Urique

Urique is the seat of the municipality of the same name, set on the Urique River at the bottom of the Barranca de Urique, the deepest of the Copper Canyon gorges. The name comes from the Rarámuri word Urike, usually translated as "place of canyons". At only about 550 meters above sea level, it lives in a different climate from the pine-covered rim: subtropical and close to tropical, with mild dry winters and hot, humid summers. In 2010 the town had about 1,100 inhabitants.

Like many towns in the sierra, Urique began with a mine. It was founded on 12 January 1690 after Tarahumara people found a vein of ore that the Spaniard Juan Tarango Vallejo then registered in his name; Jesuit missions already existed in the surrounding mountains, and the mine's wealth drew settlers down into the canyon. The municipality was created on 14 December 1860 with Urique as its seat, and in December 1866 a decree of President Benito Juárez raised the town to the rank of villa. Mining faded during the 20th century, and today the local economy rests mostly on farming and livestock, with some small-scale artisanal mining.

The event that put Urique on the world map is the Ultra Caballo Blanco. The American runner Micah True, nicknamed Caballo Blanco, organized the first race in 2003 as an act of korima, the Rarámuri custom of sharing without expecting anything back; it became known abroad as the Copper Canyon Ultramarathon after the book Born to Run. It has since grown to include a half marathon, a marathon, an 80 km race and, since 2025, a 160 km (100-mile) race that starts in Cerocahui. The 2026 edition ran from 28 February to 1 March, and the organizers list 5 to 7 March for 2027. Rarámuri finishers receive food vouchers for staples such as maize flour, beans and rice, and the race finishes in the town plaza.