The Santini name appears on the kiosk in the center of the Plaza de Armas, dedicated September 15, 1904. The kiosk inscription reads:

Ayuntamiento Sr. Ignacio L. Almada

Regidores los Señores

Dionisio E. Acosta

Miguel C. Urrea

Pedro S. Salazar

Manuel Goycoolea
José Moreno Salazar

Panfilio Santini

Panfilio Santini was Jorge’s grandfather and a member of the town council at the time the kiosk was installed. It had been built in Mazatlán, Sin., and transported piece by piece to Álamos where it was assembled. The kiosk has presided over the central plaza in Álamos for more than 100 years, with its latest restoration in 2008. At the time the original colors of dark green and wine-red were used, and the roof’s interior faithfully followed the original design.

The date of 1904 also signaled a turning point in the fortunes of the Santini family. In this time just before the Mexican Revolution ( 1910 - 1920), the production of the mines was falling and the Indian raids and uprisings were increasing. Gradually, Álamos and the surrounding area was moving economically from mining to agriculture.

As part of this transition, Benjamin Hill (later a leader of the Revolution with a town in Sonora named after him) needed a loan for land he was purchasing in nearby La Union. Panfilio Ramon Santini loaned him the money; when the debt was due, Benjamin Hill was unable to pay. Sr. Santini claimed the land, which had been used as collateral.

After Benjamin Hill gained political and military during the Revolution, he used this power against the man who had taken his land! He had Panfilio Santana taken prisoner and planned to execute him, and soldiers marched him to Cabora. During the march Panfilio’s oldest son overtook them, but the son was directed to return home and take care of the family.

After they arrived in Cabora, though, Santini, with the help of his brother-in-law Tómas Urrea, was able to escape from the soldiers. His escape route took him through Chihuahua to Agua Prieta and eventually to Nogales, Arizona, where he settled.

Santini sent for his family, and they lived together in Arizona where he opened a casa de cambio, or money exchange house. Tragedy occurred one day he saw a fire which he thought was his own house burning. He rushed home and found it was the house of a neighbor, and he fought the flames and smoke to help them remove their possessions. He developed pneumonia from smoke inhalation and died; a few months later, his wife (Justina Urrea) died and left the children orphaned in Nogales.

The Santini family members in Álamos traveled to Nogales to bring the children back, who were then raised by their aunts. The younger children came first, and the last to come was Gustavo, the second-oldest boy. He traveled with his nanny and her two young sons, but when the train stopped in Hermosillo he got off and wandered through the train station--missing the train’s departure. That train was attacked by Yaqui Indians and both of the nanny’s sons were killed; Gustavo was safe in Hermosillo.

Life in Álamos after the revolution was difficult, and many of the “old families” of Álamos left for opportunities in other towns. Porfilio Santinio’s son and Jorge’s father, Ángel, was forced to sell door-to-door to make a living during those years. Ángel then traveled to Los Angeles, worked and saved money, and returned to Álamos--although the fortunes of the town at this time (the 1930s) were even worse. He went to Huatabampo and opened a general store, and his family continues to live in Huatabampo.