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Historic village of Alamos

Almost 150 years before The Alamo became famous as the place where Texans fought against the Mexican army,  another Alamos had already been established as one of the richest mining districts in the New World. Originally known as Real de Minas de Purísima Concepción de los Alamos (Cottonwoods Royal Mines of the Immaculate Conception),  this one has a vastly richer history – and has the distinction of being “the only Spanish colonial town in Sonora to survive Indian raids, civil wars and the ravages of time.”

Sort of.  This time capsule of a town has been ravaged by floods, cholera, and most recently, by the economic downturn started by, our guide informed us, Osama bin Laden.

Still, our two-day trip to this gorgeous historical site has been rewarding.  From Guaymas we took Mexico Highway 15 south to the agricultural center of Navajoa and turned east towards the Sierra Madre Mountains. Some 60 kilometers along, the road narrowed and entered another time zone.  On either side, old colonial buildings closed in along cobblestone streets giving way to a central zocalo (city square) fronted by an old cathedral.

A community frozen in time

Its founding in 1634 was based on the discovery of enormous amounts of silver in the nearby hills.  The Quintella Mine was producing a reported $60,000 USD a month as far back as 1824 – a princely sum – enough to convert the rough mining camp into a lavish colonial community. The original mansions of that era are still in evidence.

Despite the historical richness of Alamos, it has suffered a series of downturns over its 375-year history.  As recently as 2008, Hurricane Norbert caused extensive flooding.

And according to some accounts, by the end of WWII, the population had dwindled to fewer than 250 people.

There was a revival after the war, when a few Hollywood stars discovered the off-the-map beauty of Alamos.  Many of the old ruined mansions were rebuilt and it looked like Alamos might go the way of Leadville,  Taxco, and other mountain gems that were turned into playgrounds for the wealthy.

But the vagaries of the international economy appear to have saved the authenticity of Alamos. Many of the renovated villas are for sale; and when we were there, most of the hotels were nearly empty.

Dining room - Puerta Roja Inn

Winding up a sinuous street we finally came to La Puerta Roja Inn where we were greeted by  owner Teri Arnold and her staff; we were instantly charmed. Have a look at the richness in the photo of the dining room (click on it to see it in original size).

After settling in, we walked back toward the main part of town and found a local tour guide, Trinidad Hurtado, to take us around the following morning. He recommended a nearby restaurant for dinner – Hotel Tesoro (The Treasure) – which, since it was Saturday night – was sure to have live music.

More charm. A troubadora group sang to us during our meal. It played an instrumental number for a couple from Guadalajara who serenaded each other in soft, loving voices. Aww – I want to be able to do that; perhaps in another life.

We stayed until darkness fell and then made our way through the cobblestone streets. We saw where Huracan Norbert tore up the town last year, tearing down many bridges and flooding who knows how many homes.  We visited the exclusive Hotel de los Santos, a $255 a night luxury spa owned by an extremely wealthy American couple.  And yet – when we got back to La Puerta Roja, we realized we were missing nothing.

In the morning, we were served probably the best breakfast I have ever experienced. Starting out with a baked, blood-red grapefruit and a frothy drink of blended orange juice and melon,  we knew the main course was going to be something remarkable.  Here it is:

Caserole de tamale de elote (corn casserole)

After breakfast we went out to find Sr. Trinidad in the city sqare, but there he was, waiting outside our room. We were almost an hour late but he didn’t seem to mind. He took us up to an overlook over Alamos. Wendy took this photo there:

City center from Mirador

Here is a slideshow:

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