The Culture of Alamos

During vacation we packed up our bags and decided that we should travel to "real" Mexico. We drove from Baja to Alamos, Sonora. When we arrived we we were happy cause it was exactly the place we wanted to go to. The streets were small and quaint; the two plazas bustling with activity. It was great. As we got to know the city a little more we compared it to Ensenada. We discovered that even though the city was cooler, the food wasn't as good and there wasn't a good selection of restaurants. We found a couple (probably some of the best enchiladas of my life) but the food from Ensenada is much more delicious and there are more options.

Everything seemed much more Mexican, and in the obvious way it was. There was a traditional market, it was a small town with small streets, and it had a main plaza like most Mexican towns. But, as Theo observed, Alamos is really more American then Ensenada. Though the raw population of Americans in Ensenada may be higher, in terms of percentage Alamos has more. There are about 350 American families, mostly rich old ladies, that live in Alamos, and they have a big influence over the community. Much more than in Ensenada. The Mexicans even have to turn down their music when the Americans arrive in the winter. Though Alamos wasn't as "real" Mexico as we thought we still had a great time.