A Bus Trip to Southern Sonora - From Alamos to Huatabampo
On our third day in Alamos we walked downtown and the area across from the riverbed (accessible by walking in the street or across a small footbridge) was bustling with vendors and customers of a local flea/farmer’s market. Vendors had set up tarps or just backed up their pickups and opened the tailgate to sell a variety of goods, from “la segunda,” used clothing and shoes, to locally grown produce.
Back at the hotel we got a personal tour of the museum and grounds from owner Lynda Barondes. It was fascinating to hear her personal stories about Maria Felix (including a time when in Europe Lynda met Maria Felix) and to see some of the memorabilia in the museum and her living quarters, from shoes and dresses to a letter to Maria Felix from Diego Rivera, complete with a pencil drawing of Alamos.
The hotel is on the original homesite where Maria Felix was born, and the museum also has other artifacts that were found as the site was being excavated and prepared for the hotel. In addition, there is original artwork featuring Maria Felix around the grounds. Overall, a fascinating place, especially for a fan of Maria Felix, who was sometimes described as Mexico’s Marilyn Monroe.
The next morning after breakfast we called a taxi to take us to the bus station. I really wasn't ready to leave Alamos, there was still so much to explore and it really is a comfortable place to visit. You could easily spend a week exploring Alamos and the surrounding vicinity.
But, we had an itinerary to follow and it was on to Huatabampo. I'd never been there, and frankly hadn't heard much about it. I knew that it was close to Alamos though, which is why I'd picked it for the next destination.
The state of Sonora is building a highway that will connect Alamos to Huatabampo at some point in time, but in order to get from Alamos to Huatabampo by bus, you need to first go to Navojoa, to the bus station on the side street, which has regular buses to Huatabampo.
Since the bus is the main mode of transportation between Alamos and other locales for most of the locals, the station is fairly busy. Buses leave every hour for Navojoa, the first destination on our way to Huatabampo.
There are two bus stations in Navojoa, one in the downtown area (the first stop) and the other a few blocks away in a more residential area. The second is the one that has Mayitos buses that go to Huatabampo. We arrived at a time when groups of high school students from Huatabampo were returning home from attending school in Navojoa, so the short bus ride (less than an hour) was lively.
Huatabampo, Sonora
Huatabampo isn’t one of those places that you would normally associate with tourism, but it has a rich history and we had a very interesting and nice time there. It’s small enough that we could walk around without getting too overwhelmed by the heat and humidity (although we started early in the morning), but taxis are also available and relatively inexpensive (30-40 pesos).
We stayed at the Hotel Finca, which is one of the very few lodging options in Huatabampo. I had reserved a very inexpensive room (the smallest and cheapest they had) and it was very basic but clean and comfortable. The most important thing at the time was air conditioning, which worked well. The hotel has a small pool and a restaurant, although during an evening walk we opted to eat at a comedor across the street, “Lety’s,” and the food was so good we had breakfast there as well. During that time we also got to know the owner Lety and her daughter.
One of the first things you notice about Huatabampo is how nice the people are. Very friendly. The town is known as the "Land of Generals, and its most famous resident was Mexican general and president Alvaro Obregón, who was a hero of the Mexican Revolution at the beginning of the 20th century and a president of the Republic until he was assassinated in 1927.
Obregón is a fascinating historical figure, who is credited with establishing the agricultural sector in Sonora that is now one of the leading producing regions in the world, as well as putting Mexico on a track to modernization and technology. Nearly every (if not every) town in Sonora has a street named after Obregón, and for good reason.
We started walking early in the morning and first walked downtown, taking photos of the downtown church and Plaza Juarez. We then went to the city hall (also known as the palacio municipal, or ayuntamiento) and took more pictures. The city hall has a bell tower with access via a spiral staircase from inside the courtyard of the ayuntamiento. We asked if we could climb the staircase and go to the main level of the bell tower. No problem.
We then walked around trying to find the Obregón house, where General Obregón had resided at the time when he was assassinated. It turns out that it is only a block away from where we had started walking from the plaza, but we walked in the other direction and were able to turn back around and find it, thanks to some help from some of the locals. The house was closed for a complete renovation, although the university professor responsible for the restoration was kind enough to let us in, to see the progress and talk about General Obregón. He also gave us literature about the general and his life.
I’m sure by now the house has been renovated, and would recommend visiting it. Historic artifacts include General Obregon’s 1926 convertible Cadillac and other personal memorabilia from this important Mexican historic figure.
After leaving the Obregón house, we hiked to the cemetery where General Obregón is buried. His tomb is relatively unassuming for such a historic figure, but inspirational nonetheless. And the cemetery has some very photogenic grave markers and scenery. When I visit a Sonoran town, the places that usually interest me the most from a photographic standpoint are the town plaza, church and cemetery.
After spending some time in the cemetery, with all of that walking in the summer heat of Southern Sonora, we were exhausted. We walked to a nearby expendio to buy bottles of ice-cold water (yes, expendios sell water too) and waited by the street for a taxi. It turns out that the street was mainly traffic coming from Navojoa, and we waited for at least a half hour before we finally spotted a ride.
Back to the hotel for a shower and siesta, after which we walked back across the street to have dinner and chat with Lety and her daughter. The next morning it was on to visit the beach at Huatabampito.
On to Huatabampito
More information about Huatabampo
More photos of Huatabampo
Lodging options in Huatabampo
