Buenos Dias from Mexico! I’m here for a Society of American Travel Writers meeting and visiting Copper Canyon, Mazatlan and the historic mining town of Cosala. My flight first landed in Hermosillo, now a very large city and much different than when Penelope and I were here during our trip around Mexico in 1972. A short flight to Los Mochis, and then a bus ride to El Fuerte, a town of about 45,000 people. It’s a very historic city, originally founded in 1564 by de Ibarra, and more recently known as the birthplace of Zorro. Most of the buildings in the downtown area are the typical colonial style architecture, sometimes colorfully painted in a variety of pastels. I’m staying for a couple of days at the Posada del Hidalgo Hotel. Comfortable and attractive, it is a historic site itself and only a short block from the main plaza.
Today we went on a tour to the Indian village of Capomos, where we visited the home of a local Mayos Indian family. There were demonstrations of making tortillas and pottery in the traditional way, and a performance on Mayos dancing and musical instruments. Following that, I went on a rafting trip on the Rio El Fuerte, visiting petroglyphs, learning about the local flora, and watching the birdlife along the river. Our local guide was very knowledgeable and spoke quite good English. Saw lots of birds, including egrets, caracaras, and kingfishers, and passed a couple of heron rookeries high in the cottonwood trees along the river bank.
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