Good Morning Plaza de las Armas

21 … Everyday will sail into the plaza: its rhythms, textures, and movements in tow…

Bishop Reyes Cathedral from Calle Commercio.  Alamos, Sonora, Mexico.  Photo by Anders Tomnlinson.

The Cathedral belfry is the first to feel the coming sun.

Colonial elements frame each other: The church’s east entrance is framed by its arch which is framed by a tree which is framed by a column at the corner of Calle Commercio where Casa Nuzum was – is. A procession of people will enter the church throughout the day, some coming alone for private moments and others in waves for scheduled masses. Here is safe harbor.

Man waiting in the plaza warmed by morning sun. Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. Photo by Anders Tomlinson.

Being by a warm wall facing the morning sun is a resourceful moment.

Predawn walkers circle the Plaza and skirt down side streets. The plaza gardener starts early, and one by one shop keepers, office workers and laborers come and go. Kids cross the plaza headed to school. Dogs wanders. Cars and pickups pass by. The same is happening in the Alameda, good morning Alamos, Sonora, Mexico!

Daybreak in the Plaza is a quiet song that slowly builds into a symphony.
As the day turns from dark to light watch Alamos come alive. Everyday is a new start, another challenge, another opportunity. The late Levant Alcorn is seen collecting bird feathers on his morning walk around the Plaza de las Armas. Video…

Spring Day in the Plaza – Part One: The Race.
Spring days in the Plaza de Las Armas are a portrait of the community at large. Here, we start with small children with big back packs enroute to their classrooms. This sunny morning, there are school races, boys and girls, around the Plaza.

Spring Day in the Plaza – Part Two: Getting Ready for another Day.
In the cool of the morning folks go about hand sweeping and cleaning the streets and sidewalks of Alamos, Sonora, Mexiso. Residents take pride in the town’s appearance. Enjoy a 360 degree pan of the plaza from the gazebo-bandstand in its center. We end with the garbage men making their rounds.

Estudiantina de Álamos performs before a packed Plaza as a film crew captures the event.
It is a big day in the Plaza. A TV crew has come to town and is filming a music concert. Estudiantina de Alamos, a crowd favorite, is performing. They will also back up several other acts. The bandstand is surrounded by adolescent girls and scattered smiling mothers.

In the hearts of many, Álamos is the center of the universe.
Independence day starts early in the morning with a municipal parade through the town’s colonial center. Álamos school kids, the first high school in the Californias started here, and the entire city government take part. In 2010 the students added their own uniformed marching band to the parade. From children to government, Álamos continues.

A Day In the Life of Plaza de las Armas


This is a look at life in the Álamos plaza between 1993 and 1996. Much has changed since then but much continues as it has for hundreds of years. Photos and video editing by Anders Tomlinson. Music, “Mystic Hoedown,” is by the Dirt Brothers/SonicAtomics featuring Denver Clay and Anders.
©2015 Anders Tomlinson and Denver Clay, all rights reserved.

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