Nestled in a high valley in Mexico’s pine-studded Western Sierra Madre range, they city of Durango’s surroundings look like what we think of as the Old West.
And in fact, between 1954 and 2004, more than 140 Hollywood movies were filmed in the mountains, valleys, and deserts surrounding Durango. Most were Westerns that featured the likes of John Wayne, Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, and Steve McQueen. Plus, some non-Westerns, such as “Ben Hur,” “Dr. Zhivago,” “Star Wars,” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.” A handful of those old movie sets are still standing… including John Wayne’s personal set.
Just 600 miles from the Texas border, today’s Durango is an energetic city with a youthful, university vibe… yet its colonial central market is still in full swing, and you’ll still find cowboys and ranchers on the streets during their visits to town.
Calle Constitución is a pedestrian-only area filled with trendy cafés, shops, bars, and clubs. If you live anywhere in the historic center, this will likely be a frequent stop on your leisure itinerary.
In the cool evenings after dinner, my wife Julie and I enjoyed strolling the length of the walkway, stopping to look over a vendor’s wares, watching the street musicians, or savoring dessert in one of the pastry shops or cafés.
Durango sits at 6,200 feet (1,900 meters) above sea level, which explains its relatively cool climate when compared to nearby coastal areas. I love the weather in Durango. The coldest months of the year (December and January) have an average high temperature of 69°F (20.5°C). In the hottest months of May and June, the highs will average 86.5°F (30.2°C). Overnight lows are always below 60°F (15.5°), so I’m fine with no air conditioning.
Humidity levels are low, and annual rainfall is about 20 inches (529 mm), most of which falls in July and August. Twenty inches of rain is about one-third of what you’d see in Miami… half of what you’d get in Philadelphia… and about 10% more than you’d get in Sacramento
Durango’s central town plaza is found at the corner of Calle Constitución and Avenida 20 de Noviembre, in front of the stately cathedral dating from 1620. The plaza is popular day and night and serves as the social hub for the downtown areas.
If you walk west along Avenida 20 de Noviembre, you’ll find a string of well-kept neighborhoods, whose small streets and cobblestoned alleyways offer a treasure of hidden-away restaurants, coffee shops, and bars. You’ll find everything from sushi to rich, local Duranguense specialties.
Continue in the westward direction, and you’ll run into Los Remedios… a neighborhood on a hill with sweeping views and good real estate buys. Go east from Calle Constitución and you’ll find a few more practical offerings, such as the 200-year-old central market,—offering everything from tomatoes to bridles and saddles—a large modern supermarket, and department stores.
Follow Calle Constitución south a few blocks and you’ll end up at a large, green park known as Paseo Las Alamedas, the perfect place for a stroll on a Sunday afternoon. Crossing the park south, you’ll enter Barrio Analco… a neighborhood that has a Spanish-colonial feel with its own parks, plazas, churches, and restaurants.
Durango offers a lifestyle, amenities, and a cost of living that I find almost impossible to beat. But I found something here that’s even more unique… A gringo-free zone.
I’m a resident of Mexico, living just a few hours from Durango. And frankly, I had come to view the country as a compromised destination. With close to 2 million North Americans already in residence—in dozens of expat-dominated locations—I saw the expat havens of Mexico as a middle ground between the States and an unadulterated foreign culture… like, say, Brazil.
What’s been hard for me to find in Mexico is a city with full amenities, whose culture has not been affected by foreign tourists or a large American/Canadian population.
But that’s exactly what I found in Durango… a city where I could enjoy the local culture without being subjected to gringo pricing or negative stereotypes.
Of course that means English is not commonly spoken in Durango so don’t count on getting by with only English here.
But if you’re looking for the authentic Mexico, that is, a cultural environment that’s not dominated by expats or foreign tourists, Durango—while a modern, sophisticated city—fits the bill perfectly.
Sincerely,
Lee Harrison
Contributor, Overseas Living Letter
