David and Carmen Diaz first came to Álaos in 1986. They learned about the town form Carmen’s brother, Joe Delgado. Joe and his wife, Jackie, had been on a Club Med Cruise which was “weathered in” at Guaymas; to alleviate the boredom, Joe rented a car and they drove to Álamos. They liked the town so much that on his next vacation they rented the Karner house for a family holiday. He then bought a small house with quite a bit of land from Gaye Billington, land that had originally been part of the Las Delicias estate.

The small house was probably the original gate house on the estate, and Joe built a large stately residence with extensive gardens; it fulfilled his love of nature which resulted from his career as a landscape architect.

Carmen and David also spent time house-hunting with realtor Ginger Combs Acosta. David particularly liked a house owned by a man named Alcorn (not Levant) who was the chief of Police in Oji, CA. He wanted $80,000 U.S. for the property, but he was unable to “line up” all the inheritors and nothing materialized.

Carmen was sure she would know the “right” house immediately. When she saw the property at 20 Camino Real she fell in love with it and saw it as a “Sleeping Beauty Castle,” which gave her the space she needed to feel comfortable.

David and Carmen bought the property in 1987 for $55,000 US. At first they were limited to vacation-time trips, but eventually they spent more time in Álamos and began to upgrade the site.

The original house was on the current bedroom site. The family kept cows and sold milk there, and the family name was Murillo; the senior Murillo was the great grandfather of Jamie, the local barber.

The first North American to buy the house was from California. He was confined to a wheel chair, died, and was buried in Álamos. The next owners were the Nichols, who added the wall, the swimming pool, and built the main house and kitchen. They rented the house with an option to buy to a man who turned out to be a sex offender and left town on the run. Following this, the property was rented to the Steltzners until they bought their own house. The Nichols family took it over again, but the daughter’s husband didn’t want to stay in Mexico so they sold it to David and Carmen.

The house fronts on Camino Real del Sur, the route to El Fuerte. At that time it was a cobblestone road. Moises, a neighbor who is a school teacher, organized the neighborhood to petition for a paved road. A group was formed to oversee the project, but Craig Hill, a property owner, didn’t want the cobblestone removed and refused to pay. That’s why a part of the road is still cobblestone.

Initially Carmen feared eating the local food and brought almost everything from the United States--the meats, fruits, and vegetables. She would also not eat food from the street vendors--until she lunch at Bev and Mark Anthony’s house. The menu included tamales purchased from a vendor on the Alameda, and Carmen gained confidence in the local foods.

Their phone did not work for a year and a half, but they kept it since phones were very difficult to obtain. There were many more power failures in those days.

Carmen mentioned the great fear her older Mexican-American relatives had of Mexico. Finally her old aunt from Texas came to Álamos for a visit. The aunt sang songs in Spanish at the church and truly enjoyed her stay. Carmen’s uncle and cousin also came with reluctance, but experienced such welcoming greetings on their morning walks that they left eager to come again.

Bill and Carmen took a small free-standing building and converted it to a guest house with two bedrooms and baths. Their long time mozo has been Ramón Sanchez, who is known to everyone in town for owning the burros used for the callejones after night-time performances at the Palacio during the Ortiz Tirado festival each January, and also for other events. He also does a beautiful job decorating an altar for public viewing at the Viernes de Dolores.

Carmen was not raised in a bilingual home, so she has had to work hard at improving her Spanish through lessons and watching the telenovelas. She was disappointed when one of the ladies at a shop commented about her Gringo accent. Since then, she has realized that the accent will always be there. Whether the Diaz’s are American-Mexican or Mexican-American, they contribute wherever they are!