Welcome to June and welcome to the new luxury Sonoran Star Resort on Sandy Beach!

I hope you've been enjoying the beautiful weather we've been having lately. We've had a lot going on around town since my last newsletter, and the number of people visiting town has kept things lively at the new sales office and model. We are definitely becoming an important vacation destination, not only for Arizona, but for folks covering the USA, Mexico and beyond. Somehow, it always surprises me to find out how people from outside of the normal areas ended up visiting our little paradise by the Sea. The stories vary greatly, but one thing remains common: everyone says that they will be back.

Obviously, the big news is the kickoff of the new Sonoran Star Resort. This luxury resort will really break the mold and provide a resort the likes as this region has never seen. Check out our website www.sonoranstar.com over the coming days and weeks as it is updated with more and more information, photos, and details. Be sure to stop by to see our gorgeous model condo, tale a UTV ride up to see the location and views from tower #1, and chat with one of our reps. We’re here every day from 9-5, but if those hours don’t work for you, just let us know and we can work with your schedule.

Here's a map to the model condo. You might want to copy/past the link to your phone so that you can easily find us when you get to town. If written directions are more your thing, we're located on the road from Call 13 towards Sandy Beach. Dukes, Casago, the New Mexican are all our neighbors. You can't miss us.

LINK to Sonoran Star Model Condo

We have a very generous referral program, so if you have a friend or family member who is interested in buying one of the Star condos, please contact me ahead of time to give me their name and contact information. Easy peasy :) The main phone number for Sonoran Resorts was moved from the Sonoran Sky to the Sonoran Star so just call the same number as you always have – 602-476-7511.

I could talk about the Sonoran Star throughout this newsletter (and I will mention it once or twice…), but I know that you also want to hear about what’s happening here in Rocky Point. The 2023 version of Circus Mexicus with Roger Clyne and friends is coming right up and if you haven’t gotten tickets yet, you need to go online and do so. Every year there are more venues, more shows and it just keeps getting better and better. The month of June will be full of activities and fun and the weather should be nice so it’s a great time to visit. 

Enjoy this beautiful month, come to Rocky Point if you can, and if you need anything don't hesitate to ask. Let me put my experience and expertise to work for you, and remember, as always, I've been here full-time for over 15 years and I am more than happy to help you with whatever you need, whether Sonoran Resorts related or not.

Just give me a call or send me an email any time and I will do my very best to help you. If I can't help you myself, I'm sure that I can point you in the right direction and help find you someone who can. 

Besides the links below, you can our listings at the following:

www.sonoranresorts.mx

www.sonoranresortsresales.com

AMPI Puerto Penasco MLS

Point 2 Agent Multinational MLS

Pick up a handout at any of our Sonoran Resorts

Scottsdale Barrett Jackson Show

Various Real Estate and Trade shows in AZ, NV, and CA

NOW SELLING!

Puerto Peñasco Continues to Generate New and Large Investments

As the municipality of Puerto Peñasco grows, so do its investments. And with that growth comes more jobs, which is great news for people who have been out of work since the Covid crisis.

It's no secret that Puerto Peñasco has had some tough times during the crisis, but with the help of large-scale investors and the continued support of local businesses and unions, we're seeing a major recovery in our port and a revitalization of our community.

Along with the fact that we have one of the most beautiful beaches in Mexico, we are also seeing a lot of new construction projects. The number of new businesses and buildings being built is surprising, and it's happening on all levels. As Mayor Jorge Pivac says, "Nobody stops Peñasco!" And it's true: investments keep flowing into Puerto Peñasco.

One example is the Sonoran Star Resort project, which has already begun construction on five 20-story condominium towers, as well as amenities like a lazy river, 8 Jacuzzis on multiple levels, fire pits, heated and non-heated pools for families with children and for adults, a children's water park with multiple water slides and shaded areas around them, beach cabanas and palapas on a private beach, covered resort parking, restaurant, lobby bar, glass elevators—all located right next to the majestic Sea of Cortez and within walking distance to many shops, restaurants, and tourist attractions.

This project will be one of the most popular real estate developments ever built in northwestern Mexico—and it will surely boost tourism and our economy!

Celebrate Marine Day in a big way with the group La Concentración, who will be performing at this year's concert and dance. This is a chance to celebrate with your family and friends while enjoying the festivities. The purchase of your ticket includes access to carnival rides and attractions.

The event will take place on June 3 on Campeche street in El Mirador.

The Pirate Ships, King of the Sea and the Black Pearl are a fun attraction for visitors of all ages. Each cruise is an unforgettable adventure that lasts a little over two hours.

You will enjoy games from the beginning of the journey and you’ll enjoy sword fights. Receive free beer and margaritas for adults with the dinner option. Young people also have a free bar of non-alcoholic drinks with dinner option. Children under 2 are free. The trip also includes dancing and fireworks.

The area around the location of the new Sonoran Star Resort is already gaining new businesses and attracting buyers and investors who are ready to cash in on the many owners and renters who will frequent our new beachfront project. A high-end looking pharmacy popped up on the corner not long ago, and today I noticed this sign announcing an upcoming steak house across the street from the entrance to the new resort. Smart move...

As the weather warms up, the stingrays come out to play. If you are wading in the shallow waters of the sea, remember to shuffle your feet as you walk.

Rocky Point Tourism Exceeds Expectations over Memorial Day Weekend

A weekend of great tourist influx was recorded in Puerto Peñasco from May 26 to 28, receiving an estimated 38,000 American visitors who chose this tourist destination to celebrate Memorial Day here. There were also those who visited to enjoy local sports.

The beaches and streets of Puerto Peñasco were crowded from last Friday to Sunday with the arrival of tourists from Arizona and California. There were also more than 2,000 athletes and their families from Baja California, Sonora, and other states that participated in regional and binational sports tournaments in the various sports fields in town.

According to preliminary data from the Convention and Visitors Bureau, a hotel occupancy between 85% and 90% was reached in hotels, condominiums and rental houses during this weekend.

The Lukeville Arizona-Sonoyta border crossing extended the hours to cross for the holiday weekend in order to allow more people to arrive before closing. The extended hours was negotiated by Mayor Jorge Pivac after the hours were reduced during and since Covid. The extended hours will continue during holidays. The busy weekend reaffirms that Puerto Peñasco is the most important tourist destination in northwestern Mexico.

The Super Peso and a Historical Tour of Mexico’s Currency

A brief glance back over 70 years of exchange rate fluctuations reveals a pattern that's woven into the tapestry of Mexico’s peso

Mexico’s peso has had an assorted history against the US dollar. Periods of stability have been followed by periods of great turmoil —and resulting devaluations— followed by rallies and stabilization.

An irony —economists would say corollary— is that the only times the peso has gone through periods of appreciation against the dollar has been in the decades when it was allowed to float freely, with no exchange controls in place, few or no price controls in the domestic market, and no restrictions on withdrawing capital or profits.

From controlled exchange rates to free-floating currency

Over the last seven decades or so, different governments have applied different measures for managing the peso’s exchange rate, depending on their perception of the country’s needs at the time.

From 1954 to 1976, the Mexican peso was held at a fixed rate of 12.50 (old pesos) to the US dollar.

A devaluation in 1976 was followed by a long period of different exchange controls which included outright restrictions at times, multiple rates at others, and a system of ‘exchange rate bands’ that allowed a steady but gradual depreciation of the currency.

A continuing series of devaluations through the late 1970s and 1980s —some major, some controlled— culminated in an economic blowout in December 1994, when the country’s reserves became depleted following a year of capital flight, and that led to a free-floating exchange rate that has been maintained ever since, with the central bank only intervening in times of distress in markets.

Mexico’s peso from the late 1990s to 2010

After briefly reaching 11.50 to the dollar in the late 1990s, the peso had several years of ups and downs, gaining to less than 10 to the dollar just before the global economic crisis of 2008. Since that crisis originated in the US, its effect on Mexico was much greater than it was on other countries which have fewer (or smaller) trade and investment ties.

The currency’s value buckled in August of 2008, falling from 10 to more than 15 pesos per dollar in March of 2009, as investors sold Mexican stocks and bonds, often for cash to change back to dollars to meet other obligations.

The decade from 2010 to 2020

Mexico survived the 2008 crisis largely intact, and by October 2010 the peso recovered about half of its lost value, trading at around 12.50 to the dollar.

From 2011 to 2014, the currency stabilized and traded inside a range of 13 and 14 pesos to the dollar; but in late summer of 2014, the peso began to slide again, and in November of that year it broke the psychologically significant ‘20-to-1’ level.

The peso continued to weaken throughout 2015 and 2016 and, after briefly touching a new low of 21.50 in January 2017, the peso began a robust rally, and by September 2017 it was trading at around 17.60 on foreign exchange markets.

The currency then stabilized again and from 2018 to 2020 it traded in a range of 18 and 20 pesos to the US dollar.

Spring of 2020 through 2023

Soon after the World Health Organization declared Covid a pandemic on March 11, 2020, the Mexican peso began to experience a rapid decline in value against the US dollar—briefly touching 25 pesos by the end of March 2020.

However, in late spring the peso began to quickly recover its poise, and by November 2020 the currency stabilized again to trade in a range of between 19 and 20 pesos to the dollar—and remained remarkably stable in that range during the two difficult years that followed.

In 2023 the peso has continued to strengthen against the dollar, repeating a similar pattern it displayed between 2014 and 2017; in late February the currency touched a recent high of 17.95—a rally that got the term ‘Super Peso’ trending on social media in response to the currency’s strong performance in the first few months of the year.

What influences the value of Mexico’s peso

As a free-floating currency on world foreign exchange markets, the peso’s value fluctuates from day-to-day (and even intra-day), and although it’s the large, multi-million-dollar transactions by banks and big corporations that significantly influence the rate, macro-economic indicators including inflation, exports, oil prices, foreign currency remittances (mostly US dollars sent to Mexico by people from abroad), and international tourism all contribute the peso’s current value.

Understanding currency pairs

Most of the peso trading is done against the US dollar, and rates vis-à-vis other currencies such as the British pound, the Canadian dollar or the euro, are simply a combination of the two rates, or “currency pairs” as they are known in the trading world.

Thus, if the Canadian dollar rises relative to the US dollar, it would also be more expensive to buy Canadian dollars with pesos, unless the peso had also risen against the US dollar. There are no fixed rules about that. Sometimes the peso can appreciate while others depreciate against the US currency, other times they will move in the same direction. It can depend on many different things. Occasionally the reasons for the change are local, and other times they are global.

Predictions for the value Mexico’s peso

There are varying views on whether the peso is over- or under-valued at the present exchange rate. Different economists, including those at the Bank of Mexico, use different criteria to calculate what they believe a currency’s fair value ought to be, and therefore come up with different results and publish those estimates accordingly.

Economists are predicting that the peso will weaken again, with the median estimate for the peso to end this year around 20.80 to the dollar; but the simple truth of the matter is that no one can foretell its future value with any meaningful degree of precision—and a glance back at previous years’ estimates by the same groups of ‘experts’ confirms that.

Stingray Attacks Increase – 35 Reported Last Weekend

A Message from Mark and Barb Olszewski

Mexico Approved to Export Shrimp to USA

Rocky Point Tourist Police (TAU) Integral in Providing Services to Tourists and Residents over Memorial Day Weekend

From Friday, May 26 through Sunday, May 28, the Rocky Point Tourist Police agents stationed in the areas of beaches, dunes, and the Malecon  assisted hundreds of people who needed various types of support.

Mayor Jorge Pivac's order to station the agents in the busy tourist areas in order to offer assistance and care to all visitors was an integral part of providing an enjoyable and tragedy-free weekend on the beaches, sand dunes and other tourist areas, helping people avoid mishaps and tending for those who had one.

During the long weekend, the agents inspected 276 ice chests to be sure that no one brought glass containers on the beach – an important part of maintaining our beautiful and nationally certified clean beaches. They performed many pre-hospital services prior to transporting accident victims to local clinics for treatment of mostly minor injuries. There were 6 serious traumas in which the TAU ambulance transported people for treatment, luckily none life threatening. Stingray attacks were numerous and the highly trained TAU agents treated the painful wounds on the spot.

Another public service that the TAU agents provide is access to and assistance with an amphibious chair allowing disabled people to enjoy the beach and the ocean. Several disabled people were able to take advantage of this wonderful service over the weekend. The agents were also happy to reunite 12 lost children with their families.

On the beaches and sand dunes, the TAU agents helped people who were stuck in the sand and offered assistance to both minor and major injuries. They were the first responders on one car accident and a handful of ATV and UTV mishaps. They are even happy to give directions or recommendations. Talk about full-service public servants. Hats off to the TAU. 

Rocky Point Red Cross Acquires its Second Ambulance

Calafia Airlines offers adventure to and from Rocky Point

Economy Ministry: Planned Investments of US $48B in Mexico this Year

The History of The Sonoran Resorts

‘Mango Mágico’: How the Fruit Became Part of Mexican Cuisine

Can you guess what is a close botanical cousin to cashews and pistachios? Did you guess walnuts, perhaps almonds? You may be surprised to learn that the mango actually belongs to the same anacardiaceae (sumac) family of plants.

The mango shows up everywhere in Mexican cuisine: from mango salsa, mango tamales, mango empanadas, mango ceviche, mango margaritas, to mango sorbet… you’d be hard-pressed to find a Mexican staple that isn’t elevated by the mighty mango.

Believed to be native to South Asia, the cultivation of mangos can be traced back as early as 2000 B.C.E. in India. The mango tree, with its broad evergreen leaves and fragrant flowers, became a symbol of love and fertility in Indian mythology and was often referred to as the “king of fruits.”

Over time, the popularity of mangos spread across different regions of Asia. Indian traders introduced the fruit to Southeast Asia, including Burma (now Myanmar) and Thailand, where it thrived in the tropical climate. From there, it made its way to the Philippines and Malaysia, becoming an integral part of the local cultures and cuisines. You might be wondering, when does Mexico come into the picture?

Mangos arrived in Mexico during the 16th century, brought by the Spanish. It turns out the favorable climate allowed mango cultivation to thrive. Over time, Mexico became a leading producer and exporter of mangos, with diverse varieties that have become integral to Mexican cuisine.

In the United States, mangos were first introduced in Florida in the early 19th century, but it wasn’t until the mid-20th century that commercial cultivation took off.

Scientists developed techniques to improve the quality and yield of mango trees, resulting in new varieties with desirable traits, such as disease resistance and extended shelf life. These advancements have contributed to the global availability and popularity of the fruit throughout the year.

Mangos have been celebrated not only for their taste but also for their cultural significance. The fruit has inspired numerous works of art, literature, and songs in different cultures.

In India, mango festivals and competitions are held to showcase the best varieties, while in other countries, such as the Philippines, the mango is considered a national fruit. In fact, one of the most popular varieties of mango is called Manila, named after the capital of the Philippines. The Manila mango gained popularity for its unique flavor, smooth texture, and lack of fibers, making it a highly sought-after variety in both local and international markets.

Mango Habanero Salsa

Hotel Posada La Roca in Puerto Peñasco, Haunt of Gangster Al Capone