Álamos

Introducing Álamos

As you depart Navojoa on Hwy 13 toward Álamos, the oppressive diesel and dust of the Desierto Sonorense immediately begins yielding to the far more lush, forested foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental. It’s apparent: something special this way comes. The air is cooler, the bus stops are newer and the Pemex stations almost look historical. Álamos lies in wait like a buried treasure, one only half dug up thus far by blue-blood norteamericanos and other opportunistic foreigners.

A small and sleepy oasis to land in for several days, Álamos is a place to get lost in provocative history, tales of ghosts and legends, and hushed, cobblestone streets that spark awe and wonder at every turn. You’ll notice a Moorish sensibility in much of the architecture, thanks to the influence of 17th-century Andalucian architects, and won’t have to wonder why the town was declared both a national historic monument and one of Mexico’s 32 Pueblos Mágicos (Magical Towns) – it is currently undergoing a two-year project to remove all telephone poles and bury electricity lines in a bid to become a Unesco World Heritage site.

The town’s charms have proven irresistible to a community of American retirees and creative types who, since the ’50s, have been snapping up many decaying colonial buildings to renovate and convert to hotels, restaurants and second homes (everyone from the late actor Carroll O’Connor to a Pabst Blue Ribbon heiress has owned homes here). Now, the well-heeled expats – who comprise a small but influential part of the town population (it stood at 400 in 2007, according to one woman who does an annual count) – entertain each other in their enclosed courtyards, remaining largely segregated from their Mexican neighbors. Some have called it a San Miguel de Allende in its infancy.

From mid-October to mid-April, when the air is cool and fresh, norteamericanos arrive to take up residence in their winter homes, and the town begins to hum with foreign visitors. Quail- and dove-hunting season, from November to February, also attracts many foreigners. Mexican tourists come in the scorching-hot summer months of July and August, when school is out. At other times you may find scarcely another visitor, though the rainy summer months bring plenty of mosquitoes and no-see-ums to town.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009