Tierra de Tortugas

Recommended Readings about MEXICO

Recommended Readings about 

México 

by Perry Robert Wilkes

Poetry:

Poems, Protest and a Dream

Selected Writings by Sor Juana de la Cruz

Penguin Classics, 1997

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648-1695) is recognized now as an early feminist, but in 17th century Mexico she faced the wrath of the Catholic church for her writings. When she penned her famous “Response” (1691) to the bishop she knew it meant the end of her intellectual freedom. She would be a victim of the plagues that swept the country, just a few years later. 

 

Fiction:

The Underdogs 

by Mariano Azuela, 1915

Signet Books, 2016

A peasant’s dispute with a wealthy landowner gets him swept up into the larger forces of the Mexican Revolution. Azuela’s account, originally published in 1915 and quickly recognized as “The Novel of the Mexican Revolution,” illustrates the many personal and complex issues that drove the Revolution for ten brutal years.

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The Plumed Serpent

by D H Lawrence, 

Alfred A Knopf, 1926

Lawrence began this novel, of an Irishwoman in the immediate aftermath of the Mexican Revolution, during his 1923 visit to Mexico City and Guadalajara. Portions were written on the picturesque shores of Lake Chapala, and it captures a picture of the people of Mexico just as they emerge from the brutalities of the Revolution. 

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Under the Volcano 

by Malcolm Lowery

Vintage Books, 1958

First published in 1947, this classic novel follows the last 24 hours of the life of the British Consul in a small town in the shadow of central Mexico’s great volcanos. Made into a movie starring Albert Finney but, as usual, the book is richer and more gripping.

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The Death of Artemio Cruz

by Carlos Fuentes

1962; Atlantic Books, 1991

Widely recognized as one of Mexico’s finest authors, Fuentes uses innovative narrative styles to explore the Mexican national identity. Here he delves deeply into the mix of her Spanish, indigenous, and mestizo cultures.

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Stones for Ibarra

by Harriet Doerr

Penguin Books 1985

A forty-ish couple moves to Ibarra to reopen a mine abandoned by his grandfather 50 years earlier, during the Revolution. Doerr deals graciously and intelligently with the cultural misunderstandings that accompany the venture. Winner of the 1985 National Book Award for First Fiction, the book is far better, and more compelling, than the made-for-TV movie starring Glenn Close.

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Consider this, Señora

by Harriet Doerr

Mariner Books, 1994

The second excellent novel by Doerr, who started writing in her late 60s, and published her first novel at the age of 75. She must have been a remarkable person in her own right.

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Rain of Gold

by Victor Villaseñor

Delta, 1992

The award-winning best-seller about two families and their struggles to escape the violence of the Revolution. The story begins on the Río Urique, deep in the rugged La Cañada de Cobre and continues into a desperate escape across the US border. Based on the true experiences of the author’s family.

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The Hummingbird’s Daughter

by Luis Alberto Urrea

Little, Brown and Company, 2005

This sweeping novel of southern Sonora chronicles the tale of the author’s great-aunt, Saint Teresita of Cabora. This experienced writer tells a very good story that truly captures the essence of the region, and the times leading up to the Revolution. It is set near the historic mining town of Alamos, recently designated a “Pueblo Magico” by the Federal Government.

 

Non-Fiction:

God and Mr. Gomez

by Jack Smith

Franklin Watts, Inc. 1982

Probably the classic story of cross-cultural misunderstanding as the author and his wife embark on building a vacation dream house in Baja California. With God and Mr. Gomez in partnership, the work continues apace.

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The Guaymas Chronicles

by David E. Stuart

University of New Mexico Press (2003)

Back in the 1960s, Stuart was a young buck recovering from an accident suffered in Ecuador, and a broken heart inflicted in Guaymas. While ostensibly working on his doctorate in anthropology, he manages to pay the bills by partnering up with a very savvy street urchin named Lupita and smuggling fans, toasters, and other small appliances into Mexico. Using Stuart’s map and photos, you can still find the Hotel ‘Rubi’ and other locations in south Guaymas, and the story of young Lupita will break your heart.

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On Mexican Time

by Tony Cohan

Broadway Books (2000)

Tony and his wife, Masako, buy a 250 year-old house in San Miguel de Allende. As with most of us who buy a home in Mexico, that’s when the adventure really begins. Laced with good descriptions of life in San Miguel, and the process of rebuilding an old casa under the constraints of a very foreign culture. 

 

 

History and Analysis:

Conquest of Mexico

by W. H. Prescott

1843

Despite its quaint Victorian language, this remains one of the best accounts of the remarkable events that led Hernán Cortez and a handful of Spanish soldiers to defeat the mighty Aztec Empire. The careful scholarship and descriptive precision make this book a compelling read for the terminally curious. Prescott also wrote The Conquest of Peru.

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The Wind that Swept Mexico

by Anita Brenner and George R. Leighton

(1943) University of Texas Press 2003

When this book was first published in 1943, many felt the Revolution was still in progress as Mexico continued the sweeping changes that left much of its feudalistic past behind. This sense of immediacy is felt in Brenner’s text. But the real treasure here is the documentary photography collected by Leighton that tells a story impossible to convey by words alone.

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The Labyrinth of Solitude

by Octavio Paz

Grove Press, 1961, 1985

A deep exploration into the character and culture of the Mexican people by the winner of the 1990 Nobel Prize for Literature. This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the complex realities of the Mexican psyche.

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Distant Neighbors

by Alan Riding

Vintage, 1984, 2000

One of the best written explanations of Mexican history, life, and culture, this book covers the complex interplay between the economic, historic, and political forces that drive modern Mexico. Authored by a former New York Times Mexico City bureau chief, this is the insider’s view behind the headlines. The latest edition has a section on recent developments.

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There’s a Word for it in Mexico

by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

NTC Publishing Group, 1996

The cure for those nagging questions you’ve had about many of the words you encounter in Mexico. As in any other language, many of them have a deeper meaning than you’ll find in your Spanish/English Dictionary. With 139 different terms – ranging from Abrazo to Zonas de Tolerancia – much of the culture becomes more understandable with this book in your hands.

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The Life and Times of Pancho Villa

By Friedrich Katz

Stanford University Press 1998

An excellent read despite its heft, this 985 page book (including Footnotes, Bibliography and Index) is filled with carefully researched facts and observations about the Mexican Revolution, as viewed through the life of one of its most compelling figures. Zapata was the true revolutionary, but this caudillo and former bandido dominated many of the most important events of the times. Revolutionary intellectuals attempted, and failed, to groom Villa for a larger role than that of simply replacing the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz. And his failure to learn from past tactical and strategic blunders (read of his defeat by Obregon in both the first and second battles of Celaya) was nothing short of stunning. Still, his colorful life and blatant self promotion have kept him as the foremost symbol of the Revolution for most norteamericanos. A very good book for the serious student of Mexican history.

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Padre Kino and the Trail to the Pacific

by Jack Steffen

Kino Heritage Society, 2014

This driven Italian priest established numerous mission churches throughout the current states of Sonora and southern Arizona, including the iconic San Javier del Bac mission just south of Tucson. His extensive wanderings took him to the mouth of the Colorado River and beyond, where he established that the Baja Peninsula was not an island, as shown on early maps.

 

Guidebooks:

The Log from the Sea of Cortez

By John Steinbeck

The Viking Press, 1941

If you had been standing on the beach at Kino in early April of 1941 and gazing thoughtfully upon the broad and peaceful Sea of Cortez, you might have seen a small ship steaming southward from the end of Tiburón Island, then chugging slowly across the surface before passing behind Punta San Nicolas. That would have been the trawler  Western Flyer  out of Monterrey California, chartered by John Steinbeck and his good friend Dr. Ed Ricketts for a six-week scientific expedition to this fertile Sea. They mostly gathered specimens along the eastern side of the Baja Peninsula and at the ‘midriff’ islands of Angel de la Guardia and Tiburón before heading toward the pleasures of Guaymas and then the large Agiabampo estuary to the south. They didn’t stop at Kino. But Steinbeck’s descriptions of the abundant sealife, the primitive conditions of what is now the resort of Cabo San Lucas, and his philosphical ramblings on life in general, make this a book for the serious student of the Sea. 

Shelling in the Sea of Cortez

by Paul E. Violette

Dale Stuart King, Publisher, Tucson (1964)

We inherited this one with the purchase of our casa and it’s probably long out of print. Illustrated with simple line drawings, and touched with charming flourishes of purple prose (“When the sea is asleep in her bed, the tide slips silently down like a silk sheet, leaving a diaphanous cover of algae and plankton upon the sand.”), this booklet concentrates on the area around San Carlos – although many of those species are also found here. 

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Gulf of California Fishwatcher’s Guide

by Donald A. Thomson and Nonie McKibbin

Golden Puffer Press, Tucson, 1976

There are nearly 700 species of fish in the Sea of Cortez. Thomson and McKibbin have divided 208 of them into 28 groups “according to their taxonomic, anatomical, or ecological similarities.” If you can’t find that fish you caught in this book, I don’t know what to tell you. Illustrated with 208 very clear line drawings, and with clear concise descriptions.

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National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Shells

by Harald A. Rehder

Chanticleer/Knopf, 1981

Excellent photos and descriptions of more shells than you’ll ever need to know about. The handy thumb tab shell icons make it very easy to find what you’re looking for.

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A Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Adjacent Areas

by Ernest Preston Edwards

University of Texas, 1998

Want to know what a Jabiru looks like? How about a Black-Bellied Whistling Duck, or an Ornate Hawk-Eagle, or maybe even a Great Kiskadee? Then this is the book for you!

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Course Reader for the Kino Bay Region

edited by Mark Riegner

Prescott College, 2001

This 139 page spiral-bound course book for Prescott College students at the Kino Bay Campus covers such topics as Geology, Geomorphology and Soils, Weather and Climate, the Intertidal and Mangrove Communities, Seabirds, Marine Mammals, Plantlife, and Conservation Issues in the Kino Bay area. The air pressure difference between Blythe, California and La Paz in Baja California, yields the wind speed at Kino Bay. How deep can a sea lion dive? To about 250 meters (around 830 feet)! It’s all in the book!

(Prescott College Publications; Prescott College; 220 Grove Avenue; Prescott, Arizona 86301)

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A Sonoran Desert Scrapbook

By William J Little

Dog Ear Publishing, 2011

An essential guide to the strange and unique plant life of coastal Sonora, with hundreds of full-color photographs and vivid descriptions. Includes location notes for each plant type, and an ethnographic-botany of the local Seri people. A handy reference to keep in the car. 

 

Atlases, Maps, and a Cruising Guide:

México Atlas Turístico de Carreteras 

The biannual Guia Roji, or Red Guide, shows just about every road in the country, and the expanded version has a thick section of tourist info, including hotel listings, restaurants, and many sights of interest. In Spanish. Available at Auto Zone in Hermosillo.

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México Road Guide

by Quimera (quimeramx.com)

The superior color and well-rendered topographic features of this atlas make it easy to read and very useful. Includes locations of archaeological and historic sites, and national parks. In English and Spanish. 

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Sea of Cortez, A Cruiser’s Guidebook

by Shawn Breeding and Heather Bansmer

Blue Latitude Press LLC, 2009

If you’ve ever wanted to cast off the docklines and set your sails to fully explore the amazing Sea of Cortez, this is the book you need. The plentiful full-color maps and photographs give you all the information you need to avoid most hazards and find a good anchorage in a storm. Even if you’re land-bound, this book contains plenty of information about local wildlife and onshore attractions.

Mexican Tourist Permits and Visas

In the interest of resolving a discussion (sometimes an argument!) that keeps coming up, we did extensive research on the INM (Mexican Department of Immigration) and the US State Department web sites, then visited the INM office in Hermosillo, Sonora in October, 2015, to have this information validated by an Immigration Officer. Here is an attempt to explain clearly what is and is not required to travel in Mexico.

The Simple Answer is:

You need a TOURIST PERMIT to be in Mexico as a Tourist, whether you are here for 1 day or 180 days. You don’t need a Visa, but a Tourist Permit is required. You can apply for it at the border, or on arrival at the airport, or online. 

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But here’s the full explanation, for those who really need it:

 

THE CONFUSION

People preparing to travel to Mexico ask, with reason, “Do I need a VISA to travel to Mexico?” They refer to a “visa,” because that is the term that is usually used for a document that allows one to travel in another country. 

A visa is a specific document that gives you permission to travel to a country under strict regulations. Some countries require that you have a visa, depending on where you come from, and others do not. Whenever we plan a trip to faraway places, we check ahead of time to see if we do or don’t need a visa. And the Mexican Immigration web site has a page in English listing who does and does not need a visa to travel in Mexico.

BUT READ IT VERY CAREFULLY!

COUNTRIES AND REGIONS THAT DO NOT REQUIRE A VISA TO TRAVEL TO MEXICO

Effective from November 9, 2012

Those citizens of the following countries or regions do not require a visa to travel to Mexico...

...and it proceeds to list the United States, Canada, and a host of other countries that DO NOT require a visa. However, it continiues...

... and apply for admission as a visitor without permission to engage in gainful activity. In the revision filter migration, must submit:

1. Passport or valid identification and travel that is valid under international law.
2. FMM duly completed.

So you DO need the completed FMM form, which must be filled out by anyone entering Mexico. In your case, if you are just a tourist, you are coming in, as it says, “without permission to engage in gainful activity.” People who plan to do business and “engage in gainful activity” still will fill out the FMM, but they will be requesting a different kind of permit.

You can fill out the FMM online on the INM web site ahead of time (http://www.inm.gob.mx/index.php/page/FMM_electronica), present it with your passport at the first border entry checkpoint (“filter migration”), and have it stamped (approved). But the form on the internet is in Spanish only, so it might be easier at the checkpoint, where a bilingual worker can help you. 

Note: If you’re entering Mexico on one of the modern buses from Tucson or Phoenix, you fill out the paperwork just after you cross the border where they scan your luggage for contraband. The office is to your right as you leave the bus. The bus driver is not responsible for your paperwork and the bus doesn’t stop at the km 21 checkpoint.

Your Tourist Permit must be stamped as approved at the checkpoint, where you will also pay the required fee, if there is one. If you will be in Mexico for fewer than seven days, there will be no charge. Between seven and 180 days (the limit of the FMM Tourist Permit), you will pay a fee. If you happen to enter Mexico by plane, this paperwork is required by the airline and done on board the plane, then checked in the airport. But, if you travel by land — car, bus, truck, walking... — it is your responsibility to stop at the first border checkpoint and fulfill this requirement. 

Your Tourist Permit must be stamped as approved at the checkpoint, where you will also pay the required fee, if there is one. If you will be in Mexico for fewer than seven days, there will be no charge. Between seven and 180 days (the limit of the FMM Tourist Permit), you will pay a fee. If you happen to enter Mexico by plane, this paperwork is required by the airline and done on board the plane, then checked in the airport. But, if you travel by land — car, bus, truck, walking... — it is your responsibility to stop at the first border checkpoint and fulfill this requirement. 

You must carry this stamped document — which is basically a TOURIST PERMIT, even though they never use that term anyplace in the INM information — while in Mexico. It is also good to carry with you any other travel documents (reservations, insurance cards, drivers license), because the instructions continue:

The immigration authority may request the foreign person to check the reason for your trip, using one of the following documents:

a) Hotel reservation, return ticket (itinerary), tour tickets (path).

b) Letter mandate in Spanish parent company, subsidiary or foreign subsidiary to indicate that the alien is employed by her and that payment of the services provided in the country shall be borne by it.

c) Copy of the transfer of technology, patents and trademarks, purchase of machinery and equipment, technical training of personnel, or any other related to the production process of a company based in Mexico or linking to the foreign with the Mexican, or proof of appointment by the shareholders of companies legally established in Mexico.

d) Letter of organization or public or private institution in which the foreign person invited to participate in unpaid activity in Mexico, revealed the purpose of the visit and the estimated time of stay. Where the organization or institution to bear the costs of travel and stay of the alien in national territory should be annexed responsive letter.

e) Letter of invitation or acceptance of any institution belonging to the National Education System for courses, studies or research projects or training for a maximum of one hundred eighty temporality days.

Okay, we have it all clear now, right? Well...

BACK TO THE CONFUSION...

The U.S. State Department site has its own page telling you what you need to travel in Mexico. It’s good information, but there is just one little problem having to do with the use of that term VISA again. It says:

TOURIST VISA REQUIRED:

Tourist card/entry permit may be obtained at airport upon arrival or at land border crossings.

So, the INM says you DO NOT need a visa, but the State Department says you DO! Be aware! They are not talking about the same thing!!

If you visit the State Department page and read the complete instructions, you find that they are using the term “visa” to refer to the FMM form described above. The permit you receive when you present the FMM at the border checkpoint IS NOT A VISA, it is basically a TOURIST PERMIT. That is what you DO need. 

It is important that you understand the difference and get the proper travel permission for being in Mexico!

People DO come to Mexico without getting this permission, and most often they get by with it — nothing bad happens, they leave without incident, and go their merry way — but it is a risk not worth taking. 

As the Immigration Officer explained to us: “If you have an auto accident and you do not have this document, your insurance will not be valid, your car could be impounded, and you could be detained.”  In fact, if you have any problem — your are robbed, injured, need legal assistance, etc. — and you do not have the completed, stamped FMM permit, you are vulnerable and have no guaranteed protection under Mexican law. In the eyes of Mexico, you are an “illegal immigrant.”

So, whatever you want to call it, a Tourist Permit is required to travel in Mexico as a Tourist.

 

An additional note: If you plan to visit the Baja Peninsula using the Ferry in Guaymas or Topolobampo (Los Mochis), you will need all your paperwork to be current as local authorities treat that area almost as a separate country. (It’s the only place in Mexico where we’ve ever been checked for proper papers and car permits.)

 

Further information:

U.S. State Department Travel Information for Mexico:

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/mexico.html

Instituto Nacional de Migración page about who does and does not need a visa, in English:

http://www.inm.gob.mx/index.php/page/paises_no_visa/en.html

http://www.inm.gob.mx/index.php/page/paises_no_visa/en.html

 

11/01/15

Getting to Kino Bay

An important note for all travelers, whether arriving by car, bus, or plane...

A passport is required for legal entry into Mexico and to obtain a Tourist Permit. It is also required for reentry to the US.

The method for getting the Tourits Permit requires filling out a form — the FMM — and how you do that will depend on how you are traveling. Tourist Permits allow you to stay in Mexico for a maximum of 180 days, and there is a fee which you pay on site to get the permit (around 500 pesos). However, IF YOU WILL BE IN MEXICO FOR FEWER THAN SEVEN DAYS, you will NOT need to pay the fee. A Tourist Permit is valid for a single entry into and exit out of Mexico. You will return it when you leave the country, at the same place you got it. If you want to return to Mexico, you will need to get a new Tourist Permit.

Watch for details on how to obtain the Tourist Permit below under each method of travel.

 

BY AIR  

• Fill out the tourist permit application (called an FMM and supplied on the airplane) before arrival at Hermosillo airport. 

• Rental cars are available at the airport, or…

• Catch the hourly ‘Costa’ bus on the main highway at the bus stop by the OXXO store right in front of the airport. (Only some buses stop here. Don't believe the taxi drivers who tell you no buses will stop.) The bus costs 120 pesos (+/- $8US). Buses stop in Miguel Aleman (also called Calle Doce), about mid-point of trip. Some busses continue to Kino, but you may need to transfer to another bus. Ask the bus driver. The last Costa bus of the day passes the airport shortly after 6:00 p.m.; so if you happen to arrive after that, you may want either to 1) stay in a hotel in Hermosillo overnight and take a morning bus out, or 2) hire a secure taxi at the airport to drive you to Kino, which may cost you about as much as a hotel room! Ask help from the taxi people at the airport to make the best arrangement.

 

BY BUS 

• Large TUFESA and TAP express buses depart from Tucson. Check the internet for terminal addresses and phone numbers in Tucson. There are usually many buses leaving daily; check the bus web sites for schedules. About 6 hours to Hermosillo; movies onboard. Cost +/- $45US one-way to Hermosillo. These buses do not offer the opportunity to fill out an FMM application to obtain your Tourist Permit. It is your responsibility to get it from a Mexican consulate or online before getting on the bus. 

• "Super Shuttle" 13-passenger Mercedes Benz small bus between Tucson and Hermosillo. Around $45. The number in Tucson is (520) 807-4210. Carry your passport to reenter the US. Fill out the tourist permit application on the bus, before arrival at the km 21 checkpoint, south of Nogales. Shuttles run from Tucson daily at 8:15 a.m., 11:45 a.m., and 5:45 p.m. (no 5:45 p.m. bus on Saturday). You do need to secure your tickets ahead of time. 

• Once in Hermosillo, take a taxi to Costa bus station for hourly bus service to Kino. Cost is 120 pesos (+/- $8US). Buses stop in Miguel Aleman (also called Calle Doce), about mid-point of trip, and you MAY transfer to another bus; some go directly to Kino. Ask the bus driver.

 

BY CAR 

Meet the people, see the landscape, feel the mystery that is Mexico. We travel these roads on a regular basis without incident, but it can be adventurous to drive in Mexico because the signs are all in Spanish and some things are done differently here. Just relax and make the most of it.

• Gasoline. Costs in Mexico may be a bit higher than in US; available in Magna (regular) and Premium; no middle grade available. Diesel commonly available. Pemex stations are clean and well-maintained, with clean restrooms. Sometimes credit cards are accepted; usually they require cash.

• Tucson to Nogales, AZ on I-19. Few billboards, lots of natural landscaping, many scenic attractions (San Javier del Bac Mission, Tubac Presidio, Tumacacori Nat’l Hist. Park). All I-19 mileage markers are in kilometers.

(You can double click on any image to see a larger version.)

• Near the border. A large sign advises tourists that firearms and ammunition are prohibited in Mexico without special permits. 

• Truck Bypass exit. Take first Nogales exit on right, around kilometer (km) 4 or 5 north of Nogales. Clearly marked, but it's right around a bend behind a hill. Easiest way to enter Mexico, with least traffic. (Or continue to where the freeway ends in downtown Nogales and go through the old crossing.)

• On the Bypass exit ramp. Turn right; go straight to border. There are franchise restaurants and a Holiday Inn Express. Best to cross by 10:00 a.m. so you’re refreshed and have time to deal with paperwork and get to Hermosillo and/or Kino well before dark. If you need gas or diesel: large Shell station at the border on left just before you cross over from US side; large Pemex station on left about 10 to 15 miles south, just before the km 21 Tourist Checkpoint. 

 

AT THE BORDER

• The Border Crossing at Nogales is open from 6:00 a.m.to 10:00 p.m.   

• After crossing the border into Mexico, don't stop at the commercial checkpoint on the right for truckers bringing goods into the country. Follow the road bypassing Nogales, Mexico.

• First "Caseta de Cobro" (Toll Booth) on this road costs 74 pesos (as of January 2018). This one accepts U.S. money; you'll receive change in pesos), but you'll need pesos at the other Casetas and at businesses in Mexico.

• The first Mexican checkpoint is for Customs. (This NOT where you do your Tourist Permit paperwork. See below.) As you pass through, chose the "Nothing to Declare" or "Nada que declarer" line. You will get a red or a green light (it's a random system). If it flashes red, they might ask you to stop so they can check your vehicle for anything illegal; or they can just wave you through. If they stop you, it's usually not a big deal. They look a few things over and send you on your way. Tip: At any checkpoint (US, Mexican, etc.) be relaxed and friendly; don’t offer too much; answer questions in a simple, direct way. Be pleasant and patient, you have nothing to hide. A little friendliness and respect goes a long way, and can save you a lot of grief. 

• The Second Toll (at Magdalena de Kino) is 25 pesos, and the last one (just before Hermosillo) is 52 pesos.

• ATMs are how local expats get their pesos (not at money exchange houses) - You get pesos at the official rate at any ATM by using your credit or debit card. The maximum is usually between 5,000 and 8,000 pesos per day, depending on the ATM and any limits that may be set by your bank. There are two ATMs in Kino.

IMPORTANT: Mexico also uses the dollar sign for their currency. Amounts on the ATMs are shown in pesos, not dollars! If you punch in 300, expecting to get 300 dollars worth of pesos, you will get only 300 pesos. The current exchange rate (February 2018) is around 18 pesos per dollar, so do your calculations before you punch in the number. And don’t forget your PIN – called a NIP (“neep”) down here.  

 

THE TOURIST CHECKPOINT

The Nogales bypass road merges into Mexican highway 15. After about 11 more kilometers you’ll come to the Tourist Check-in Station. 

STOP HERE TO GET TOURIST PERMITS. 

• Any U.S. or Canadian citizen traveling in Mexico must have:

1) A Tourist Permit (Passport required). You must fill out the application (called an FMM) at the checkpoint to get a Tourist Permit! Here is where you will fill out the FMM application and get your Permit. The process is not difficult but may seem confusing the first time; personnel are usually very patient and helpful.

2) Mexican car insurance for the time you will be in Mexico. For your own protection, be sure you are covered and will get the help you need from Mexican authorities should you have an accident. Insurance is available at KM 21. Or you might want to purchase insurance before crossing the border. There is a very reliable provider at Don Smith Insurance at 475 W Mariposa Road in Nogales, AZ, just east of the I-19 Freeway exit.

At the Tourist check-in area there is sometimes a very nice young person who speaks good English waiting to explain how to do everything. They don’t expect a tip, although you may wish to tip someone in the parking lot a dollar (or 20 pesos) to watch your car. There’s usually also someone who wants to wash your windows for 10 pesos.

ABOUT AUTO PERMITS:

• Hassle Free Zone. A large portion of Sonora is a ‘Hassle Free Zone,’ meaning you no longer need a temporary vehicle permit (with exceptions for tow vehicles and trailers). This zone extends just past Guaymas and includes San Carlos, Hermosillo, Kino Bay, Magdalena, Santa Ana and points west. (See map.)

• Solo Sonora (Only Sonora). If you plan to travel south of Guaymas (even though this area is still inside Sonora), you will need a Temporary Importation Permit (TIP). A TIP can be obtained ONLY through Mexico's Banjercito government agency. You may apply online for the TIP at: https://www.banjercito.com.mx/registroVehiculos/#.

• All Mexico Vehicle Permit. If you plan to drive outside of Sonora, farther into Mexico, you will need an all-Mexico permit, also available through Banjercito. Details can be found at:     https://www.mexpro.com/mexico/vehicle-import-permit.html 

 

THE ROAD TO HERMOSILLO

• Beware of SERIOUS, axle-busting speed bumps in almost every "area de poblacion" (populated area). Warning paint is sometimes worn off! You are usually warned by a yellow sign with black bumps and the word "TOPES," (pronounced “toe – pays”) and indicating how many meters ahead. Often there are people selling interesting items at the topes, or collecting for a school or the ‘Cruz Roja’ (Red Cross). 

• Speed limits are in kilometers. Multiply by .62 to convert to miles. “VELOCIDAD MAXIMA 100 Kilómetros” means 62 mph; 90kph is about 55mph. (Easy method: divide km. by 5 and multiply by 3 to get miles. Example: 100 km/5 = 20 x 3 = 60 miles.) Honor the speed limits, even if others don't. It's easier to avoid the hassles.

• Green Angels. The State of Sonora has a program to help tourists who break down along the highway. The ‘Green Angels’ cruise this road, and sometimes the one to Kino, in green trucks loaded with many car parts (fan belts, spark plugs, etc.). They do their best to get you going again for free. 

• Mexican highway 15 to Hermosillo. Divided four lane toll road. This road is currently undergoing major improvements, so there may be detours; it still has very narrow or no shoulders in some areas. Drive with care.

(At Imuris, a narrow sinuous road leads eastward through the mountains toward the mining town of Cananea and to the border at Agua Prieta, or Naco. It is an alternate route for going to and from the border that is still within the Hassle Free Zone; but it also can be very treacherous, with heavy truck traffic. Know what you're doing before you take it.)

Highway 15 bypasses Magdalena de Kino; there is a Caseta de Cobros (Toll Booth) at Magdalena.  The next town is Santa Ana,  a good place to stop for a lunch break. At the big intersection, bear left (a right turn takes you to Mexicali). At the top of the hill, on your right, the Restaurant Elba has good, inexpensive food; secure parking area with an attendant. 

Give him 10 pesos for watching the car. You can also get a car wash and oil change while you eat. The Elba Hotel, next door, is clean, comfortable, and inexpensive, with parking inside a well-lit fenced area. 

• Next stop, Hermosillo – about 90 miles away. Only a few small towns and Pemex stations (with clean restrooms) along the way. Highway is continually being upgraded. Traffic volume is generally moderate. 

• The toll road ends just a few miles before Hermosillo at the last Caseta de Cobro.

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WELCOME TO HERMOSILLO

This route takes you through the middle of Hermosillo:

• The highway becomes a wide tree-lined boulevard called BLVD. EUSEBIO KINO. It goes through the Zona Hotelera (Hotel Zone) and makes a long arc to the left toward the center of town. There are Bancomer, Banamex, and Banco Santander branches where you can pay your tourist fee (during the week) or get pesos at an ATM.

• When BLVD. EUSEBIO KINO curves left and becomes BLVD. RODRIGUEZ (see map below), move to the right-hand lane. Watch for a shopping center on the right with a prominent Carl's Junior sign and a large, green overhead sign reading BAHIA DE KINO, pointing you right onto Avenida NAYARIT. Stay on NAYARIT until it ends, after about a mile. Move to the middle lane before it joins with BLVD. LUIS ENCINAS at an angle, then flow (like water) with the traffic. In Mexico, don't expect others to stop and let you in. It could happen, but it usually doesn't. Driving here is a competitive sport; you yield, you lose points. Drive straight west on BLVD. LUIS ENCINAS, which becomes Garcia Morales, to Kino Bay.

NOTE: You can click on this map (and the other) and it will pop up larger. You can then save it on your computer and print it out to carry with you.

 

• At the intersection with BLVD. SOLIDARIDAD there are shopping centers on the left and right, if you need supplies before getting to Kino. 

• On BLVD. LUIS ENCINAS, follow signs toward the AEROPUERTO and onward on Garcia Morales to BAHIA DE KINO!

There are a couple of alternate routes that do not go throughout the main part of the city:

A WORD ABOUT SPEED:

The route to Kino is heavily policed (especially on weekends), and you should stick to the speed limits. Be particularly careful on Garcia Morales until you're past the airport. There are several school zones, and speed limits change back and forth from 60 to 45 to 40 (that's kilometers, not miles, per hour!). The police are notorious for stopping tourists here. So be careful that you are not vulnerable. Go slower than the other cars.

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THE ROAD TO KINO 

It's best to leave Hermosillo no later than about 3:00 pm (4:00 pm in the summer) as the road travels due west; late in the afternoon the sun will be in your eyes. This road has recently been widened and repaved, so there are good markings most of the way. However, the middle line is sometimes very faint or non-existent and there’s often no white line along the edge (two common conditions in Mexico). When in doubt, it doesn't hurt to slow down, or even pull off someplace and wait till the sun goes below the horizon. Be careful and make sure your windshield is clean, inside and out. 

If it's late, you might stay at a hotel in Hermosillo and make a fresh start in the morning (good choices: the Hotel Bugambilia in the Zona Hotelera, the Hotel San Angel near Blvd. Solidaridad, and the Royal Palace, just past the Hotel San Angel.). Do not drive after dark! It can be dangerous, with animals, pedestrians in dark clothing, and cars with poor or no headlights on the highway. 

The Kino road is straight across the desert flats, past a small volcanic mountain range, with a few curves along the way. You’ll pass the airport on your right just outside Hermosillo, then broad fields of vegetables, large vineyards, pecan orchards and orange groves. The road goes directly to Kino Bay, with side roads leading off to the north and south (including a back road to Guaymas at kilómetro 52 that's been recently improved). 

 

MIGUEL ALEMAN (CALLE DOCE)

The road to Kino passes through only one other town – Miguel Aleman, also called Calle Doce – a dusty, hard-working desert town with trucks and colorful little shops on both sides of the main street, people walking across the road, kids walking to school in uniforms and backpacks, cowboys, farmers – a real street scene. If you have time, take a short break and enjoy life in rural Mexico. 

There's an ATM in Miguel Aleman on your left at a Bancomer, about halfway through the town, and others inside the Super del Norte supermarket on the right side, across the street from the Bancomer. (We also have two ATMs in Kino.) The Super del Norte is also a good supermarket with fruit, vegetables, groceries of all kinds, and a nice selection of wine and liquor, though you can find most of what you need right in Kino. 

The drive from Hermosillo to Kino takes about 1 1/2 hours. The most comfortable speed is about 60 to 65 mph. The 2-lane road has very wide shoulders. Watch for people on foot or on bicycles on their way home from work, and don't be in a hurry.

 

BAHIA DE KINO

A large sign over the highway will announce your arrive in Bahía de Kino — the part known as Kino Viejo (Old Kino). Very soon after that, you with see a street that goes off to the right at an angle, and in the corner sits the Mediterraneo Supermarket. It is the best in Kino, so you might want to check it out.

There is one stop light in Kino, and to the left at that corner is a Pemex station, in case you need to fill up. After the stop light, continue straight ahead, and the road curves to the right up a small hill. The view from the top of the hill shows Kino Nuevo (New Kino) stretched out along a beautiful 7-mile beach with Isla Tiburon as a large mountain range backdrop in the distance. 

 

MILEAGE FROM the STOP LIGHT in KINO VIEJO:

• At 1 mile – La Playa RV Hotel on the left and La Posada Hotel on the right. Start watching here for the numbered electric posts along the street. Our house is across the street from pole #159, so you can watch the numbers as you drive, because the house numbering system here is creative, to say the least, and you can't rely on those as a guide.

• At 2 miles – Palapas (thatched shade shelters) line the beach, La Palapa restaurant and La Cobacha restaurant, all on the left. On weekends there will usually be lots of people and vendors at this spot. Drive slowly and watch for kids.

• At 2.6 miles – Tienda ‘Super Juliana’ on the right. 

• At 3.4 miles – Taco Bar on the right. 

• At 4.1 miles – El Pargo Rojo restaurant on the right, bright red, large sign. 

• At 4.5 miles – Casa Tortuga on the left, just past the Punta Chueca road. Again, it's across the street from electric pole #159. The address (2645) is painted on the garage, and "Casa Tortuga" over the mail box (buzón) to the left of our entry. We have two off-street parking spots in front for renters and guests.

• If you go past us, you’ll see the Super Bahía Kino grocery store at 4.7 miles on the right, and you’ll know you’ve gone too far!

 

WELCOME to CASA TORTUGA!

 

PERSONAL SAFETY

Bahia de Kino, Sonora, Mexico

We get asked if we have many concerns about our personal safety here. The answer is: “Not many.” We don’t engage in unsafe activities here, or on the other (US) side of the border, so there’s little reason to fear for our safety.

But there are other reasons we don’t fear living here. For one, after having traveled widely in Mexico since the early 1970s, I’ve never seen a gun store in Mexico. I can’t say they don’t exist here, but we understand that the legal purchase of a weapon here requires a lot more paperwork and examination than in the US, where any mentally unstable individual can go buy a gun and kill several people before going to California to kill a few more. This actually happened a few years back in Albuq.

A friend mentioned that since several Sonoran and Chihuahuan druglords have been busted lately there’s been an increase in turfwars among the underlings and certain areas are not safe for gringos here. In fact a few gringos have been caught in the crossfire when they happened to be in an ill-advised location. He suggested that visiting the red-light district of Nogales at night may not be a wise choice at this time. We want to pass this important information on to our friends to insure that they have a safe visit. So please be aware that you’ll be much safer if you only patronize the red-light district during daylight hours. — PRW