A Perilous Journey in the Copper Canyon

I was returning from a visit to an Indigenous community in Mexico’s Copper Canyon. The journey back was a two-day trek on foot, and my two colleagues and I were making the return trip without our guides.

Before we set out on Saturday morning, the guides told us to start walking and said they would catch up with us soon.

Along the way, we got lost and ran out of supplies, though eventually we managed to find the trail again. That night, we slept beside a stream. On Sunday morning, we began the climb back to the city.

Since I was less tired than my colleagues, I walked ahead of them on the trail.

As I walked, a popular song from Brazil came to mind, one that mentions a rattlesnake. I later learned it was a version of “Poison Ivy.” I hummed it to myself as I continued along the path.

When we finally reached a well, we stopped to rest and drink water. Just then, our Indigenous guides arrived with the mules and our provisions.

They asked whether we had seen the rattlesnake.

Only then did I understand what had happened.