Publications on Álamos

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Katherine supervises a student making a sketch of the church.

María Félix' baptismal certificate (above), her first communion (far right), and as she appeared in a 1947 studio portrait (right)

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Otilia Urrea de Figueroa

Otilia Urrea de Figueroa published this 74-page book in 1983, telling about her childhood in Álamos in the days before the revolution. She treasured the time she spent at “La Colorado,” where her father owned the Urrea Hermanos distillery, and she relates many details about her friends, her education, her family, and the traditions followed by the alamenses.

Born in 1896, she enjoyed a life of wealth and privilege–-which abruptly ended with the Mexican revolution (1910-1920). Her father, Miguel C. Urrea Perron, was one of the Álamos elites, owning both a sucessful business and a large cattle ranch. He was involved in national politics, and in 1910 he organized a reception for presidental candidate Francisco I. Madero at his Álamos home, which now has the address of #4 Obregón Street. During the formal occasion of the dinner and dance, 14-year-old Otilia played a piano solo for the future president and his wife, Sara. Her picture to the right was taken at that age.

As the government of Mexico disintegrated into rebel groups fighting for power, the Urrea family lost nearly everything. Otilia writes on Page 32:

“In 1917 Plutarco Elías Calles was elected governor of Sonora and declared the state ‘dry.’ The Urrea Hermanos distillery as ordered closed and consequently the mezcal plantations were not kept up. Our ranch, the Carrizál, had also been vandalized by the revolutionariea, who cleaned it completely of cattle…..We did not take any more trips to our place in the mountains of which we were so fond because that also was taken from us…..”

One by one members of the Urrea family left Álamos to begin new lives in the United States. Otilia left for Los Angeles in 1918—then 22 years old—and remained in southern California the rest of our life. She died in Glendale, CA, in 2001 at the age of 104.

Otilia visited Álamos for the last time in 1990 when she was 94 years old. On that visit, she was interviewed by Bev Krucek of the History Association, which you can read on the interview section of this website.

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Arturo Márquez introduces "Cantata Sueños" with soloists and and the Orquesta Filarmónica de Sonora in 2023

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My Youth in Álamos

FAOT concert, 2017

Álamos leaders

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José Rafael Campoy y Gastélum (1732-1777) - A member of the Society of Jesus, he held professorships in Philosophy, Literature, and Theology at the San Francisco Novitiate College in Tepotzotlán (near Mexico City). His academic career was cut short in 1767 by the expulsion of the Jesuits from New Spain, and he passed away at the age of 54 as an Italian exile. Although none of his written works have survived, he is regarded as a guiding figure who revolutionized the Society of Jesus and sought to provide Mexican youth with the opportunity to engage with modern philosophy.

José Rafael Campoy y Gastélum

José María Almada y Alvarado (1791-1866) - The head of the Almada family, he was a successful mining entrepreneur and governor of Occidente state during 1828-1829. As governor, one of his notable achievements was the promulgation of the significant "Law for the Distribution of Lands to Indigenous Peoples, protecting indigenous communities from land usurpation by ensuring the restitution or replacement of lands seized illegally. His wealth allowed for silver chandeliers and oriental carpets in his colonial house, which remains of the Plaza de Armas in Álamos..

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Félix María Zuloaga Trillo (1813-1898) - A military general and a Conservative party leader in the War of Reform (1850s), Zuloaga served as conservative president of Mexico in opposition to the constitutional president, Benito Juárez, of the Liberal Party. Even though Juárez had the vote of the citizenry, Zuloaga's forces captured Mexico City and he assumed the presidency. He was later stripped of power and overthrown by his party—then exiled to Cuba—but later returned to Mexico City. He was born in the Tacubaya barrio of Álamos, but he left after his elementary and secondary education studies.

Justina Almada de Urrea (1815-1892) - She was known as the "Mother of the poor" for her many acts of charity in Álamos, establishing an organization to help those in need (Monte de Piedad) and founded, with her brother, the Hospital de Jesús—a large medical facility in Álamos. Widowed in middle age, she used the great wealth from her husband and the Almada estate to build the Seminary of Sonora and undertake charitable works from Álamos to Chínipas (Chihuahua) where her family owned mines and ore processing estates. She was considered to be the wealthiest woman in Sonora.

Félix María Zuloaga Trillo

Justina Almada de Urrea

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Bartolomé E. Almada (1817-1872) - He became the presidente (mayor) of Álamos in 1857, but later became a national politician by serving three times in the national Congress. He bought more than 200 acres of land on the out-skirts of Álamos and built the house known today as "Las Galicias," but he is probably best known for the diary he kept from 1859-1863. It was a turbulent time in Mexico, and he wrote about the War of Reform, but the diary is most important through the passages written about his life in Álamos—and the daily occurrences in this community.

Crispín de S. Palomares (1834-1897) - Crispín de S. Palomares was born here and educated at the Liceo de Sonora. He enlisted in the National Guard in 1856 and played a significant role first in Sinaloa and later in the Sierra de Puebla region, fighting against the French in the battle of San Lorenzo in 1863. For the liberal cause he fought with General Antonio Rosales, and with General Ángel Martínez he defeated the Imperialists in Sonora. He commanded the 1st Military Zone and worked to subdue Yaqui rebels, and later published his works of poetry. He died in Mexico City in a streetcar accident.

Bartolomé E. Almada

Crispín de S. Palomares

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Juan J. Navarro (1841-1934) Born in Álamos, Juan Navarro served in the Mexican Army between 1858 and 1914, fighting in the War of Reform, the Second French Intervention in Mexico, and the Mexican Revolution. He enlisted as a soldier in the state national guard in 1858, fought against the conservatives in Sinaloa, and participated in the entire campaign against the French intervention. He was promoted to second lieutenant in the battle of San Pedro, and served as Chief of military operations in Jalisco after being promoted to lieutenant colonel.

In 1910, he fought for the Mexican government during the Revolution. He was commander of the federal forces in Ciudad Juárez, which eventually fell to the revolutionary forces commanded by Poncho Villa and Pascual Orozco. He was imprisoned and nearly executed, but President Madero intervened. During the revolution he also served as a senator for the state of Oaxaca. He retired in 1914 following the dissolution of the federal Army due to the constitutionalists' victory, and died in Mexico City, at Age 92.

Severiano Talamante (1841-1911) was a decorated soldier who fought in the Second French Intervention in Mexico, the Yaqui wars, and in the Mexican Revolution––supporting Francisco Madero. The son of a decorated general, Talamante fought against the troops of Porfírio Díaz in Sonora during the early years of the Mexican revolution. Together with his father and brother, he launched an attack on the city of Navojoa; after their assault was repelled, they fled toward the Sierra de Sonora, heading for the town of Sahuaripa. There, they were taken prisoner and executed by firing squad on January 29, 1911, at the hands of federal forces under the command of Francisco Chiapa.

In honor of his brother, his father, and himself, a political ticket was named "Mártires de Sahuaripa" (Martyrs of Sahuaripa), which nominated Álvaro Obregón for the municipal presidency of Huatabampo. Obregón later became the president of Mexico. The city of Hermosillo today features a street named after Severiano M. Talamante

Juan J. Navarro

Severiano Talamante

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Carlos Rodrigo Ortiz Retes (1851-1902) was a politician in the Liberal Party and the governor of Sonora between 1881 and 1883, being the youngest person to be elected to that office at the age of 29. During his time as governor, the design for the Álamos prison on Guadalupe hill was approved, but Ortiz resigned before construction could begin. A new design was approved in 1888—and the jail was constructed a year later. The reason for his resignation has never been fully revealed, but he disappeared from political life after 1883. He is the paternal grandfather of musician and doctor Alfonso Ortiz Tirado.

Ramón Corral Verdugo (1854 – 1912) served as the vice president of Mexico under President Porfirio Díaz from 1904 until the resignations of both the president and vice president in May 1911, due to mounting pressure from Liberal forces during the Mexican Revolution. He was born on a ranch near Álamos and served two terms as Sonora's governor—1887-1891, and 1895-1899. It was during his term that the Álamos City Hall–-still used today—was built. As a young man he gained political recognition by publishing two newspapers (El Fantasma and La Voz de Álamos) to protest reforms from then- governor Ignacio Pesqueira.

Carlos Rodrigo Ortiz Retes

Ramón Corral Verdugo

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Tomás Robinson Bours Goyeneche (1858-1933) was a merchant-banker, mine owner, rancher, and agriculturalist. He was a major figure in the construction of irrigation works in the Mayo Valley. Although born in Alamos, he was educated in California where his family had commercial interests. On the death of his father in 1889, he took over the family banking and agricultural businesses—located in the house which is now El Centro Comunitario Nelita Bours. While the bank had international business, it also made loans to assist small-scale farmers and ranchers. He was a prominent member of the Álamos community.

Brígido Caro (1858-1940) was a writer and dramatist who is remembered above all as one who, on the margins and clandestinely, fought against the rulers he considered enemies of the poor. In 1893 he began his adventure of journalism with the 1st issue of “El Sonorense”, a weekly newspaper (published in Álamos) which defended the Porfiriato. The newspaper lasted only two years, but in 1911 he published “La Evolución”, which analyzed the events of the Mexican Revolution. For these journalistic contributions, Brígido Caro became an exemplary figure in the history of journalism both in Álamos and the state of Sonora.

Tomás Robinson Bours Goyeneche

Brígido Caro

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Felipe Salido Zayas (1863-1939) was a distinguished military engineer and an outstanding teacher and politician. He carried out engineering studies and improvements along the Mayo River and constructed many buildings in Álamos and Hermosillo. His parents were Francisco Salido Obregón and Carmen Zayas, prominent citizens of Álamos, and his eldest brother, Francisco A. Salido, was the founder of Nacional Financiera and also an important figure.

Ramón Ross (1864-1934) was of national prominence and took part in the constituent convention which drafted the Constitution of 1917. He was later governor of the Federal District of Mexico and Secretary of Comunications and Public Works in the cabinet of President Elías Calles. Although he was born in Álamos, he grew up in Huatabampo and held a political position in Qurétaro before serving as the Director of public charity for Mexico City.

Felipe Salido Zayas

Ramón Ross

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General Fausto Topete (1888-1952 was born in Álamos, Sonora. Around 1913, he joined the Constitutionalist movement and the armed struggle under the command of General Benjamín Hill. He participated in many of the campaigns conducted by this general, for which he rapidly rose to the rank of colonel. Later, he was assigned the post of military commander of his birthplace, Álamos. In 1920 he was promoted to brigadier general and participated actively against the De la Huerta Rebellion between 1923 and 1924. He was also a cousin of Everardo Topete Arriaga, Governor of Jalisco from 1935 to 1939.

General Fausto Topete

Alejo Bay Valenzuela (1891-1952) figured in numerous federal issues in Sonora. Bay was two times federal deputy, senator of the republic, and governor of Sonora during the Constitutional period from 1923 to 1927. He was good friends with President Álvaro Obregón, and in 1920he joined a group led by generals Jose Gonzalo Escobar and Fausto Topete, against President Plutarco Elias Calles for belittling the accomplishments of president Obregón. Even though he was severely rebuked, he remained in government and served as treasurer of Sonora under the direction of governor Anselmo Macías.

Alejo Bay Valenzuela

Librado Abitia Garcés

Manuel Corbalá Acuña

Librado Abitia Garcés (1895-1982) was a soldier and politician who participated in the Mexican Revolution and later became the chief of staff of Mexican president Álvaro Obregón. He was born in Minas Nuevas, and at Age 19 he was appointed second lieutenant in the Constitutionalist Army, serving under General Álvaro Obregón and following him to Mexico City when he was elected president. With Obregón's support he was elected as a federal deputy for the state of Quintana Roo in 1928, and in the 1940s he attained the rank of brigadier general. He passed away at the age of 87.

Manuel Corbalá Acuña (1907-1983) was a trade unionist, politician, and writer, serving his hometown as its presidente first in 1929 andd later 1935. He was active in the Partido Nacional Revolucionario (PNR) founded by Lázaro Cárdenas in 1938, and promoted laws to benefit laborers rather than the ruling elite. In addition to his positions in politics, he was a writer and the author of biographies and works on Sonoran history. His most notable titles include Sonora y sus Constituciones, Rodolfo Elías Calles: perfiles de un sonorense, and Álamos de Sonora.

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Álamos Bandits

Historian Francisco R. Almada tells us that Joaquín Murrieta was born in the ranch of El Salado, south of the municipality of Alamos in the year 1809, and baptized In the Alamos parish church February 8, 1810. The baptismal record notes that he is of "Spanish quality" the parents are “neighbors of this jurisdiction”, indicating they were not inhabitants of the Real de los Alamos but from its region—where El Salado was located.

Almada and historian Manuel Corbalá were convinced the famous bandit was born near Álamos and baptized here, but there are other theories. One version is that his birth occurred in some municipality in northern Sonora, particularly Trenches, although this has never been confirmed.

His story began when he went to California in 1849, attracted by the gold rush, in the company of his wife (who is also supposed to be from Álamos), María del Carmen Félix, who was recognized for her great beauty. Corbalá states that she was alone in the house her husband had built her when she was accosted and raped by the local Sheriff. Joaquin was enraged and killed the sheriff, thus becoming an outlaw. Because of rape, Corbalá writes that Juaquín developed a hatred toward all sheriffs and officers of the law.

Unable to work, Murrieta formed a gang of assailants who were responsible, according to the chronicles, for robberies, murders and assaults in California—enabling them to accumulate more than $100,000 in gold, but also left them responsible for the murder of about 20 people. At the same time Murrieta was giving to those in need, especially Mexicans living in California—whom he never attacked—and earned the nickname of the "Mexican Robin Hood." Hence he achieved the love and admiration of many, which inspired stories from which the famous legend of “El Zorro” would be born.

In 1853, the Californian government created a rural police called the "Rangers" under the command of Captain Harry Love, whose purpose was to arrest bandits—especially the ringleader Murrieta. In July of that same year, a group of these Rangers had a confrontation with some Mexican bandits, leaving two of the Mexicans dead. The

Joaquín Murrieta

The baptismal certificate of Joaquín Murrieta

Rangers claimed that one of them was Joaquín Murrieta. To check, they ripped off his head and put it in a jar with brandy, then took it to San Francisco and put it on display across much of California. There were people who identified the head as Murrieta, but others disagreed, which gave rise to various "sightings" of the bandit on the roads and mountains of the region. With this, and with the belief that the rangers invented everything to collect the reward, the legend and fame of Joaquín Murrieta grew. The alleged bandit head was lost in the San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fire in 1906.

The first text related to his life was the novel "The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murrieta, the Celebrated California Bandit",

published in 1854 by the journalist John Rollin Ridge. This book contributed much to his fame, naming him then as "El Patrio", and viewing him as a sympathic figure at the time when Mexico lost more than half of its territory to the United States in 1847, which led to a restructuring of the area and the discrimination against Mexicans.

Years later he was written several corridos and even, in 1908, the famous Mexican writer and journalist Irineo Paz wrote: "Life and Adventures of the most famous Sonoran bandit Joaquin Murieta." Finally, Joaquín Murrieta would inspire the writer Johnston McCulley to create in 1919 the character of "The Fox", which has been taken several times to the cinema.

Source: Cronista Juan Carlos Holguín Balderrama

Over the years Álamos and Quiriego have disputed the honor of being the birthplace of one of the most important and beautiful stars of the national cinema: María Félix. To begin with, this type of dispute is not exclusive to our city, because with other cities we have dual claims to people less famous. Two examples are Joaquín Murrieta, known as “El Patrio” and who gave rise to the legend of “El Zorro,” and the Jesuit José Rafael Campoy y Gastélum, one of the wisest men in New Spain. The first is disputed by towns such as San Rafael del Alamito and Trincheras, in Sonora, and even Chile, the distant South American country, claims him as a son. On the other hand, Father Campoy has also been claimed by the city of Durango. In both cases the doubt persists, more for Murrieta than for Campoy, because in both cases there are no documents about their birth—neither in Álamos nor in the other places, and this is where the difference with María Félix lies: there is proof of her birth in “la Ciudad de los Portales.”

Born April 8, 1914, she was baptized in the parish of Álamos just three days later, according to the baptismal certificate which says: “In the parish of Álamos on the 11th day of April, 1914, I, Pedro A. Serrano, parish priest, I solemnly baptized and placed the holy oil and “chrisma” on a girl who was born in this city on the eighth day of the month of April of the current year, whom I named María de los Ángeles, the legitimate daughter of Bernardo Félix and Josefa Güereña. Her godparents were Fernando Félix and Josefa Félix, to whom I instructed of their obligation and spiritual kinship.” Why would the parents, if she had been born in Quiriego, would they have taken the newborn to Álamos three days after her birth to be baptized? The fact that the godparents were both residents of Quiriego rules out the possibility of a transfer because the godparents lived in Álamos. On what basis can those who claim she was born in Quiriego have when the baptismal record says that she was “born in this city?”

We must also not forget that, in the customs of the time, women who had recently given birth underwent the famous “quarantine” or “diet” (under the official name “puerperium),” a practice that consisted of having the woman under strict care, away as far as possible from external factors that could undermine her health—such as efforts, movement, heavy meals, bathing, and, of course, travel. So why would they make the long journey between Quiriego and Álamos? Also, the road at that time was known as “horseshoe,” and a trip could only be made on horseback or in carriages, taking hours to arrive. Many will argue that they could have gone by rail, but the closest train station to Quiriego was 40 kilometers away and there was only one daily run when the Yaqui uprisings the the revolutionary meetings allowed it. As we can see, although it is not impossible that she was born in Quiriego and transferred to Álamos, it is an absurd and otherwise improbable assumption. It has also been said that she was transferred to Álamos because there was no civil registry in Quiriego, which is false, since the civil registry file of that municipality began in the 1880s.

In addition, María always said that she had been born in Álamos. Her autobiography, edited by Clío, makes mention of her “Childhood in Álamos,” as the first chapter is titled, and in repeated interviews she let it stand, as the one made by Ricardo Rocha in 1996 when she said: “I have the disease of silver. In Álamos, Sonora, a mining city where I was born, my grandparents said that Mexicans have the disease of silver and it is true; in my case (ugh!) it’s clinical!”

On another occasion with the same journalist who asked if she could have been born anywhere, she replied: “No, no…I must have been born in Sonora, in my land of Álamos with my mountains, with my air, a place I believe where beauty was born.”

Although she never ignored her home town, she did not adore it, and the “alamenses,” unfortunately, have never forgiven her. Here in Álamos we have this incarnated idea that all, our own and strangers, native or visitors, should love and fall in love with our city, and that’s not right. As an “alamense” I, of course, love my people, but that does mean that everyone should think the same way. As the saying goes, “everyone talks as they did at the fair,” and she did not speak of Álamos well, nor did she speak of it badly—she did not love or hate Álamos but rather was indifferent, since her memories were vague and scarce. However, and although she didn’t promote Álamos, thanks to the international fame the actress enjoyed, Álamos had a place on the map, was rediscovered, and it was always noted in books and magazines with stories about the diva of national cinema.

On at least two occasions “La Doña” visited Álamos after her success on the big screen, one fully documented in May, 1953, and another in the 1960s when, they say, she came to buy an ancient, enormous, and beautiful tableware set from Adolfo Bley who, they say, refused to sell it. Apparently she never returned, although she had made a cash donation years ago, along with Dr. Ortiz Tirado, to raise the walls of the municipal cemetery. They say that when she received the letter requesting the donation from a lady named Palomares, who had apparently known in childhood, María commented: “leave the dead in peace, if those inside cannot leave and those of us outside do not want to enter.”

To close, I would like to transcribe verbatim a letter that Diego Rivera wrote to María during the visit that the famous painter made to Álamos, specifically to know the place where the Diva was born.

Mayo, 1955

And I arrived in Álamos, and I was surprised to see one of the most intact and most beautiful cities in Mexico, neither Indian nor Spanish but classic Mexican which hopefully will not be spoiled. What a plaza with houses—palaces of pure and magnificent arcades! The surrounding hills are strongly aggressive and soft and sensual at the same time. It is your portrait, María—precisely the place you were destined to be born. María, if there is ever someone you want, and you want me to accompany you, someone worthy of you, marry him there (and do not laugh at me)! Please tell my daughter Pilo when I can see you again. I hug you and kiss your hands, and please receive my love.

Your frog toad,

Diego Rivera

Addendum #1 - María Felix: Álamos o Quiriego?

por Álamos cronista Juan Carlos Holguín Balderrama

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Álamos, Sonora, Mexico

This booklet appeared in 1954, published by Peterson-Schon Company in Portland, Oregon, and written by Harvy A. Harris and Charles J. Marx. It gave a history of Álamos, and also had some pictures and information on Navojoa and Hermosillo. On the final page were pictures and short biographies of the president of Mexico, Don Adolpho Ruiz Cortines, and Sonora’s governor at that time, Don Ignacio Soto.

The 32-page publication serves as a tourist promotion for Álamos by describing the climate, the architecture, and the benefits of exploring the state of Sonora. It also discusses the region's history, with sections on pre-colonial life, the conquest of Mexico in 1519 by Herrnán Cortez which led to the discovery of gold and silver in Sonora, the great wealth of Álamos in thr 18th and 19th centuries, and it rapid decline in the first half of the 20th Century.

The pictures are an important part of the booklet's importance. No credits were provided for the photographs, and some images appear to have been taken in the 1930s and 1940s—although most were taken in the 1950s . In 2009 the History Association "retook" all the pictures included to show the changes in Álamos from ther time of the book's publication, and some of these "then and now" comparisons appear after the booklet's presentation.