THE STATE OF SONORA, MEXICO

ISOLATED BY DESERT, MOUNTAINS, AND SEA BUT ACCESSIBLE THROUGH ARIZONA

GEOGRAPHY AND LOCATION

Sonora is a large sparsely populated state (less than 2,000,000 population) in northern Mexico, adjoining Arizona. Mexico is the most populous Spanish speaking country in the (90,000,000) world and the second most populous country in Latin America (after Brazil). Its mountainous land is three times the size of Texas.


History
Sonora was not culturally advanced in pre-history but southern Mexico boasts a long line of advanced native civilizations including Olmec, Maya, Toltec, and Aztec. Hernando Cortes conquered Mexico City in 1519 which led to 300 yeas of Spanish control. Miguel Hidalgo, a Mexican priest, began an eleven year revolution on September 16, 1810 to gain Mexico's independence from Spain. Sonora was very largely isolated (from Mexico and the USA) for these centuries by the western sea, the eastern Sierra Madre mountains, and the southern desert and indian regions.


In 1836. After the Mexican American War (1846- 48), Mexico sold half of its territory to the United States. In 1861 the French invaded Mexico, occupied the capital of Mexico City and named Austrian Archduke Maximilian as emperor. In 1864 Sonora fell fully to the French. In 1865 Mexican troops under the leadership of Benito Juarez over threw Maximilian and reestablished a republic. Sonora continued largely isolated and gravely menaced by Apache attacks from Arizona until almost 1900.


The wars of the Mexican Revolution until 1925 were largely fought in other areas although Sonoran general were very prominent and several became presidents of Mexico. Mexican affairs since 1940 have been marked by economic progress and setbacks with political stability with the dominance of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). The nineties have been a period of severe economic crisis and hardship, even in more prosperous Sonora.


EDUCATION

Education is supposedly compulsory and free through age fifteen. Trade and vocational schools are popular. There is a prestigious university system in Mexico. Sonora has a state university system and several private univrsities. However, many are unable to pass the required entrance exams. Literacy is 87% but functional literacy is much lower.


ECONOMY

The Mexican government has taken bold steps in recent years to restructure the economy. It has reduced inflation and accelerated its market-oriented reforms which has helped stabilized the economy. In a recent move, however, the Mexican government allowed the devaluation of the peso which has caused a financial crisis. Mexico, being the fifth largest petroleum producer in the world, has decreased its dependence on petroleum exports allowing for growth in other areas. One result is gasoline now priced at $US1.70 per gallon. Mexico is the United States third ranked trading partner. The US imports petroleum, cars, piston engines and coffee. Mexico also has great mineral resources. Mexico is predominantly agricultural (33%) but the cities are growing rapidly as people leave the country to seek better paying jobs. The average income per capita is approximately $3,000. Generally Sonora and the other northern states are a little more prosperous than the desperately poor south. But even the Sonoran capital of Hermosillo is ringed with shanty town barrios of extreme poverty.


According to a recent National Geographic article on Mexico we find this truth: Just a few years ago Mexico was moving smartly toward true democracy, free enterprise, and partnerships with world powers. Now, the worst recession in more than half a century has sent it reeling. There is an oppressive cycle of poverty through destroying the economy and poor educational programming. Sonora has felt "la crisis" more heavily than some states.


The families we work with are the families are often the most affected by the cycle of hopelessness. They are hardworking people whose average income is only $30-60 a week. Their communities are usually only a few years old, and were established because of the large influx of people looking for employment. In most cases, a family is not capable of saving for a house to be built, because the government-owned lots they are buying are expensive and the government has no program for assisting the poor.


Even in supposedly more advanced Sonora an education in the colonias is not guaranteed for every child. The government has no contingency for the population boom which is happening in the border towns, and they can't keep up with the growth in these regions. The responsibility falls to an already overburdened local government which can't afford adequate facilities or resources. Schools are forced to hold some classes outdoors and qualified teachers opt for city environments, rather than teaching in these neighborhoods. Older children are often required to leave school and enter the workforce instead of attending school, because the family can't afford schoolbooks, and maintaining the family unit takes precedent over education.


The Sonorans are like all Mexican people in being very aware of their family responsibilities, because the Mexican culture is family-oriented. The father is considered the absolute head of the family and is treated with great respect. The mother or grandmother, however, also carries great influence in the family, especially in the absence of a male figure. When a couple marries, the wife maintains her maiden name and it is joined to the husband’s name. For example, if Julio Mendez marries Eva Gomez, the family name becomes the Mendez Gomez family, taking on both names. It is not uncommon to have extended family members live in the same household. There is a tremendous sense of responsibility in the care for each other. It is common to see a grandparent or aunt living with a family to care for the children while the parents work to support the entire family. Cousins and in-laws frequently work to contribute to the total family income.


The Catholic church has influenced the people of Mexico profoundly, although less in historically isolated Sonora. . Mexico’s religious heritage dates back to the Spanish invasion of the land. Missions were established by Catholic priests who often mistreated the natives and thereby, misrepresented the gospel. However, the Catholic church remained strong and became a distinct part of the culture and thinking of the Mexican people. In the last several decades, the Protestant church has been exploding in its growth in some areas of Mexico.. The church in Mexico is often distinguished by a great reverence for the Word and a strong submission to the work of the Holy Spirit. Intense prayer marks the life of many of the Christians in Mexico.


CULTURE AND LANGUAGE

The official language of Mexico is Spanish and 55% are culturally Mestizo (a mixture of Spanish and Amerindian). Twenty-eight percent are Amerindian, though only 8% speak their native languages such as Aztec, Maya, Otomi, Zapotec, Totonaco and Mixtec. Over 200 other native languages are still used in various parts of Mexico. In Sonora the Yaquis and Mayos in the southern river valleys still maintain some use of their native languages, but probably everyone in Sonora today can speak Spanish.


Mexico as a whole is 89% nominally Catholic and 5% Evangelical. Sonora is said to be less than 1% Evangelical also less Catholic than Mexico as a whole.


HERMOSILLO,
CAPITAL CITY OF SONORA

Set amidst sweeping plains of golden grasses and green-tufted hills with taller, serrated peaks rising abruptly in the background, this bustling city serves a dual role as Sonora's state capital and major regional center for Sonoran agriculture. Before the entrada, Hermosillo was the site of a Pima Indian settlement called Pitic that was centered at the junction of the Sonora and San Miguel rivers, now impounded by Presa Rodríguez at theeastern outskirts of the city. The Spanish superimposed a colony called Santísima Trinidad del Pitic in 1700, but because of confrontations with Pimas and Seris, it was nearly a century before the settlement area was considered "safe" for general habitation.


In 1828 the city's name was changed to Hermosillo in honor of a general from Jalisco who was a hero in the war for independence from Spain. As New Spain became Mexico, and Mexico subdivided its territory into smaller states, Hermosillo became in turn the capital of the state of Occidente, then of Sinaloa y Sonora, and finally of Sonora. A pleasant mix of modern Mexico and old Sonora, today's Hermosillo is a common stopover for North American visitors heading down the coast because it has all the conveniences of "home," including diverse restaurants, supermarkets, ice-cream parlors, discos, a university of 20,000 students, and an American consulate. A few Americans have chosen to live here for these reasons and for the fact that Hermosillo has the lowest consumer price index of Mexico's 35 largest cities--yet it's less than two hours away from the Sea of Cortéz.


Some visitors are put off by the congested traffic, but for a city of over a half million the traffic here actually moves quite well. If you avoid commute hours, you can breeze through town in 10-15 minutes. But Hermosillo is worth a longer stopover for downtown strolls along the laurel-lined avenues and visits to the cathedral, regional museum, and ecological park. The best time of year for a visit is October-May. During the summer, daytime temperatures in Hermosillo can reach 38deg. C (100deg. F). During Semana Santa (the week before Easter), local Yaquis give native dance performances in the city's Barrio del Coloso.


SIGHTS


Many of the city's prominent sights are found along or near a major north-south boulevard variously labeled as Blvd. Kino, Blvd. Rodríguez, and Blvd. Rosales.


Plaza Zaragoza Hermosillo's city heart since 1865, this spacious downtown plaza features a lofty, Florentine-style kiosco (kiosk) built in the early 1900s. At either end of the plaza are the city's two greatest architectural attractions, the Palacio de Gobierno and Catedral de Asunción. To reach the plaza from the city's northern entrance, drive or catch a city bus south along Blvd. Kino until it becomes Blvd. Rosales. The plaza is bounded at the north and south by Blvd. Hidalgo and Calle Dr. Paliza, both of which run west off Blvd. Rosales.


Palacio de Gobierno Sonora's seat of government was originally constructed (as a Casa Municipal) of brick and adobe in the neoclassic style in 1859, using Yaqui labor and stone quarried from Cerro de la Campana. Governor Don Carlos Rodríguez had it rebuilt in 1881 to serve as the Instituto Sonorense de Bellas Artes (Sonoran Institute of Fine Arts), a dream never realized as political complexities forced the governor to leave before his term ended. Converted into the Palacio de Gobierno by the next governor in 1884, the building was almost completely destroyed by fire in 1948. In recent years it has been extensively restored and is now one of the most impressive government buildings in Northern Mexico. An interior courtyard is planted with trees and displays murals with regional themes.


Catedral de la Asunción This huge, white, twin-towered cathedral with a striking, tiered facade sits opposite the Palacio de Gobierno at the other end of the plaza. The original adobe chapel on this site, completed in 1778, had decayed so much by 1877 that 800 local women petitioned the Catholic diocese to have it replaced. The current neoclassical edifice was constructed in 1908 with a tall, single bell tower; the south tower was added in 1912. Between the two is a huge cupola; with tiered columns, niches, and arches, the whole effect is of a very elaborate wedding cake.


Museo Regional de Sonora Perched just above the foot of Cerro de la Campana, the imposing 19th-century stone building that houses this museum served as a state penitentiary from 1907-1979. In 1985 Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) turned it into a museum devoted to regional research, conservation, and education. The museum's 18 rooms feature comprehensive exhibits on the astronomy, geology, history, natural history, and anthropology of Sonora. Although not part of the regular tour, you can ask the staff to open the underground cells where prisoners were kept in solitary confinement. Museum hours are Wed.-Sat. 1000-1630, Sunday 0900-1530; admission is US$0.60. A small public library on-site is open Mon.-Fri. 0800-1400. To reach the museum from downtown Hermosillo, take Blvd. Encinas east to Calle Jesús García, then turn right (south) on Jesús García eight blocks toward Cerro de la Campana until you see the museum on the right.


Museo Regional Uni-Son This museum, part of the campus of the University of Sonora (Universidad de Sonora) at the intersection of Blvd. Rosales and Blvd. Encinas, opened its doors in 1974 and contains numerous historical and archaeological exhibits from northwestern Mexico. Among them are the 500-year-old mummies of a Pima mother and child from Yécora, a 1900-vintage topographic map of Hermosillo, a deck of cards made of leather by Spanish colonists and decorated with Seri motifs, and original musical scores by composer Silvestre Rodríguez. Open Mon.-Fri. 0900-1300 and 1600-1800, Saturday 0900-1300. Parque Ecológico De Sonora Created in 1984, this part-zoological, part-botanical gardens just south of town exhibits regional flora and fauna on 2,470 acres of desert. A 2.8-km (1.7-mile) asphalt path weaves through the center's various displays, which cover around 300 plant and 200 animal species, many of them indigenous to Sonora. The park is open Wed.-Sun. 0800-1700; admission is US$1.35. The turnoff for the park is three km (1.9 miles) south of town off Mexico 15 (watch for a sign reading "Parque Ecológico), after which you must follow a two-km access road east to the main entrance and parking lot.


RECREATION AND ENTERTAINMENT


Cultural Shows Hermosillo's Casa de la Cultura (tel. 62-17-12-63) on Blvd. Vildósola hosts weekly performances of ballet and folkloric dancing, films in the Sala de Cine (Sat.-Sun. 1200, 1600, and 1800), gallery exhibitions, and the occasional outdoor musical or drama event in the central courtyard. Foreign films are sometimes shown at the University of Sonora's humanities department (departamento de humanidades), blvds. Rosales and Encinas.


Shopping Hermosillo's traditional shopping district is centered around the 1920-vintage Mercado Municipal José María Pino Suárez at Calle Matamoros near calles Serdán, Monterrey, and Morelia. The latter three streets are lined with specialized shops selling leather goods, clothing, Mexican curios, sporting goods, shoes, household goods, and just about anything else you can think of. Street parking is very scarce during the daytime; rather than circle endlessly, park in the inexpensive pay garage next to the market. Also in the downtown area are several hat and boot shops at the corner of calles Guaymas and Sonora, next to a zócalo (town square). A newer shopping district has grown up around the intersection of Blvd. Encinas and Calle Reforma in the center of the city. Among the several department stores in this area are Sanborn's and Mazón Boulevares, both at blvds. Encinas and Navarrete. Sanborn's has the best selection of English-language books and magazines in town, as well as a small but high-quality selection of arts and crafts. Other stores specializing in handicrafts include Arte Típico at Calle 12 de Octubre (between Campeche and Quintana Roo) and Los Tilliches at the Hotel Fiesta Americana on Blvd. Kino. You'll also find some handicrafts at the Mercado Municipal. Among the best local buys are Seri canastas (large baskets) made from fibers of the torote prieto, a desert tree. The famous Seri ironwood (palo fierro) sculptures are found in a number of stores around town; Artesanía Sonorense de Palo Fierro at calles Serdán and P. Suárez has the largest selection.


Charreadas The Asociación de Charros de Hermosillo (tel. 62-18-60-67) maintains El Lienzo Charro el Sonorense at Blvd. Paseo del Vado and Comonfort. During the September-May season, the association organizes monthly charreadas (usually on Sunday) with charro associations from other Sonoran towns. If you can't attend a regular charreada, you might try observing one of the weekly practice sessions on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays at 2000 at the charro stadium. Escaramuza practice for charras takes place on Wednesday and Friday at 1000.


Fishing and Hunting Most visiting sportfishers are en route to Bahía Kino or San Carlos. Freshwater fishing is possible at several northern Sonora lakes. The sportfishing season for lake bass and tilapia is February-May, when anglers hone in on Presa Plutarco Elías Calles (Presa Novillo) in San Pedro de la Cueva, 130 km (80.6 miles) east of Hermosillo. Hermosillo's own lake, Presa Rodríguez, is hardly worth throwing bait or lure into. Deportes Acampar at calles Dr. Noriega and Garmendia near the municipal market has an extensive selection of sporting goods, including fishing and camping gear. Bird-hunting trips with English-speaking guides can be arranged here. Muy Grande Outfitter (tel. 62-16-98-32, fax 62-16-38-92), Calle Celeste 6, organizes guided hunts for mule deer, Coues deer, doves, ducks, and geese.


Baseball When world-famous pitcher Fernando Valenzuela was called up to the Baltimore Orioles in 1993, he had just finished a season playing for the Hermosillo Naranjeros ("Orange- ers"), one of the best teams in Mexico's Pacific Coast League. In 1976 Hermosillo won the Caribbean World Series, which is held here every few years (always in February) on a rotating basis with Mazatlán, Culiacán, and several Caribbean capitals. The Naranjeros play at Hermosillo's Estadio Hector Espino (named for one of Mexico's most famous ballplayers), which is at the intersection of Blvd. Encinas (Blvd. Transversal) and Periférico Poniente. This is one of the nation's nicest ballparks; during the PCL season (October-January), advance tickets can be purchased at the stadium. The state tourist office carries a current schedule of home games. (c) Copyright Joe Cummings 1996




THE NEED

We are looking for men and women with a vision to be used by God in the areas of church-planting, leadership training, medical ministries and educating missionary children. Contact us for more information.