Journal entries 1-10
Last modified: April 17, 2012Middle school… Independence celebration… youth church choir… making adobe bricks… crucifixion… workers… curio shops… men on ladders… umbrellas… Plaza de las Armas… Palacio… old train tunnel and jumping beans…
10 … Man working on high ladder without a net…
Work on roofs will never come to an end in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico.
Second story work at the southeastern end of Calle Comercio. Elements at play take their toll on that man made, and man at work protects against elements and the hand of God, or so he tries.
Yesterday, today, tomorrow... it is always time for more paint.
Work is being done on the Casa that the youth choir uses a couple of afternoons a week to practice. This is on the north side of Calle Comercio.
Spring Day in the Plaza – Part Four: From Light to Night.
Afternoon shadows begin to creep across a Plaza shared by all: young and old, workers and those relaxing on a bench, going from here to there, meeting others, watching Alamos pass by, hearing the news, being one with all that surrounds… Horseback, on foot, bicycle or driving – it is wonderful to be part of the eternal promenade. Video…
09 … How things came to Alamos are stories that could be tall tales…
Behind the doors of Alamos there are many wondrous things.
Three doors down from the Church on the south side of Calle Comercio was a shop filled with objects. Everywhere one looked there was color, shape, form, texture, age and history. One of the folks running the shop was also a school teacher who enjoyed talking with visitors.
Imagine the objects that have come to Alamos over the past two hundred years.
Items have been passed down through the centuries and moved from casa to casa as well as being ransacked and raided for plunder. Much of what one sees in Alamos was a ruin as recently as the 1940’s. Things, objects and art pieces have come and gone as buildings fall into disrepair and then are brought back to magnificent states. I have a feeling Antiques Roadshow would discover a mother-load in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico.
Let us start with an introduction to a Short History of Alamos, Sonora, Mexico.
“Here is something Special”, Spanish explorer Vasquez de Coronado noted in 1540 as he headed north, passing by tall white rocks on Alamos de Sierra. This is the opening chapter to “A Short History of Alamos” written, filmed and edited by Anders Tomlinson. Narrated by Bruce Miles. Soundtrack by SonicAtomics and Estudiantina de Alamos. Video…
08 … Bright Sun on a brilliant Spring Day…
Textures, colors, light, shadow, graphics and the human spirit.
Woman walking with Umbrella was shot on my first day on my first visit to Alamos in Spring, 1983. She is walking towards Plaza de los Armas on colorful one-way Calle Aurora. The poster on the left announces the circus is coming to town. I learned a couple of months later that Les Meisenheimer was taken by the photo and wanted to buy the right for him to paint this scene. This was my first photo sale, and he had to do all the work to have it on a wall. The photo was taken with a 35mm film pocket camera Olympus XA-2. In those days it was one of the smallest cameras available to the public. This photo proves light is the most important factor in photography.
Spring Day in the Plaza – Part Three: People come and go and the day goes on.
This is easter weekend in the Plaza De Las Armas. People come and go across the Plaza or are headed for the bus station to leave town for the holiday. A crowd leaves the church and will travel along the streets of Alamos following a reenactment of the Crucifixion. Video…
07… The stories these Doric columns could tell, they have seen it all…
Two men continue a long tradition of maintaining this their Ciudad de los Portales.
The Hotel Los Portales was originally the stately Almada Home overlooking the Plaza de las Armas. Antonio Almada y Reyes came to Alamos from Leon Spain in 1783 to visit his uncle, the first Bishop of Sonora, Don Antonio de los Reyes. Antonio started to acquire mining property that made the Almada family extremely wealthy. His son, Don Jose Maria Almada. was born in 1791. He owned two of the richest mines, the Quintera and Balbanera and was a powerful political figure He was the father of 31 children by two wives. This was their home, 15 rooms surrounding beautiful patios. At their long dining table everything was silver: dishes, pitchers, eating utensils, cups and saucers, everything.
Burro access ramp brought silver from the mines into the house.
Inside the house there was a large room where silver bars were stored waiting for mules trains to move them to southern ports and on to Spain. These trains had as many as 1,000 mules. Depending on the weather they would make two to four trips a year.
Towns Live On Through the Skills and Attention of Its Maestros, Craftsmen and Laborers.
Walking is a common choice of transportation in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. To school, work, play, church, shopping to the buses. There are taxis and cars but walking is the Alamos way for most. And in the day wherever you walk there are workers at work. Big jobs, little jobs, it is all work. Video…
06… Friends, and morning sun, converge outside the Palacio Municipal…
The Federal, State and Municipal government offices are all here.
This busy building has a large open courtyard and stage that are used for public political and cultural events. Theater presentations, dances and concerts are common.
The opposition party leader walks to his seat on stage during the State of the City address.
Dr. Joaquin Navarro Quijada is the man walking across the stage. He lost a bitterly contested election in 1994 with Dr. M. Alfonso Valenzuela Salido. The Palacio was shut down for weeks by protesters. Eventually, Joaquin was given his own office in the Palacio and municipal life went on as normal. In 2009 he was elected Presidente Muncipal. Perseverance is a virtue.
To see more of what the local government is doing visit Municipio de Alamos, Sonora
Alamos shares a strong maternal bond, steeped in history, with all the Southwest.
Juan Batista de Anza departed Alamos in September 1775 with silver, and local families, to settle “Monterey and the Californias”, including San francisco, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles. Video…
05… These young spirited voices are heard in church, homes and streets…
Practice, practice, practice - their harmonies transcend the moment and beyond.
During the week these young singers practiced in a house on Calle Commercio. The church and police station, in opposite directions, were a couple of doors away. The words and voices reverberated throughout the youth choir’s practice room and floated out for all to hear. Many pedestrians and bike riders stopped to listen. From a distance, the mix of birds, dogs, people, automobiles and heavenly choir created an urban opera in a rural setting. My notes indicate that Elvia B. Hurtado Figueroa, Lourdes Acuna, Magdalena Acuna, Jesus Acuna and Virginia Salido Antelo(?) may be some of the subjects in this photo.
On the church steps they learn together as a team, and one can hear it as they sing.
The Streets of Alamos, Sonora, Mexico become Another Time in Another Place.
Easter week in Alamos is a special Spirit. Viernas de los Delores is celebrated on Good Friday. Decorated altars are displayed in windows and doorways throughout town. In the evening people stroll the streets viewing these commemorations of Christ”s suffering. In this segment we join a reenactment of the Crucifixion through the streets of Alamos to Guadalupe Hill. Video…
04… Tight traffic when you are the only bus in town…
This is from my first trip to Alamos, Spring of 1983. Journey on the History Bus.
The commercial center of Alamos, Sonora, Mexico, the Alameda, was laid out in 1769 and it has been busy ever since, some decades more than others. Today, it is bustling with activity. The bus station is the transportation hub for surrounding towns and ranches. On a couple of visits I took a bus from Tiajuana to Navajoa, hiked a couple of blocks to catch a bus to Alamos, and then strolled across the plaza for a taxi to take me and my equipment to awaiting lodging. These journeys, averaging 22 to 24 hours, made for some interesting days in my life. I found it easy to write in air conditioned comfort as Sonoran desert passed by.
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. Video…
03… Days of iron horses, fire, smoke and clouds of steam…
There was a day that trains to Navajoa traveled atop this tunnel.
In 1904 rail lines would be extended south of Guaymas, reaching Navajoa in May of 1907. 1908 was the year the railroad reached Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. And then things came and left, in 1931 railroad service between Navajoa and Alamos was discontinued because there wasn’t enough ore to justify the cost of shipping by rail. If one listens closely the faint cry of a ghost train whistle can be heard echoing off the surrounding hills. Mining has returned to the region since Anders last visited, has the train?
Alamos is home to the jumping bean along with elements that touch all the senses.
This video features the jumping bean, a drive into town from the west, and several cameos: church bell ringing, closeup of flood waters, timelapse of clouds passing in front of Mt. Alamos, and a street puddle at night reflecting shimmering light. Video…
02… Rainbow of earth tones spread across bare ground dry under warm blue sky…
Hard work is no stranger to Alamos. For some, proudly, it is their lifetime.
On the way to the airport one passes an adobe brick factory quietly at work. In the background dogs bark, birds sing, children flying kites laugh, and a bus rumbles by on its way to San Bernardo. The bricks are made four at a time with wooden forms. These humble bricks, made of local soil, will be used to build dreams, simple and majestic, across Alamos, Sonora, Mexico.
With simple tools these men of dirt dirt create basic elements of shelter.
A special time in a special place for people who feel special.
This is the introduction to a film that was shot over the 1993 winter holidays in Alamos. This is a glorious season for the town. We start out at the airport and head east into town and visit the Alameda lined with stores and professional offices. Video…
01… Secondary School morning recess on a late 1997 Spring day…
Summer approaches, soon the mountain and surrounding hills will turn green.
What better place to start than with the children of Alamos. Escuela Paulita Verjan, grades 7 through 10, sits on the site that was the Alamos mint from 1864 -1869. This photo opportunity was assisted by the young man waving at the camera in the foreground. His english was flawless. He would impress anyone who saw him interacting with peers and adults around town, working the front desk at the Hotel Los Portales and speaking with passion in front of a huge crowd on Independence Day in the Plaza.
This is the day the young man spoke clearly to his community.
In the hearts of many, Alamos is the center of the universe.
Independence day starts early in the morning with a municipal parade through the town’s colonial center. Alamos 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, Alamos continues. Video…
Anders is in search of names and, if possible, updates.
Who is this young man, where he is today and what he is doing?
Anders has several notebooks that people signed their names after they were photographed. Most likely this young man’s autograph is in one of these books. One of this Alamos Journal’s goal is to marry signatures with faces.
Return to Daily Journal or forward to Journal entries 11-20
©2010 Anders Tomlinson, all rights reserved.