houses many artifacts from Mexico’s war for independence as well as some brilliantly colourful murals and the original roadster that Pancho was in when he was assassinated.

Another famous and important person in the history of Mexico is Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.  Hidalgo led a peasant revolt that would later be considered the beginning of Mexico’s war for independence.  He was eventually captured by the Mexican military and executed. Personally I think it’s important to have at least a basic understanding of a country’s history and this goes a long way when making friends and meeting locals as you travel through their country. Hidalgo’s gloomy cell is another stop on the city tour that shouldn’t be missed of only to pay respects to an important part of Mexico’s turbulent past.

One final stop that should not be overlooked are the murals located in the Government Palace. The murals, started i 1959 by famous Mexican muralist Aarón Piña Mora, depict the economy and history of the state of Chihuahua. The entire first and part of the second floor are decorated with his works.

There are numerous other things to keep you busy in Chihuahua but if you’ve got just a day to spend then these sites are well worth the time spent. One final stop that I personally did not get to but do recommend would be the statue of one of Chihuahua’s favorite sons, actor and artist, Anthony Quinn. Located in the Parque Central El Palomar the statue depicts one of Quinn’s most famous roles doing his dance as Zorba the Greek.

Many travelers are in Chihuahua to catch the Copper Canyon train to Los Mochis on the west coast or to the town of Creel, gateway to the Copper Canyon. I opted for the bus to Creel where I spent a few days before catching the train from there to Los Mochis. The bus offers more options for departure times and is less expensive than the train for the 3.5 hour trip.

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