It was raining this morning when we visited the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Paquime ruins. "Paquime" means "Casas Grandes" (Big Houses).

Paquime was a pre-Hispanic settlement in western Chihuahua and in parts of the Mexican state of Sonora and the U.S. states of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. The ancient city of Paquime was settled around 700 AD and lasted until about 1340 AD. Why the city was abandoned is not known but thought either due to drought or to being attacked and burned by other Indians.

Paquime had a population of about 3,500 and the complex had over 2,000 rooms. Originally, it was a multi-story pueblo.

Paquime had both Pueblo Indian and Mesoamerican characteristics and it is believed that it served as a trading post between these two cultures.

The most amazing thing about Paquime is that it doesn't look like other ruins in Mexico, but, rather, it was constructed of adobe, looking somewhat like the adobe buildings of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Paquime consisted of housing, three ball courts, religious buildings, places for animals and birds, and maybe an observatory.

More of Paquime.

More of Paquime.

More of Paquime.

More of Paquime.

More of Paquime.

Paquime also had round ceremonial structures but these were made of rocks.

Closer-up.

Closer-up.

A pit of some kind.

Mormons settled around this area in 1885-1921 from the U.S. when multiple marriages were banned there. However, most left during the Mexican Revolution. Today, the largest Mormon population outside the U.S. is in Mexico.

We next visited the Museum of Northern Cultures at the Paquime site. Paquime pottery is seen in the photo. This is the pottery that the potters of the town of Mata Ortiz near the site are recreating.

More Paquime pottery.

Another Paquime pot.

The museum had a store selling pottery from Mata Ortiz.

More Mata Ortiz pottery.

White clay is also used in Mata Ortiz pottery.

On the road through farmland.

We stopped about every two hours on our trip to visit restrooms, most of which were in convenience stores at gas stations. However, we stopped at this rest stop that had clean, modern bathroom facilities (banos) for travelers along the road. A welcome idea.

Traveling through desert and farmland.

Farther along. The rain has stopped.

A small shrine along the road. We saw a number of them.

Farther along.

Farther along.

Now we are in Mennonite farmland. The Mennonites came to this part of Mexico in the 1920s from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Canada. Canada had passed a law not allowing the Mennonites to have their own schools. They looked for a new place to live and farm and choose Chihuahua, Mexico, after receiving land, relief from taxes for 50 years, and assurances against having to serve in the military and permission to have their own schools. Mexico wanted their farming know-how and development.

Most of the Mennonites in Mexico had left West Prussia for Russia because of persecution and then left Russia when they would be required to serve in the military. Then they settled in Canada and then moved to Mexico aboard 36 special trains carrying over 4,000 people, farm equipment, horses, etc., all that was needed to start farming. We drove through mile upon mile of farms. The original farms of the Mexican Mennonites were about 230,000 acres. Their farm area is huge with a very large number of warehouses scattered about.

Today, there are about 100,000 Mennonites in Mexico, with about 90,000 living here in Chihuahua. Photo of a Mennonite farm and house. Keeping with their religion, the houses are painted a plain color and colorful plants and flowers do not decorate their front lawns. They speak a Low German dialect.

Mennonite country.

Mennonite country.

Mennonite country.

Mennonite country.

Mennonite country.

The Mennonites raise cattle along with the farming of crops. They are also in the business of attending auctions of farm equipment in the U.S. and then selling it in Mexico.

There are small Mexican villages in Mennonite country.

Mexican village.

Indigenous people.

Although the Mennonites live simply, some of their houses are quite large. The Mennonites are different from the Amish as they use cars, have electricity, cell phones, and internet but no TV, music, and no alcohol. They are self-governing.

We had lunch at a Mennonite home.

A meat of some kind and cheese.

Tasty potato soup.

Cheese empanadas, not tasty until you put some of their apricot jam on them, and sausage.

Rolls.

Off the dining room was shelves of preserves. You could purchase some items.

A Mennonite young woman dressed simply. She served us our lunch.

Another Mennonite server. Charly, our tour manager, told us about the Mennonites but we didn't have a talk by Mennonites about themselves.

The turkey-chicken coup at the house.

The vegetable garden.

More of the garden. We saw a Mexican gardener working on the lawn in front of the house. The Mennonites use Mexican laborers, including the Tarhumara Indians from Copper Canyon, to harvest their crops.

Horses and goats.

A very bright horse figured out how to unlock the gate and the horses took off.

The goats weren't far behind.

There were so many trees in front of the house that we visited that there was no photo to take of it. However, this Mennonite house was across the street. Some of the Mennonites are very well off.

A long road in Mennonite country of warehouses and stores.

On the road.

A church. About 80% of the Mexican population are Catholics.

Another church.

We are now in San Juanito, one of the towns below Copper Canyon. It is a lumber town.

San Juanito.

San Juanito.

San Juanito.

San Juanito has some very interesting architecture.

More interesting architecture.

Ice Cream--Sweet & Delicious.

A large church.

Two men in San Juanito. The usual outfit of men in this area is of Western hats and boots, though the man on the left is wearing tennis shoes.

Past San Juanito.

Farmland.

A small house.

A chapel along the road.

We are now going through Sierra Bonita, another lumber town.

Drive through for Corona Extra and photo of an indigenous woman.

Roadside dining.

Toky Pollo.

Housing.

More houses.

The fields of yellow wildflowers were beautiful here. We are driving through the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains.

Closer to our destination, handicraft stores that we would visit later.

We are checked into our hotel which sits on the rim of Copper Canyon. We had viewing balconies.

View of Copper Canyon.

Another view.