Tony Estrada was standing in the entryway of the Álamos museum, el Museo Costumbrista de Sonora, speaking with a woman about a wheelchair. She wanted the wheelchair for her mother, yet Tony patiently explained that the chair was not his to give away. Every item belonged to the State of Sonora—not to Antonio Estrada, the director. Not granting the woman a wheelchair was maybe surprising because Tony has a “warm heart,” yet he is also a most honorable and loyal administrator for the state of Sonora.

Tony came from the village of Arechuyuo in the neighboring state of Chihuahua at Age 8 in 1967. The Estradas were on their way to Guaymas where Tony’s father hoped to gain better employment in the construction industry in what was then a “boom town.” But that was not to be. Upon their arrival in Álamos, Tony’s father was hired immediately by Chuy Rico to build homes for both the native and North American communities. Tony’s father’s reputation, even today, is one of quality and integrity.

Tony grew up in a household that was resourceful and honest and learned what we now call “family values.” His mother taught him to read before he entered the first grade, and his love of reading and fascination with books set him apart from most of his peers. Tony recalls that while others his age wanted to play soccer or stroll through the plazas, he wanted to read. He remembers that when he was 17 he had read about every book in Álamos, so he went to la oficina del presidente, the mayor’s office, and asked why the town didn’t have a library. The mayor, Jesús Gil Vega, gave him a set of keys to an unused room in city hall and said “Álamos now has a library—so go clean it up!” That became Tony’s first real job, and also his introduction to the English speaking community of Álamos.

A number of norteamericanos were also very interested in helping Álamos create a library. Elizabeth Nuzum and Genevieve Reynolds were two of several residents who focused their energy to provide a library that would serve the needs of both the native and North American communities. With a vacant room and an “appointment” as “city librarian” by the mayor, Tony now came into contact with Gringos who were eager to help.

With no Dewey Decimal system, Tony and his support group developed a color code to categorize books. There was no money in city hall for the library, so Elizabeth Nuzum determined that all home tours would end at the library where coffee and cookies would be served and tourists would be asked to donate money for books. Gradually the library gained funding for books and materials, and Tony gained valuable knowledge that he has used every since. He was elected president at his prep school, and during five different summers he spent time in the United States learning how to manage a library.

In the early 1980s, Beto Franco, el presidente of Álamos, recommended that Tony be named director of a new museum designated for the town. His application, and that of a co-director, were approved by Governor Samuel Ocaña, and Tony traveled to Mexico City to gain valuable training. The Bley property at #1 Victoria on la Plaza de Armas was acquired, and Tony once again had to do some cleaning; when he opened the doors, he found everything in place from when Sr. Bley locked the doors of his mercantile store in 1914. If only a photographer had been there to document that moment!

The Grand Opening of the museum was November 10, 1984, and in preparation Tony had to hire a staff, build a collection, develop a system for documentation, and conceive and explain the museum’s mission. Tony believed that a museum should be more than a static display of old things, but a place of education for both adults and children. The museum has a theatre so that the community can see movies, hear lectures, and enjoy artistic performances.

It's important to note that the first anniversary of El Museo Costembrista de Sonora in 1985 was the beginning of the festival honoring Alfonso Ortiz Tirado. Tony and others in the museum wanted to have a celebration for that first anniversary, and eventually the plan became to have a musical concert in honor of native-son Alfonso Ortiz Tirado—who was important to Mexico both as a medical doctor and an operatic tenor. That first concert had local alamenses singing and playing the piano; it was a success, and the decision was made to hold the anniversary festival each year on November 10. Gradually musicians from across the state attended, and after the first decade, it was sponsored by the Cultural Institute of Sonora and became an international festival attended by more than 100,000 people annually.

Tony's dream of having a museum in which people could learn and display. their talent succeeded far beyond his expectation. The Álamos Museum regularly has special artistic displays, cultural activities, and numerous visual presentations in addition to its permanent collection of items representing the history of Álamos and Sonora. Many of the photographs and artworks on permanent display were donated by the citizens of Álamos, and Tony has worked with our History Association on numerous projects—including a long term visual display on the connections of the Juan Bautista de Anza and Fernando de Rivera expeditions centuries ago to the pueblo of Álamos. The museum, under Tony’s leaofdership, shines a bright light on the artistic and cultural traditions of Sonora.

And while providing this leadership, Tony has established himself as a visual artist and sculptor. Many Álamos homeowners have commissioned works of art from Tony, with some of his sculptures are more than three meters in height. Most recently he sculpted a metal representation of Neptune for a client in San Carlos, and transporting the work was no small feat in itself. Tony’s studio in Uvalama is a machine shop of scrap metal and tools, and he treasures the time he spends creating a work of art from a strip of metal.

Tony is now retired, but the state of Sonora and the city of Álamos have done their best to keep him working. When his request for retirement was finally accepted in Hermosillo, the directorship of El Museo Costumbrista was given to his daughter, Metzli Estrada, who had been director of La Casa de la Cultura in Álamos. With the city now needing a new director of the culture house, Tony was persuaded to take that job. He and his daughter basically switched places! Eventually, though, Tony was permitted to retire and become a full-time artist.

The Álamos History Association owes a great deal to Tony Estrada. When we first published our historical guide to Álamos (Guía para Visitar el Álamos Histórico) in 2018, we made certain that Tony read it through word-by-word to check for accuracy. In one essay we translated the “mule trains” which carried silver from Álamos toi Mexico City as “trenes de mulas,” but Tony questioned how they could be called a mule train when trains did not exist at that time! This one example demonstrates the reverence Tony has for accuracy, and reflects the perfection he pursues in his art.