Welcome to Alamos, Sonora, Mexico OLD VERSION
Last modified: January 19, 2017
Roofs collapsed into debris filled patios once filled with laughter and song.
An ethnic accounting, human nature and life in the Southwest…
Why did Álamos continue on after the mining bust(s)? There is no simple answer because there are always multiple causations. Here are a couple of my theories. First of all, Álamos was once a huge city that served as a regional center that thousands of people people passed through on their way to settle the southwest. The natural beauty of Álamos was unforgettable, it spoke to many in a clear and convincing voice, “here is a wonderful place, priceless”… for more.
There she is, Álamos in the summer, laying in a bed of rainy season dreams..
Álamos, 475 miles from Tucson, Arizona, is a National Colonial Monument in the southeast corner of Sonora, Mexico. Álamos, rich in silver and strategically located along the El Camino Real, played an important role in early Southwest history – especially California and Arizona.
Located at 1,360 feet elevation, Álamos, gateway to the tropics, savors a new season every six weeks in a picturesque valley that combines high Sonoran Desert, Sinoloan Thorn Forest and Tropical Deciduous Forest. Sierra de Álamos, the highest point in southern Sonora, is a federal preserve for the protection of flora and fauna. You find many things to do here, and or, like numerous visitors who are simpatico with Álamos, you will find yourself enjoying the profound realization of simply being…”if you stare at a cloud long enough it will disappear“.
Let your imaginations soar in this elegant outpost along the El Camino Real.
About this website
Anders Tomlinson takes one back through time, 1983 – 1996, to Álamos, Sonora, Mexico and a majestic landscape. Here, a sense of serenity greets one’s arrival. This website is also a development and promotional tool for Good Morning Álamos, Sonora, Mexico, a film, expected to premier in 2017, as well as a book by Anders Tomlinson. Enjoy!
It all begins and ends in the Working Center of Town.
The Alameda, center of activity, transportation hub, bars, offices, shops, gas station and markets … This is Mexico working, traveling and playing. Boom boxes serenade food carts and shoe shines.
See something of interest? Click on the blue number and you are there!
113: 1850-1899…112: 1800-1849…
111: 1600’s…110: 1500’s…109: 1700’s…
108: Calle Comercio 2… 107: Power struggles… 106: History videos…
105: Winter videos…104: Summer videos…103: Spring videos…
102: Three Alamos Jobs…101: Mirador Kite Festival…
100: Alamos horses… 99: Elizabeth Nuzum’s special place-garden…
98: El Pedregal Palapa 97: Cobblestone crew… 96: Kids playing in streets…
95: Red brick building… 94: 1993 Views of Alamos 93: Sweeping streets…
92: Restoration and repair… 91: Easter Sunday in the country
90: Taxi ride to Easter Sunday… 89: El Palomar Guest Ranch…
88: Inside Bishop Reyes’ Cathedral… 87: Cathedral details…
86: Grave diggers and street mourners… 85: Ceremony at the cemetery…
84: Victor digs a cistern… 83: Bilingual powers & flower details…
82: Border politics… 81: Galeria de Arte
80: Summer rains… 79: Four Almada women… 78: Nuzum rooftop garden…
77: Jacoby gardens & tequila… 76: Plaza kiosk-bandstand…
75: Traveling hypnotist… 74: Anthropocene & human nature…
73: Ethnic accounting… 72: Spanish Conquistadors… 71: Pueblo Magico
70: Beisbol, rodeo and dancing horses… 69: Estancia Crysalis…
68: Pemex… 67: Kids in the summer… 66: Painting the Mercado…
65: Kids at night… 64: Two churches, two men, & two bells…
63: Uvalama pottery family… 62: Alamos woodworkers…
61: Dr. Joaquin Navarro
60: Security devices… 59: Dry tropical forest… 58: Good cop, bad cop…
57: Sadnah and San… 56: Doug Riseborough… 55: Population history…
54: Ode to the “mother range”… 53: Human condition, Hotel La Posada…
52: Los Tianguis… 51: Reflections from high ground
50: Geologic timeline… 49: Street posters… 48: Ruins with no roofs…
47: Calle Delicias in La Compana… 46: Blue paint & Mexican politics…
45: Missionaries of Fatima, Mexican army base, Nueva Esmeralda…
44: Winter film crew… 43: Tebeto, 42: Auto icons…
41: Children at play and work
40: Conasupo… 39: Workers repairing roofs… 38: Casa Obregon…
37: Alameda tree falls… 36: History walk at Escuela Paulita Verjan…
35: Calle 16 de Septiembre… 34: Casa Esmeralda…
33:Traffic cops and artists… 32: Casa de los Santos…
31: Calle Alberto Guitierrez, VW, watermelon. angels
30: Night Scenes… 29: Cattle, El Camino Real…
28: Late Spring, mountain views… 27: Highways, roads…
26: Alamos gardens… 25: Elizabeth & Pember Nuzum…
24: Margo Findlay, Jim Wilson… 23: Maria Felix, Calle Galeana #41…
22: Antonio Figueroa… 21: Plaza waking up
20: Window treatments… 19: Cats, sheep… 18: Bishop Reyes Cathedral…
17: Summer floods… 16: Fiber optics & mechanics…
15: Estudiantina de Alamos… 14: Aduana… 13: Pantheon…
12: Peeling paint… 11: A tale of two seasons
10: Men working on ladders… 9: Curio shops… 8: Umbrellas…
7: Doric columns… 6: Palacio Municipal.. 5: Church youth choir…
4: Alameda Traffic… 3: Train tunnel & jumping beans… 2: Adobe bricks…
1: Secondary school & Independence day
To return Home.
These entries are scenes for a movie by Anders Tomlinson –
Good Morning Álamos, Sonora, Mexico. The film will comprise 90 scenes, each a sixty second mini-movie unto itself. These scenes will also be part of a Three DVD multi-media presentation featuring Álamos imagery by Anders and soundtrack by SonicAtomics. Look for Good Morning Álamos, Sonora, Mexico on a screen near you in 2018.
Here was Silver
Here, seven miles west of Álamos, at 2,500 feet elevation with surrounding mountains as high as 4,700 feet, Aduana has a few hundred people where once there was 5,000. A church, country store, cemetery, a small restaurant-inn, a plaza with a dry fountain in its center are surrounded by the past. Spanish conquistador Vasquez de Coronado camped here during the winter of 1540-41. He was searching for gold in what turned out to be mountains with veins of silver. The mines closed in 1906 after nearly 400 years of continuous mining. La Aduana was the “custom office”, it was all about taxes and royalties.
Photos and editing by Anders Tomlinson. Music from “Camino Songs” by SonicAtomics.
©2010 – 2017 Anders Tomlinson, all rights reserved.
