Conscientious Living: Lessons from the Tarahumara Indians It’s becoming a smaller world and with social media cultural differences seem to be more blurred . I wonder if we are losing something in the process. I pondered this question on a trip to Copper Canyon, Mexico where I met the shy Tarahumara Indians . To reach the canyon we boarded the famed El Chepe (Chihuahua al Pacifico) train in El Fuerte, one of Mexico’s ‘Pueblos Magicos” (Magic Towns). You can reach El Fuerte from Mexico City by train, plane, taxi, bus or car. This train will take you to Copper Canyons, home of the Tarahumara Indians. El Fuerte is a sweet town surrounded by historic ,colonial buildings. The city was originally a flourishing trading outpost for mining. Supposedly it is the birthplace of Zorro, featured at the ‘Hildago Hotel’. Little English is spoken and there aren’t many “gringos”. Yet, people are friendly although the town closes early. Passengers board the train in the morning -- we suggest purchasing premium class seats near the front of the train. Climbing into the mountains, soon the cactus disappears and conifer trees provide a palette of darker greens. Approaching our stop at Barrancas de Cobre, we noticed the Tarahumara Indian children running alongside with their handmade baskets and bags of apples, hoping to make a sale to passengers. Their joyful and traditional colored blouses and skirts made us mile. We disembarked and made ourselves at home in a rustic “finca” ( farm-house), at the rim of the canyons. As we hiked, we would spot the Tarahumara as shadows on cliffs . We waved and a few curious ones waved back and soon a child skipped down to us with a small woven basket, eager to earn a coin for the family. The real name of the Tarahumara is Raramuri, the “running people”. They are featured as running “superstars’’ in the book Born to Run. We were fortunate, as one of the two annual marathons of the year, featuring the famed runners, was held the weekend we were in Copper Canyon. Our innkeeper woke us up early and we drove over an hour to the starting point of the race and were privileged to see amazing runners of all ages wearing traditional running sandals made of old tires. The men wore short skirts and bright shirts and the female runners longer skirts and colorful blouses. They were lean and fit. D. Dale Groom, an American physiologist who studied the physical endurance of the Tarahumara, published his findings in the American Heart Journal, “Probably not since the days of the ancient Spartans has a people achieved such a high state of physical conditioning.” And from the studies of other anthropologists, “Hidden in their mysterious canyons, this tribe strives to live in peace and has solved nearly every problem known to man…mind, body, or soul…working toward the end of hatred, corruption, greed, avoiding many health problems including obesity, drug addiction, diabetes, and depression.” Impressive, but I was more awed by their ability to collectively hold on to values of gentleness, lack of ego, community and individual cooperation. Virtues enabling this tribe to survive. This is a culture, unlike many other indigenous Indian tribes, that despite years of industrialization, influx of mining, and tourists, have maintained their own identity.Truly, they are blessed with great running genes and conditioning from living in the mountains. Even more, the Tarahumara Indians are a rare and simple people who epitomize minimalism and sustainability, believing “less is more” and “together we are greater than any one part.” Living the “good life,” I am humbled by the happiness and joire de vivre of the children, the elders, the hardworking mothers and fathers who understand the principles of conscientious living. Smiling, laughing and enjoying life, including their local brew, they reflect honesty, authenticity, and humility. There is a lesson in living for all of us. There are many guides and tours to the Copper Canyon. We chose Copper Canyon Adventures, to help us with logistics, including train tickets and lodging, but the rest of the trip we were on our own, including a visit to a local Tarahumara shaman, who “ cleansed my energy”!