View source for Álamos

{{About||the football team|Álamos F.C.|the Metrobús station|Álamos (Mexico City Metrobús)}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2012}}
{{Infobox settlement
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|name                   = Álamos, Sonora
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|image_skyline          = Collage Álamos.jpg
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|image_caption          = Top, from left to right: Panoramic view of Álamos, Chapel of Zapopan, Semi-arid municipality landscape, City Hall, Cathedral of Purísima Concepción
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|subdivision_type       = Country
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|subdivision_type1      = [[States of Mexico|State]]
|subdivision_name1      = [[Sonora]]
|subdivision_type2      = [[Municipality]]
|subdivision_name2      = [[Álamos Municipality|Álamos]]
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|established_date       = Late 17th century
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|population_as_of               =2005<ref>{{in lang|es}} [http://www.inegi.gob.mx/est/contenidos/espanol/sistemas/conteo2005/localidad/iter/ 2005 census] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613183420/http://www.inegi.gob.mx/est/contenidos/espanol/sistemas/conteo2005/localidad/iter/ |date=2011-06-13 }}, [[INEGI]].</ref>
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|population_total               = 24,493
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[[File:Plaza de Alamos, Son.jpg|thumb|Plaza de Armas]]
[[File:View of Alamos.jpg|thumb|View of Álamos from ''mirador'']]
[[File:Biblioteca Publica Municipal Dr. Alfonso Ortiz Tirado02.JPG|thumb|Municipal Library "Dr. Alfonso Ortiz Tirado"]]
'''Álamos''' ({{IPA|es|'alamos|lang|AlamosPronunciation.ogg}}) is a town in [[Álamos Municipality]] in the [[States of Mexico|Mexican state]] of [[Sonora]], in northwestern Mexico.
Historically an important center of silver mining, the town's economy is now dominated by the tourist sector. Designated a ''[[Pueblos Mágicos (Mexico)|pueblo mágico]]'' due to its architecture, the town is host to several arts festivals, most notably the Festival Cultural "Alfonso Ortíz Tirado". It also hosts the [[Alamos Alliance]], a yearly summit of economic policy makers, academics and business leaders founded and led by [[Arnold Harberger]] that has led to the town being called the "Little Mexican [[Davos]]".<ref name= Imparcial>{{cite web |title=Desde Álamos, expertos analizan el rumbo de la economía global |url=https://www.elimparcial.com/sonora/sonora/Desde-Alamos-expertos-analizan-el-rumbo-de-la-economia-global-20180218-0097.html |website=El Imparcial |access-date=26 November 2020 |date=18 February 2018}}</ref>
==Name==
The Municipality of Álamos derives its name from the {{lang|es|álamo}} ([[populus|poplar]] or [[Populus sect. Aigeiros|cottonwood]]) tree. Several impressive specimens are found in one of its two principal plazas, the Alameda. The nearby hamlet, El Sabinito, located within the municipality, also derives its name from a tree, the {{lang|es|sabino}} ("[[Montezuma cypress]]").
==History==
The area was named by the [[conquistador]] [[Francisco Vásquez de Coronado]]. His expedition of 1540 camped at the confluence of the two major arroyos (Escondido and the Aduana) of present-day Álamos and made reference to local geographical landmarks, including two large rock formations on Mount Alamos known as Los Frailes, 'the monks' in English.
As historian David Leighton explained, “Its first known name was Real de los Frailes or “Mining Camp of the Friars,” a designation taken from some tall white rocks that appeared like hooded monks near the village.”<ref>[https://tucson.com/news/local/street-smarts-los-portales-was-ray-manley-s-homage-to/article_eafbba2a-f6f9-5081-ba76-29b78a86dafd.html?id=201408 David Leighton, “Street Smarts: Los Portales was Ray Manley’s homage to lovely Alamos, Sonora,” Arizona Daily Star, Sept. 2, 2019]</ref>
The church records of Álamos date to 1682, but it was founded on December 8, 1685, by the Spanish soldier, [[Domingo Terán de los Ríos]], after the discovery of the silver mines at Promontorios, La Aduana, Las Cabras, La Quintera, and others of lesser importance nearby.<ref>[[:es:Álamos (Sonora)|Álamos (Sonora)]] from es.wikipedia.org accessed October 27, 2018.</ref>  Rios in 1686 became governor of [[Sonora and Sinaloa]], where he was successful in quelling Indian disturbances.<ref>[https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fte13 Robert Bruce Blake, "TERAN DE LOS RIOS, DOMINGO"], from tshaonline.org, Handbook of Texas Online, accessed October 27, 2018.</ref>
A major expedition led by Juan Bautista de Anza II departed Álamos in 1775 to discover a route to [[Alta California]].  The Anza expedition had nearly 300 members, of which about half were from Álamos.  The trek was financed by the wealthy silver mine owners of Álamos, and it established the Presidio of Monterey.
Álamos became the capital of what was then the state of Occidental in the early 1800s.  Occidental encompassed today's state of [[Sonora]], the northern portion of the state of [[Sinaloa]], and some of [[Baja California]] and southern [[Arizona]].  Álamos was the northernmost “Silver City” in Mexico.  While it has much in common, architecturally, with Mexico's other “Silver Cities,” Álamos has not succumbed to large-scale commercialism and has managed to retain the charm and pace of earlier times.
Álamos is known as “La Ciudad de los Portales” (''portales'' are tall, arched, covered verandas or walkways fronting many of the cobble-stoned streets or ''calles'').  Álamos boasts numerous buildings exhibiting classic Andalusian architecture from Mexico's Colonial period, including numerous mansions, the Plaza de Armas, the Church of La Purísima Concepción, La Capilla and the Palacio Municipal (“city hall”).
The great wealth created by the silver mines from the surrounding mining towns of [[La Aduana]], [[Minas Nuevas]], and others enabled the founders and residents of Álamos to build scores of colonial Spanish mansions throughout the town; most of them went into ruin in the early 20th century but in the late 1940s, a number of Americans and Canadians began buying and restoring the houses.
Most notably, William Levant Alcorn, an American farmer, bought one of the decaying mansions there, restored it and opened a hotel. The publicity he brought to Alamos breathed new life into this once prosperous city, which in turn attracted further investment in the years ahead.
By 1955, the city had electricity running from dusk to about midnight and in 1960 electrical power began to run 24 hours a day, being generated at a dam on a nearby river.
In the 1980s, a study was done by the students at the University of Sinaloa, which resulted in 185 structures in town being listed as historic monuments.
The Alamos Alliance was started in 1993 by [[Arnold Harberger]] as a small gathering among friends to discuss economic policy.<ref name="Imparcial" />
==Geography==
Álamos is located in the southeastern part of [[Sonora]], and {{convert|396|km|mi|abbr=on}} from state capital [[Hermosillo]], {{convert|54|km|mi|abbr=on}} from [[Navojoa]] via [[Sonora State Highway 162]], and {{convert|663|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the northern border town of [[Nogales, Sonora|Nogales]]. The State of Chihuahua is on the east, and the State of Sinaloa on the south. The population of the municipality is 24,493 and its area is {{convert|6,947.27|km²|mi2|0|disp=or}}.
===Climate===
Álamos has a [[semi-arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''BSh'') bordering on a [[tropical savanna climate]], with three seasons: a hot, dry season from April to June, a hot, humid wet season from July to October, and a warm, generally dry “winter” from November to March. Occasionally the dry winter pattern is interrupted by the passage of frontal cloudbands: {{convert|220|mm|in|2}} fell during January 1981, including {{convert|168|mm|in|2}} between the fifth and the seventh of that month, and over {{convert|120|mm|in|2}} in January 1979.<ref>Servicio Meteorólogico Nacional; [http://smn.cna.gob.mx/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=170&tmpl=component CLIMATOLOGÍA ESTADÍSTICA: Álamos]</ref> During the hot early summer, temperatures can reach extreme heights; the record being {{convert|49.5|C|F|1}} on 16 June 1976.
<div style="width:75%;">
{{Weather box
|location = Álamos (1951-2010)
|single line = Yes
|metric first = yes
|Jan record high C = 41.5
|Feb record high C = 44.0
|Mar record high C = 44.0
|Apr record high C = 43.0
|May record high C = 48.0
|Jun record high C = 49.5
|Jul record high C = 45.5
|Aug record high C = 44.0
|Sep record high C = 46.0
|Oct record high C = 43.0
|Nov record high C = 39.0
|Dec record high C = 39.0
|year record high C = 49.5
|Jan high C = 27.8
|Feb high C = 28.8
|Mar high C = 30.2
|Apr high C = 32.5
|May high C = 35.2
|Jun high C = 38.0
|Jul high C = 36.2
|Aug high C = 35.1
|Sep high C = 35.2
|Oct high C = 34.4
|Nov high C = 31.7
|Dec high C = 28.6
|year high C = 32.8
|Jan low C = 9.2
|Feb low C = 9.5
|Mar low C = 10.2
|Apr low C = 11.6
|May low C = 14.1
|Jun low C = 18.2
|Jul low C = 19.8
|Aug low C = 20.1
|Sep low C = 18.4
|Oct low C = 15.2
|Nov low C = 11.5
|Dec low C = 9.5
|year low C = 13.9
|Jan record low C = 0.0
|Feb record low C = &minus;4.0
|Mar record low C = 2.0
|Apr record low C = 5.0
|May record low C = 6.5
|Jun record low C = 8.0
|Jul record low C = 9.0
|Aug record low C = 9.5
|Sep record low C = 1.3
|Oct record low C = 6.5
|Nov record low C = 0.4
|Dec record low C = 0.0
|year record low C = &minus;4.0
|Jan rain mm = 35.0
|Feb rain mm = 17.9
|Mar rain mm = 17.8
|Apr rain mm = 1.9
|May rain mm = 3.9
|Jun rain mm = 25.5
|Jul rain mm = 184.4
|Aug rain mm = 198.2
|Sep rain mm = 86.3
|Oct rain mm = 53.1
|Nov rain mm = 26.3
|Dec rain mm = 37.0
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain days = 2.4
|Feb rain days = 1.4
|Mar rain days = 1.2
|Apr rain days = 0.3
|May rain days = 0.4
|Jun rain days = 2.2
|Jul rain days = 12.8
|Aug rain days = 11.0
|Sep rain days = 6.8
|Oct rain days = 3.1
|Nov rain days = 1.6
|Dec rain days = 2.2
|unit rain days = 0.1 mm
|source 1 = Servicio Meteorólogico Nacional<ref name=SMN>
{{cite web
|url = http://smn.cna.gob.mx/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=170&tmpl=component
|publisher= Servicio Meteorólogico Nacional
|title=  ESTACION: 00026002 ALAMOS
|year=2012
}}
Retrieved on May 12, 2015.
</ref>
|date=May 2015
}}
</div>
==Economy==
[[File:Palacio Municipal de Alamos03.JPG|thumbnail|City Hall]]
After a heyday lasting from the late 1600s until the early 1900s, when the silver mines closed, the economy of Alamos went into a serious decline.  Only a few hundred people remained in the once vibrant city due to a major decline in silver prices, ongoing unrest in the country with a revolution in progress, and the exodus of business owners and people of wealth. Vacant mansions went into disrepair until foreigners began restoring homes in 1946 after three decades of abandonment, bringing employment to locals with building and housekeeping skills.  The area's top industries for decades were ranching and tourism. The present-day economy includes copper and silver mines. About 16&nbsp;km to the northwest is the Adolfo Ruiz Cortinez Dam and Reservoir known as “El Mocúzarit”, whose waters irrigate {{convert|80,000|acre|km2}}. Cattle ranching is seasonal and declining due to impoverished grazing lands. Numerous chicken and pig farms, called “granjas,” contribute substantially to the economy.
===Tourism===
Álamos was named a “[[Pueblos Mágicos (Mexico)|Pueblo Mágico]]” in 2005. “Pueblo Magico” is a designation given by the Mexican Secretariat of Tourism to towns that offer a 'magical' experience by reason of their natural beauty, cultural riches and historical relevance.
[[File:Monumento a Juarez y Bugambilias Alameda Alamos 2014.JPG|thumbnail|Alameda]]
Álamos has many festivals and fiestas year-round. Most notable is the annual Festival of Dr. Alfonso Ortiz Tirado (“FAOT”), a nine-day event in late January that is attended by many national and international musicians and celebrities. Dr. [[Alfonso Ortiz Tirado]], born in this community in 1894, achieved recognition for being “El Tenor de las Américas.” An impressive exhibit of Ortiz Tirado is found in the Museo Costumbrista, located in front of and to the east of the Plaza de Armas. The annual film festival is usually held in March.  Several professional hunting lodges operate in the Alamos area, attracting dove hunters from various areas of the world. Álamos has more recently been the location for film production, including a European Endemol production and more than 180 episodes of the 'novela' (soap opera) ''[[La fuerza del destino (TV series)|La Fuerza del Destino]]''
The [[Sierra de Álamos–Río Cuchujaqui Biosphere Reserve]] offers serious “birding” opportunities. The creek of Cuchujaqui, which is in the ecological reserve is the most species-rich subtropical area in the Northern Hemisphere.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}} Cuchujaqui is the subject of international scientific study and the southern migration destination of hundreds of different species of birds.
The presence of a jet-rated airport in Alamos (XALA) attracts aviators from Mexico, the U.S. and Canada.  There is also charter service available to some areas of the Copper Canyon. The village has more than 20 hotels and B&B's.
[[File:Bugambilias Juanto a la Escuela Bartolome M. Salido 2014-2.JPG|thumbnail|Bougainvilleas]]
==Government==
You can see a [[Álamos_Municipality#Government|list of municipal presidents of Álamos]]
==Notable people==
*[[María Félix]], film actress
*[[Gloria Fonda]], silent film actress (died in Álamos in 1978)
*[[Arturo Márquez]], composer
*[[Alfonso Ortiz Tirado]], physician, tenor, and philanthropist
*[[Félix María Zuloaga]], former President of Mexico
*[[José Rafael Campoy]], Mexican Jesuit, teacher, scholar, and theologian
*[[Álvaro Obregón]], a general in the Mexican Revolution and President of Mexico
*[[José Vicente Feliz]], early settler of [[El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles|Los Angeles]] and namesake of [[Los Feliz]], born in Álamos around 1741
*[[Leopoldo Verdugo Quiroz]], politician, inaugural Senator for [[Baja California]]
*[[David Zepeda]], actor
=== Sister City ===
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Scottsdale, Arizona|Scottsdale]], [[Arizona]], [[United States]]
=== Planet Mars ===
The name Álamos has been used for a [[List of craters on Mars: A-G|crater]] on the planet [[Mars]] by the [[International Astronomical Union]], although not specifically commemorating the town.<ref>[http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Page/Categories Categories for Naming Features on Planets and Satellites], Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, [[USGS Astrogeology Science Center]], [[NASA]]</ref>
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
{{Wikivoyage|Álamos}}
* [http://alamos.gob.mx H. Ayuntamiento de Álamos] ''(Official WebSite of Álamos, Sonora)''
* [http://www.sonoraturismo.gob.mx/ Turismo Sonora]
* [http://www.alamos-sonora-mexico.com Álamos Sonora Mexico] ©2010 – 2018 Anders Tomlinson, all rights reserved.
* [http://www.visitalamos.com Álamos Sonora Mexico Expatriate Community Forum]
{{Commons category|Álamos, Sonora|position=left}}
{{coord|27|01|39|N|108|56|24|W|display=title|region:MX-SON_type:city(25152)_source:dewiki}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alamos, Sonora}}
[[Category:Populated places in Sonora]]
[[Category:Mining communities in Mexico]]
[[Category:Pueblos Mágicos]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 17th century]]
[[Category:World Heritage Tentative List for Mexico]]