Nombre de Dios is one of the oldest Spanish towns in northern Mexico, founded in the 1560s by Franciscan missionaries and settlers on the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the royal road that ran from Mexico City north to Santa Fe in New Mexico, carrying silver, mercury, supplies and settlers for nearly three hundred years. The road was listed as a World Heritage Site in 2010, along with a string of towns, churches, haciendas and bridges, and the temples of Nombre de Dios are among them, simple churches in stone and adobe that once served as bases for missions to the north.
The town sits in a green valley southeast of Durango, on the Mezquital river, at around eighteen hundred metres. The surrounding country is a mix of farmland and dry hills, with mesquite and cactus, and the light is clear and bright. Durango state is known for its mezcal, distilled from wild agave, and Nombre de Dios is one of its traditional producing areas; small distilleries, vinatas, may welcome visitors.
The riding in Durango is magnificent, if you go further. The highway from Durango west to Mazatlán, through the Sierra Madre Occidental, once crossed the Espinazo del Diablo, the devil's backbone, a famous road of curves; a modern highway with the Baluarte bridge, one of the highest in the world, now cuts the journey, but the old road is still there for the brave. Closer to Nombre de Dios, Highway 45 runs south toward Zacatecas through open plateau.
Nombre de Dios, a town of around five thousand, has fuel and basic services, and Durango city, about fifty kilometres away, has everything. Durango is also known for western films: Hollywood shot many of them in the deserts near the city, and some of the old sets remain as attractions. Ride in daylight, and check local advice on security.