Madera

St Peters Cathedral, Madera

Madera (known also as Ciudad Madera) is a small town in the Northern Mexico state of Chihuahua. With a highland location in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range, the town's elevation of 2,112 meters gives it a pleasantly cool climate where dense pine forests thrive. These forests have been the source of the town's economic reliance on the lumber industry. A number of archaeological sites nearby contains remnants of the Anasazi (Mogollon culture).

Understand

Madera is a young town by Mexican standards, having been founded in 1906 to harvest lumber from area forests. During the Mexican Revolution it was occasionally used as an outpost by Pancho Villa's Division del Norte.

In September 1965, the town was the site of an armed insurrection by a leftist guerrilla group called Grupo Popular Guerrillero. The Mexican Army moved in quickly with paratroopers and regular army units. They moved to control strategic points and were able to put down the nascent rebellion.

Get in

By bus

From Chihuahua, Rápidos Cuauhtémoc operates five buses per day directly to Ciudad Madera. The 4-hour trip (280 km) costs M$600 and up.

• 1 Terminal Autobuses Rapidos Cuahtemoc (Bus station), Calle Quinta esq. Juarez, ☏ +52 554 440 3106. Buses arrive here 5 times daily from Chihuahua. (updated Mar 2024)

Get around

The town is fairly compact and easily walkable, but it's a remote town and many natural attractions are some distance away via mountainous roads. Taxis are available in town and can be called by hotel staff. A taxi sitio is next to the Plaza Principal on Calle Primera.

See

Edificio 5 at Cuarenta Casas

Pine forests supply the town's lumber industry

• 1 Concatedral de San Pedro de Madera, Calle Primera 102. The town's main church is an amazingly cool looking building of rustic stone construction with wrought iron hardware. For a cathedral, it's shockingly small: smaller even than a typical parish church in most parts of Mexico. The building has a single nave, high stained glass windows, a single belfry and a single dome. 

• Zona Arquelogica Huápoca, Cd.Madera (From Ciudad Madera, drive west on Av Independencia which turns into a rural road that will take you 35 km along twisty, rugged mountain roads). Daily 09:00 - 18:00. Large archaeological site with cliffside dwellings, a spa area features natural pools and a modern swimming pool for those who don't want to bathe in the river, and a large pre-historic cave with cave drawings called Cueva Grande. An interesting site museum is open daily. Other highlights include Cueva de Aguila, Cuevad de Serpiente caves, and the Huápoca bridge. This can be a full-day experience so pack a lunch and bring water and sunblock. 

• Cuarenta Casas is another archaeological site about 40 km north of town. It is an old Anasazi (Mogollon culture) settlement with spectacular dwellings built into the cliff face with most of the home occupying caves in the rock wall. The site is thought to have been used as a military outpost for the protection of trade routes between Paquime and indigenous settlements in modern-day Arizona and New Mexico.

Do

• Cavalcade: Madera is the starting point of the Cabalgata Binacional Villista in which Mexican horsemen recreate a historical ride across northern Chihuahua then cross the U.S.-Mexico border and ride to the Pancho Villa State Park in New Mexico, where they are joined by horsemen from the United States. The annual event occurs in March or April.

Eat

• 1 La Cueva De El Indio, Abraham González 2, ☏ +52 652 572 0711. Cool if somewhat campy restaurant with rustic decor made to look like you're in an old indian cave, complete with indio figures. Traditional Mexican menu with an emphasis on seafood. (updated Mar 2024)
• 2 Cafeteria Los Lobos, Guerrero 1013, ☏ +52 652 572 0900. Daily 07:30 - 22:00. Casual family-style restaurant with generous portions and reasonable prices. Lots of burgers, fries, and similar light fare. M$200. (updated Mar 2024)
• 3 Mariscos Sinaloa, C. Quinta 502, ☏ +52 652 572 0175. Daily 09:00 - 19:00. Casual Mexican seafood eatery with full breakfast available. Locals recommend the chipilona toast and the micheladas. Large portions. (updated Mar 2024)

Sleep

• 1 Casa Grande Sierra, Barrio Internacional y Calle 27 S/N, ☏ +52 652 572 3923. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Basic hotel with clean rooms and off-street parking. Weak WiFi. Has a pool and restaurant on-site but travelers report that they are closed. (updated Mar 2024)
• 2 Parador de la Sierra, C. Tercera 1409, ☏ +52 652 572 0277. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Modest hotel with spacious rooms and ample off-street parking. (updated Mar 2024)
• 3 Hotel Kii, Calle Quinta y 5 de Mayo, ☏ +52 652 103 3572. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Modest hotel with clean, spacious rooms. On-site restaurant. M$800. (updated Mar 2024)
• 4 Rivera's Cabañas, ☏ +52 652 103 1710. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Rustic log cabins with stone fireplaces and wooded lots. (updated Mar 2024)

Go next

• Chihuahua
• Basaseachic Falls National Park
• Paquime
• Cumbres de Majalca National Park