Text and pictures by Anna Bruce
Ultramundo is not just a mezcal, it is the heart of a regenerative ranching project
This July I realized a long held ambition, of driving down through Mexico with my partner Brooks Bailey. We picked up the car in Oakland, and drove it down the California coast, via a quick layover to get married! After, we hit the highway to start our road-trip of a honeymoon that took us across the border at San Diego, down Baja California and over to the mainland at Mazatlan. Our end goal was Oaxaca, where we call home. However we had a bit of a detour planned to fulfill one more dream, visiting Rancho Pelayo,in Durango, home of Ultramundo Mezcal.
Rancho Pelayo stretches across a section of the Southern Chihuahua desert in Durango, Mexico. Durango is the largest of all Mexican states, yet it has the smallest per capita population. The road from the port at Mazatlan toward Durango cuts straight through the mountains, taking you into dark tunnels, before epic suspension bridges fly you across the next beautiful expanse of landscape.
After this stunning drive, we met up with the founder of Ultramundo, Sergio Garnier, who led us to the town of Mapimi. This is a ‘pueblo magico’ that has belonged to the “Camino Real de Tierra Adentro” on the UNESCO list since 2010. From this point it is another hour or so, off road, to the ranch itself.
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