Why this ride
It goes by way of Natsitacua, Uxa Tequipa and back through Natsitacua. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 2,200 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Nihuetaritsié and Uxa Tequipa
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 401 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 55
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Nihuetaritsié
High desert stretches away in every direction here, dotted with yucca, nopal cactus and mesquite, under a sky that seems twice as big as anywhere else. For centuries the Wixárika have made pilgrimages from their homeland in the Sierra Madre Occidental across these plains to Wirikuta, the sacred desert near Real de Catorce, stopping at springs, hills and other holy places along the way. This is one of those places, a spot that matters in their ritual geography even if, to an outsider, it looks like empty desert.
Read the complete Nihuetaritsié write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Nihuetaritsié is where the day begins. Next is Natsitacua.
2. Natsitacua
Every year, groups of Wixárika people, known in Spanish as Huichols, leave their homes in the Sierra Madre Occidental and walk, ride or drive hundreds of kilometres east to Wirikuta, the sacred desert in San Luis Potosí where, in their tradition, the sun was born. Along the way they stop at a series of sacred places, springs, hills and water holes, where they leave offerings and perform ceremonies. Natsitacua is one of these places, out on the high plains near the border of Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí, and the names of the neighbouring stops on the route, such as Nihuetaritsié, are in the Wixárika language.
Read the complete Natsitacua write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Natsitacua comes up about 116 km into the recorded legs. Next is Uxa Tequipa.
3. Uxa Tequipa
In the high desert of northern San Luis Potosí, among creosote bush, yucca and endless sky, lies a landscape that is sacred to the Wixárika, the people outsiders often call the Huichol. Every year, pilgrims walk or travel hundreds of kilometres from their homes in the Sierra Madre Occidental of Jalisco and Nayarit to Wirikuta, the place where, in their cosmology, the sun was born. Along the way they stop at a sequence of sacred sites, springs, rocks and hills, each with its own name, offerings and rituals. Uxa Tequipa is one of these places, and the route as a whole has been proposed for the UNESCO list as Huiricuta, the Wixárika sacred route.
Read the complete Uxa Tequipa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 203 km into the recorded legs you reach Uxa Tequipa. Next is back through Natsitacua.
4. back through Natsitacua
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Natsitacua write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Natsitacua, late in the day. Next is Nihuetaritsié.
5. Nihuetaritsié
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Nihuetaritsié write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Nihuetaritsié. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Nihuetaritsié to Natsitacua
Nihuetaritsié → Natsitacua is 116 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Natsitacua to Uxa Tequipa
Natsitacua → Uxa Tequipa is 87 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Uxa Tequipa to back through Natsitacua
Uxa Tequipa → back through Natsitacua is 87 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Natsitacua to Nihuetaritsié
back through Natsitacua → Nihuetaritsié is 116 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Tuy Mayau and Cuhixu Uheni · 425 km · 172 km
- Tatei Matiniere and Uxa Tequipa · 87 km