The 860 Turns Of Mexico’s Highway 120

There are 860 hairpin turns on Mexico’s Highway 120 which snakes through the Sierra Gorda Mountains in the Northern Central Highlands. Looking down at the valleys while the bus driver navigated 180 degree turns with skill I couldn’t help but wonder what little a guardrail would do (where there were some) to stop a mammoth bus from rolling over the side if disaster struck.

The mountains reach 7,545 feet at one point. Not once did I see a wreck below although there were many roadside memorials with crosses and flowers for those who perished. Every so often we passed loved ones tending to them.

The highway traverses through the dramatic Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, the beauty of which can distract you from the potential perils of two lane mountain roads. We encountered a diversity of vegetation ranging from dry land with large cacti to pine forests. Ranches and farms growing maze whizzed by the window.

We did not see any other foreign tourists in all the buses we took in the region. The second-class buses from Jalpan to Xilitla and eventually a nine-hour bus ride from Xilitla back to Mexico City reminded me of Greyhound but with a bit more legroom and on board entertainment.

The sounds from overhead television screens of Hollywood B-movies dubbed in Spanish competed with what I assume were Mexican classics played by the bus driver on a tape deck up front. The latter consisted mainly of men belting out ballads some of which no doubt depicted broken hearts or missing home.

Little children giggled at the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie while men in sombreros sat in the front seat and chatted with the bus driver.

All passengers who departed thanked the driver (muchos gracias) before getting off at their stop. This is the custom in Mexico.

Wendy is a New York City-based journalist and travel photographer. She pens travel blog Escape From New York. You can view her photography at www.wendyconnett.com.