El Salto: A Timber Town Nestled in Durango’s Pine Forests

El Salto, a city with a timber tradition and the municipal seat of Pueblo Nuevo, is located among the tall Durangue pines, an endemic species of the state, and in the depths of the Sierra Madre Occidental.

 

To access El Salto, the easiest way is to leave from Victoria de Durango, taking the highway that leads to Mazatlán. A slightly winding road that leaves behind the semi-desert of the state capital and integrates capriciously into the pine forests, rises and makes you feel like you are heading to heaven.

 

The town, with its rustic atmosphere and mostly wooden houses, lived its golden age during the 1930's, when its sawmills experienced a boom in lumber exploitation and the arrival of the railroad that would run from Durango to Mazatlan was in sight. The work, although it did not materialize, gave way to the creation of tunnels that are still open today, being used for recreation and ecotourism.

 

With a predominantly cold climate, El Salto recreates the winter postcards in an almost hypnotic way, showing a white that approaches the immaculate in the months of January and February, where the forms of its constructions, the traces of its streets and the crosses of la Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (“Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral”), as well as the temple of San Francisco de Asís can hardly be differentiated.

 

The first religious center built in El Salto was the one dedicated to San Francisco in the 40's, which was crowded and visible from the heart of the town, surrounded by shops and consumer centers. The second, which has the Virgin of Guadalupe as its patron saint, is located in the highest part, having as its main attraction its unusual architecture of triangular roofs and views of the town.

 

The food, -an undeniable pleasure for all travelers-, permeates the nose from a distance predicting flavors that fully comply with the wishes of the imagination. Gorditas de chicharrón prensado (“pressed pork gorditas”), cuerito, discada, machaca, chicken and whatever else the people of Salta may think of, are a guarantee of a flavor that you will want to memorize with every bite.

 

If the cold gets too much, nothing like a mushroom soup and a hot coffee to clear your mind and warm you up. In El Salto, the cold weather is softened by the warmth of its people, who will not hesitate to share their experience with you so that you can enjoy the place and feel confident, so that you can walk without hurry and venture into its nature that borders on the supernatural.