Discounted advance purchase tickets are on sale now at  https://bit.ly/RCPM_Mexico_October . In addition to VIP and 3 Day inclusive tickets, single day and discounted Student tickets are available for those 15-24 years old. People under 15 years old accompanied by a paid adult are free.

Line ups and schedule will be posted at www.circusmexicus.net .

Jorge Iván Pivac Carrillo was official sworn in as municipal mayor of Puerto Peñasco alongside members of the council who make up the new City Council period from 2021- 2024. Governor of Sonora, Alfonso Durazo Montaño and the Secretary of Tourism for Sonora, Célida López Cárdenas, presided the ceremony for the new mayor

Accompanied by his mother, Mrs. Martha Carrillo de Pivac, his children Jorge, Denzel, and Ivana, and his sister, Linda Pivac de Munro, were in attendance, along with the Carrillo family, as well as Deputy Ernesto “Kiko” Munro, coordinator of the Parliamentary Fraction of the PAN in the State Congress, local deputy, Oscar Eduardo Castro Castro from the II Electoral District, Captain Alder Rendón Fuentes, representing the Puerto Peñasco Naval Sector. The new Mayor reiterated his commitment to move forward right away, always working to put Peñasco first.

“I want to tell all of you that I have the firm commitment, the desire and most importantly, the love for this city, and we will take Puerto Peñasco to a new level, first attending to the basic needs of our people and guaranteeing the granting of services and governing with best public policies that are focused on the well-being of all our families. My priority is to attend to the basics and the urgent needs first; what matters to all of us: more jobs, better security, guaranteeing water service, street maintenance, cleaning public spaces, no more smoke from garbage fires, a clean and tidy boardwalk. I reiterate! Basics first, urgent things first, our city first, Peñasco! “, exclaimed Jorge Pivac.

The Rocky Point mayor added that, this is not just a slogan or empty phrase. Peñasco First represents the feeling and the great objective of what his administration will be, of what he feels and what he wants for Puerto Peñasco.

“I want a city that fills us with pride, a city that we can show off to our children, to our families, among neighbors and of course, also that we can show off to the many thousands of visitors who choose our oceanfront city as a tourist destination. Peñasco First means that in order to grow we must be strong from the inside. Before being the favorite destination of all of Mexico, we must be the city in which we all want to live”, he expressed in front of the citizens and special guests who gathered at the Municipal Civic Auditorium.

Jorge Pivac assured that, through the Municipal Development Plan 2021-2024, which will soon be revealed, proposes some guiding principles that will form the municipal administration, formal, efficient, and transparent government, always good intentions with equity and equality, solid productivity, and security for residents and visitors.

The tourism Secretary and representative of the Governor of Sonora commented that Governor Alfonso Durazo is committed to the city of Puerto Penasco, and that he understands perfectly well that governing the state of Sonora starts and succeeds through helping the municipal mayors.

“We have a close and committed governor, and we want to tell Jorge Pivac that he is not alone. Governor Alfonso Durazo will have his doors open for you. He has a very good impression of you, and we are convinced that with that with your charisma and strong character, you will be able to generate a relationship not only of mutual cooperation, but also of friendship. Today we endorse your entire cabinet who are here to assist you, to receive you, and to accompany you in this great task that you have”.

Present at the solemn ceremony were former municipal mayors Fernando Pérez Barnett, Guadalupe Hernández Vega, Oscar Palacio Soto, Heriberto Rentería Sánchez, Ernesto Kiko Munro, as well as members of the Business Advisory Council, Ángel de la Puerta, Enrique Zavala de Cuevas; Gustavo Brown Tarín, businessman in the tourism industry, and several members of local schools and civil organizations.

By: Naomi Black via Rocky Point 360

More than 27 years ago (1994), we sat at Playa de Oro RV Park in Puerto Peñasco watching the sunset and contemplating life. We had a nine year old son, Ben; a six year old daughter, Bethany and a baby boy, Braden. We loved this beach. How could we make our trips to the beach a tax write-off? That was the question. Somehow, an idea sprang into one of our heads. We would bring RVs to the beach…what a brainstorm! At the time we thought this to be a novel idea.

However, upon researching the RV life, we soon realized that RV-ers travel in “caravans”. There were many professional companies in operation offering caravans to Alaska, South America, many destinations in the USA and, of course, Mexico. I requested brochures from every company and studied them in detail; it didn’t seem like any offered trips to Puerto Peñasco since it was only an hour across the border. So, we titled our caravan trip “Introduction to Mexico” and we set up a five day itinerary.

We named our company Peñasco RV Club and started on a six year adventure. We had previously bought a 1946 Spartan trailer for $500. It was a silver trailer with the faded lettering NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTOGRAPHIC UNIT on the door. We had since gutted and remodeled it. It was stored at the RV Park and would be perfect for our business. So, we had a name, a trailer and a plan! Soon we owned a 5 acre property in Ajo and moved closer to the border. The property would serve as a “dry-dock”

RV launch point for our trips to Mexico.

Our first trip consisted of just two retired couples. No trip was ever cancelled because not enough people signed up. Sometimes, our trips had a few couples and sometimes we had a dozen or more RVs traveling in the caravan. Our largest trip was for a private club and consisted of about 70 people! On each trip, we prepared and served a meet-and-greet cowboy dinner, a continental breakfast on the morning of departure and a sunset happy hour at the beach on our first evening.

Our clients seemed to enjoy our family approach as the kids were often temporary “grandchildren replacements” to homesick grandparents! Ben and Bethany learned a few traditional Folklorico dances and I made them costumes. They were also junior tour guides as they became familiar with museums, aquariums and other points of interest. Braden was just a baby when we started and about six when we closed the business. So he was just plain cute most of the time; and the other times, we would quietly disappear from the group and head for the beach!

Soon our clients were asking us to introduce new trips. We worked one summer to get the old ‘46 Spartan roadworthy again! Often as we took off, we would joke that only the chassis frame would come along, leaving the trailer on the road behind us. We were traveling to Kino Bay, San Carlos and Guaymas. We even introduced our “Mexico Autentico” trip which included back roads and out of the way towns.

One of the things we are known for is the ability to build a trip around the needs of a particular group. One group was called the “Freightliners”; all of the Rvs in this group had a chassis made by Freightliner. They asked us to create a unique trip where they as a group could see and be part of and give back to otherwise overlooked communities. We started in Ajo then to Penasco for a few days, then we travelled to a small fishing village called Desemboque where we parked in a row along the road in the town and set up tables with tons of stuff the Rvers had collected and wanted to give away.

I remember the little kids’ excitement over the soap bubbles and tennis balls that were brought, and the older people getting new shoes that had been collected by the group. Then onto Caborca where we stayed overnight in the city square outside of the church! Hermosillo at the time had no RV parks, we met with a young man who was in charge of a water park and learning center that had a huge parking area. He granted us permission to use the lot whenever we wanted to so we overnighted there a few times.

Then we discovered the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation and RV Show each snowbird season and we became vendors. Each February found us talking until we literally went hoarse to thousands of RV-ers, hocking our caravan trips. And each year, I would wander around the show looking at what the competition had to offer in their glossy full-color brochures (especially the Copper Canyon trips). Then, one year as we sat at our booth, a couple came up to us and asked if we offered a trip to the Copper Canyon. We looked at each other and Russ said “aahh…yes”. We told them it would be about a certain amount, about a certain number of days and generally in the month of October. The man said, “Write that on a piece of paper and we will give you a deposit.” Wow! We sold our first Copper Canyon trip just like that!

That spring we developed an itinerary and promoted the trip to our clients. In August we mapped out every mile of the road on a crazy fast trip to Los Mochis. We found our way through the city of Los Mochis to the train station. Got ourselves on the train and soon met up with Carlos and Isaac, our tour guides for the Copper Canyon area. And two months later, we returned with a full caravan of RV-ers and the trip was a great success as we all fell in love with the Copper Canyon area on what we termed “the trip of a lifetime”!

Those six years of travel in Mexico taught our family so many things. The kids developed unbelievable patience and “people skills”. We learned to be organized. Not to panic when things went wrong (things did go wrong sometimes), but to be flexible and adapt quickly. We learned about cultures and peoples and histories which could never fully be appreciated simply by reading a textbook. Yet even more than that was the majestic beauty that we discovered in Mexico and the love of Travel and of Mexico that continues to haunt each of us!

Fast forward a few years. After a few years (a decade or more) in the business world in the USA, we decided to move to Mexico full time. This decision came true when we bought our house in 2002 and moved in full-time in 2007.

The little travel company we started all those years ago is now a Mexican Corporation. Peñasco Recreation Sa de Cv. It is very active in the RV community, bringing hundreds of individuals each year to Puerto Peñasco, most for their first time.

We hope to continue this life course for many more years. This life, part on the road and part fixed has been great for us. Enjoying Mexico with newcomers is fresh air for us. We love working with the communities that provide us with so much both the RV community and our communities in Mexico, Thank you Mexico

The completion of the Home Port in Puerto Peñasco would be a great economic and social opportunity, with a great regional impact that would increase tourism in Sonora, if the efforts of the newly elected governor of Sonora, Alfonso Durazo Montaño, are carried out.

During a recent visit to Mexico City, the Governor was able to meet with Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. He also met with other federal officials in order to analyze and promote future plans and projects for the State of Sonora that could be carried out during his term in office if the Federal Government would agree to participate.

The Home Port proposal was presented as an unbeatable scenario which should be taken advantage of during the first and second years of the new state government administration because it coincides with the last two years of the federal government administrations term.

There have already been several very bold projects with great vision proposed, such as the establishment of a solar energy park near Puerto Penasco for the benefit of Sonora residents and seeking to have clean electric at a lower cost. This project was recently announced by Mexico’s President after being proposed by then governor-elect Alfonso Durazo. The project would boost the actions to reduce global warming, prevent pollution, and generate clean energy.

Among the meetings of new governor Alfonso Durazo, the one he held with the Secretary of Tourism Miguel Torruco Marqués stands out for Rocky Point residents and visitors. The discussion was to explain the importance of the completion of the Home Port in Puerto Peñasco.

What is a Home Port?

To clear up any confusion: in the case of Guaymas/San Carlos and other parts of Mexico, there are docks or berths where cruise ships arrive. When they arrive, the passengers get off, maybe have lunch and do a little shopping, and then leave. The average stay is for six or eight hours and then no one knows if or when they will ever return. A Home Port is exactly that, because it is the home of the cruise ships – the port where they depart from and return to. This means that the cruise ships, with up to four thousand passengers and three thousand crew members, will need incredible amounts of purified and drinkable water; fuel, food, tons of chicken, fish, meat, fruits, vegetables and countless other supplies. One economic benefit would come from provisioning the ship with everything it needs for a 7 or 10-day journey through the Sea of ​​Cortez. As a finished project, the pier will be 1,200 meters from shore into the sea so that it reaches an adequate depth for the ships. Large cruise ships need at least 22 meters of depth.

Former Governor Guillermo Padrés started the Home Port, but it got stuck for administrative reasons and then sat, abandoned, for more than six years because the project was tangled up by the some of the previous administrations decisions and ended up stuck in bureaucratic discussions. More than 700 million pesos were lost. The funds had been obtained by the Federal Government and they are no longer available.

Apparently, the biggest reason for the entire bureaucratic tangle was the federal government not wanting to release the money that they already had deposited in the port fund. The funds were to be sent to the Sonora Government for use on the project, but it has been reported that it never happened. Time will tell if the project will ever get off the ground again, but the opportunity still exists, if those in the positions of power will agree to take advantage of it.

The saga continues…

In the early morning hours of this Saturday, September 18, work began to remove the 16 modules that had been put in the area of the Malecon (again), after Mayor Jorge Pivac instructed the Director of Public Works to see to the removal of the structures.

On his first day as Mayor of Rocky Point, he instructed César García González, director of the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone (ZOFEMAT) and José Luis Montijo Torres, director of Public Works, to supervise the removal and to ensure that the job was done right.

The Mayor of Puerto Peñasco explained that in the virtual meeting on September 10, the Financial Technical Subcommittee for Fiscal Year 2021 with the Municipality of Puerto Peñasco voted unanimously for their removal. In addition the committee addressed the progress of the needed maintenance and upgrades for the Malecon area

The Mayor stated that the members of the committee agreed that the resource which had been allocated and budgeted for the construction of the modules now be applied to new projects which were included in the draft proposal presented to the committee.

This time, I think that they’re gone for good…

As part of the ongoing efforts to support tourism infrastructure, the new administration plans to build a four-lane highway to replace the current two-lane road between Sonoyta and Rocky Point, as the number of tourists traveling on that road has steadily increased over the years, reported Governor Alfonso Durazo Montaño .

He explained that this new highway will have the participation of the private sector and there may be a toll put in place to help recoup the cost of construction. In addition to having the new highway, the existing road will be left intact for those who prefer not to pay a toll to travel on the new road. It is very common in Mexico to have the choice of paying a toll for a newer road with more lanes, or taking the older road for free.

"With this modification of customs and the highway, we are going to bring the Phoenix metropolitan area, which is made up of six million inhabitants within about three hours from Puerto Penasco, and with these tourist benefits we will help Sonoran residents to thrive and to live with dignity," he said.

Governor Durazo Montaño added that as part of this project the Sonoyta border crossing will also be expanded, in line with the expansion plans that the US authorities have, thereby reducing waiting times at the border crossing.

“No more waiting for hours in line to cross the border. People do not want that. From a six-hour queue? Very few people. Even so, you can't get a room in Puerto Peñasco” he commented. He added that the Home Port work will also be completed in Puerto Peñasco, which, he said, will be done under a transparent process so that it stays within the approved budget.

After living on the streets of Puerto Penasco for 40 years, Mr. Ramón Ruiz Álvarez, has been reunited with his relatives in the state of Sinaloa courtesy of a Red Cross program known as "Reestablishment of family contact," reported Rubén Barajas Jaime, Red Cross Relief Coordinator.

The Relief Coordinator of the very worthy Red Cross institution in Puerto Peñasco reported that Mr. Ruiz Alvarez, 76, was treated by Red Cross rescuers for pain in his lower extremities, and after a stay at the General Hospital, was reconnected with his family that he hadn’t seen for four decades.

 He added that once he was treated and had a dialogue with him, Mr. Alvarez commented that he in Puerto Penasco for 40 years without a fixed address, living on the street. When asked about his family, he mentioned that he had 5 children, one of them named Ana María Ruiz, who lives in Batamote, Sinaloa, but he had not had contact with her for a very long time.

 Since Mr. Alvarez did not have a telephone number or address for his daughter, the Red Cross Volunteer proceeded to locate the relative in the neighboring state of Sinaloa. Barajas Jaime explained that when his daughter Ana María was located, she immediately wanted to know about her father, and wanted to renew contact between him and their other relatives. This happened soon after via telephone call with the help of Alma, a social worker at the Hospital.

The man's daughter requested financial support in order to transfer her father to Guasave, Sinaloa, because she suffers from cancer and is under medical treatment, and was not able to travel to Rocky Point. Enter one of the Red Cross lifeguards, who volunteered to accompany Mr. Alvarez on the trip.

"We are so grateful for the financial contribution of the manager of the Estrella Blanca power station so that the two could travel by a first class bus and be delivered to his relatives in Guasave, Sinaloa," he stressed.

The Red Cross Relief Coordinator reported that in this city there are many people without a place to call home, some passing through and others who have been deported from the United States. The social service program "Reestablishing family contact" of the Red Cross is focused on helping them to retake control of their lives.

20th Anniversary Rocky Point Rally™

Nov 11-14, 2021

* calendar subject to change * Live music at local bars and sponsors *

IMPORTANT! MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR BIKE REGISTRATION PAPERS AND ID READILY AVAILABLE FOR CROSSING BORDER BOTH INTO MEXICO AND FOR THE RIDE BACK NORTH! NO WEAPONS!

US & Mexican customs/border coordinating to help make things flow!

Traditional Events lined up!

Registration spots: Thursday & Friday @ Barclin’s gas station just after the bridge and in town @ Playa Bonita parking lot

Thursday night kick off fiesta @ Sandy Beach

Friday morning Desert Ride to the Pinacate Visitors Center!

Charity Poker Run! Thurs & Fri

Annual Beach Fiesta @ Playa Bonita – where it all began in 2001!

Queen of the Streets bike show – Friday afternoon @ Margarita Mermaids in the Old Port

Pirate boat trips – Fri, Sat, or Sun – No ice chests – viernes, sábado o domingo NO HIELERAS

Saturday bike parade through town – bring candy!

All around BIKE SHOW – Saturday morning before parade *NEW LOCATION* – Prizes in 9 categories, plus People’s Choice, Judges Choice, & Best of Show

Best Trike

Best Chopper

Best Vintage

Best Sport

Best Bagger

Best Metric

Best Custom

Best Paint

Best Ingenuity /Inventive

2017-bike-blessing

MORE INFO TO COME!

You can’t please all of the people all of the time. Still, the Bank of Mexico certainly tried with its latest commemorative banknote—a new 20-peso bill marking the 200th anniversary of the consummation of Mexico’s independence from Spain, put into circulation on September 24th, 2021.

After the new 100-peso bill drew some badly informed criticism on social media for being designed vertically the central bank and others involved in the concept and design of banknotes appear to have gone for a Solomonic solution: the image on the front of the new bill is horizontal, and the one on the reverse side is vertical.

As is well known, Mexico’s war of independence began on September 16th, 1810 with the Grito de Dolores, the call to arms by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. Indeed, the country’s independence is celebrated each year on September 16th, and the bicentennial was marked in 2010.

But it was 11 years later, on September 27th, 1821, that the Ejército Trigarante or Army of the Three Guarantees, led by Agustín de Iturbide, made its peaceful entry into Mexico City. The three guarantees were religion (Roman Catholic, freedom of worship came many years later), independence, and union. The army was formed by royalist troops under Iturbide (who joined the independence movement) and the guerrilla forces commanded by Vicente Guerrero.

The entry into Mexico City is portrayed on the front of the new 20-peso note. On the back is an image of the Sian Ka’an biosphere reserve in the southeastern state of Quintana Roo. A Mexican crocodile is swimming in the mangroves, while a crane flies overhead.

Historical reasons aside, the timing of the new 20-peso note is fortunate, as many of the existing notes of that denomination —the blue ones with Benito Juárez on the front and the pyramids of Monte Albán on the back— are getting a bit worn. The new design is presented in polymer (plastic), the same material used for the existing blue $20-peso bills.

After unveiling the new notes, the central bank on Sept. 27 put out six new coins — three 20-peso coins for general circulation and three silver coins for collectors, each weighing 1-Troy ounce, with a face value of 10 pesos; the collectors’ coins are purchasable from banks, the Mexican mint, and at the central bank’s economy museum, MIDE.

The coins commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Ejército Trigarante, the founding of the ancient Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, and the history of Mexico City-Tenochtitlan.

Last year, the central bank put into circulation new 20-peso coins marking the 500th anniversary of the founding of the city and port of Veracruz, and earlier this year another commemorating the 100th anniversary of the death of revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata.

The idea of using coins made sense as 20-peso notes —worth about US$1— change hands fairly frequently with the corresponding wear and tear.

The only problem is that people hold on to the attractively designed 12-sided coins once they come into their possession. More than the expectation that they may become valuable in the future —the metal content certainly won’t— it’s that they are genuinely elegant and it seems a shame to spend them, especially as other people are keeping theirs and who knows when you might get another one. It’s likely the latest coins will also be difficult to come by.

Enfrijoladas are one of Mexico’s most common ‘dinner in a hurry’ meals. They are less common north of the border because people tend to limit beans to the ‘side dish’ realm. But that usually means they’ve never tried warm corn tortillas drenched in a chili-infused bean puree.

Enfrijoladas also happens to be on the lookout for a stable, long term relationship. It’s more than willing to change its ways in hopes of being kept around, so you can customize it to your liking without losing the strongest attributes of this wildly versatile dish.

You’ll frequently see Anchos or Chile de Arbols used to spice up Enfrijoladas, but this one uses Chipotles in Adobo. The smoky haze of the chipotles works well with black beans.

Also note that using 3 chipotles gives this puree a kick, so you can dial back on the chipotles if you want a milder end product.

This recipe uses 2 cups of these Frijoles de Olla along with plenty of the bean broth. (If you are using canned beans this is basically the same amount you would get from a single can of beans.)

Add to a blender along with 3 chipotles and 2 garlic cloves. Puree until smooth.

Ideally the puree has the consistency of a thick soup so it can cling to tortillas. Add enough stock (or water) to get it there.

Add a big dollop of bean puree to a plate and dredge a tortilla in it.

Flip and fill with onion and cheese.

Roll tight and place in a baking dish. You can add some puree to the bottom of the baking dish to prevent sticking.

Once all the tortillas are rolled, cover with the remaining bean puree. Give them a jiggle to get some of the sauce between them.

Bake at 425F for 8-10 minutes or until you think all of the cheese has melted.

Adding avocado bits turns this dish from a snack into a complete meal, but remember, enfrijoladas are flexible. Cilantro, Cotija cheese, and sour cream are also great candidates for toppings. You can also add chicken or chorizo to make them even heartier.

Prep Time: 20 minutesCook Time: 10 minutesTotal Time: 20 minutes Servings: 2 Calories: 838kcal

2 cups black beans (or pinto)

3 chipotles in adobo

2 garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup stock (or water)

8 corn tortillas

3-4 tablespoons finely chopped onion

Monterey Jack cheese

1 avocado (optional)

cilantro (optional)

Crema (optional)

Add the beans, garlic, chipotles and salt to a blender and puree until smooth. Add stock (or water) until the puree has the consistency of a thick soup. Taste for seasoning and heat level.

Warm the corn tortillas in the oven or microwave. Place a big dollop of bean puree on a plate. Dredge one side of a tortilla in the bean puree. Flip the tortilla and fill with onion and cheese. Roll tight and place in a baking dish seam side down (add some puree to the baking dish to prevent sticking).

Continue rolling all of the tortillas -- this batch was enough for 8 rolled tortillas.

Cover the tortillas in the baking dish with the remaining bean puree. Bake at 425F for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Serve immediately and top with your choice of avocado, cheese, cilantro and Crema.

You can add chicken or chorizo to the inside of the tortillas to make them even heartier.

If you are using canned beans you might want to drain and rinse the beans first and rely on the chipotles and garlic to flavor them. If you do rinse them you'll need to add salt to taste.

Anchos or Chile de Arbols can be used in place of the Chipotles.

A brief summary of two phrases in Spanish that, on the surface, intend to verify understanding but may come across as fake humility

Some while ago, an exercise by BBC Mundo showed the most annoying expression across the Spanish speaking world as being “¿me entiendes?” —do you understand me?— which certain speakers will inject into their conversation when trying to make a point.

One similar expression, “¿me explico?“ —am I explaining myself?, or am I making myself clear?— is fairly common in Mexico, and particularly galling.

Like its counterpart “¿me entiendes?,” “¿me explico?” comes across as speaking down to the listener, with the added poison of fake humility. Both carry the implication that any failure to comprehend (and of course agree) is caused by the faulty intellect of the receiver.

The online discussion at BBC Mundo brought to mind MAD magazine’s series of snappy answers to stupid questions.

These annoying inserts are usually rhetorical and don’t require a response, although using one of the following replies to “¿me explico?” can throw the speaker off for a second, elicit a puzzled look, cause him (o ella, ¿me entiendes?) to lose the thread of the commentary, and sooth the injured self-esteem of the listener:

1. “No.“

2. “Sí por favor.“

3. “Sí, pero no entiendo.“

4. “No sé, ¿te explicas?“

The problem with this is that it assumes the listener is as sensitive as the speaker is insensitive and feels insulted by what is most likely an inadvertent use of a phrase, in which case it would be better to just get over it—supéralo, o sea.