Nature reserve 4 km east of Real de Catorce
The sacred desert of the Wixárika people, a protected area of high plains and cactus around Real de Catorce, best seen on a Willys jeep tour.
Wirikuta is the name the Wixárika (Huichol) people give to the high desert around Real de Catorce, and for them it is where the world was created. It is the eastern of the five sacred places that mark their universe, and every year pilgrims travel here from the Sierra Madre to collect hikuri, the peyote cactus, and to leave offerings on the Cerro del Quemado.
The region was declared a state protected area in 2000 as a sacred natural site, covering about 140,000 hectares of sierra and desert plains across six municipalities, including the pilgrims' historic route. It has also been part of UNESCO's network of sacred natural sites since 1998. In the 2010s plans for large mines inside the area set off a long fight led by Wixárika communities, and federal courts suspended mining projects there in 2013.
For visitors, Wirikuta is a landscape of wide plains, Joshua-tree-like yuccas, cactus and enormous skies, with the old railway towns of Estación Catorce and Estación Wadley at the foot of the sierra. Peyote is protected and its collection is reserved for Wixárika ceremonial use; taking it is illegal.
What to see and do
Ride down the old mountain road to the desert in one of Real de Catorce's vintage Willys jeeps.
Stop at the railway towns of Estación Catorce and Estación Wadley at the foot of the sierra.
Stay overnight in the desert for the silence and the stars.
Visit the Cerro del Quemado, the pilgrims' final destination, above town.
Getting there
The desert lies just west of Real de Catorce, below the sierra. The classic way down is a Willys jeep tour from town along the steep old dirt road to Estación Catorce, roughly an hour each way; drivers wait near the town's main streets. By car, the desert towns can also be reached by road through the lowlands, a much longer route; ask locally about current road conditions.
4 km east of Real de Catorce
Directions from Real de Catorce on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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Places to stay in Wirikuta
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Tours & activities
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Weather cool
Wirikuta shares the climate of Real de Catorce, 4 km away. The best months to visit are Feb, Mar, Apr, May.
Make Real de Catorce your base
Wirikuta is an easy trip from Real de Catorce, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
More around Real de Catorce
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Cerro del Quemado
· Mountain · 3 km away
The sacred Wixárika peak where the sun was born, a walk or horseback ride above Real de Catorce with huge views over the desert. -
Estación Catorce
· Town · 10 km away
The old railway town at the foot of the sierra, where Willys jeeps from Real de Catorce end their dramatic descent to the desert. -
Estación Wadley
· Town · 13 km away
A quiet desert village on the railway, a base for stays and walks in the plains of Wirikuta.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.