He Magic Town Sonoran Magdalena de Kino awaits you with its interesting cultural and historical heritage. We invite you to get to know it to the fullest with this complete guide.
1. Where is Magdalena de Kino?
Magdalena de Kino is the head of the Mexican municipality of Magdalena, located in the north of the state of Sonora, 80 km. from the US border. The small Sonoran city was elevated in 2012 to the rank of Pueblo Mágico to promote a tourist trend based on the proximity of the United States, taking advantage of the architectural and historical attractions of the town, whose origin as a human conglomerate was the same as that of many communities of the American Southwest.
2. What are the main distances to Magdalena de Kino?
The closest major city to Magdalena de Kino is Heroica Nogales, which is 89 km away. by Federal Highway 15. Hermosillo is 190 km. from Magdalena de Kino and to go from the capital of Sonora to the Magic Town you have to travel north on Federal Highway 15. Guaymas, the important port of Sonora, is 325 km away. and Ciudad Obregón at 443 km. Mexico City is 2,100 km away. Therefore, the most advisable thing is to fly to Nogales and from there make the short journey by land to Magdalena de Kino.
3. What is the weather like?
The average temperature of Magdalena de Kino is 20 ° C, with the cold of the Sonoran desert making itself present between December and March, when the thermometers read between 11 and 12 ° C. The little heat enters fully in June and remains until September, with an average temperature that varies between 26 and 29 ° C, although extremes can be registered above 37 ° C. It rains little in Magdalena de Kino, less than 400 mm a year, which falls mostly in July and August.
4. How did the town arise?
The first Hispanic settlement was the old Mission of Santa María Magdalena, founded in 1648 and destroyed by the indigenous Pápagos and Pimas Alto. In 1687 the Jesuit Father Eusebio Kino arrived and reestablished the mission at the end of the 17th century. The city was called Santa María Magdalena de Buquivaba until in 1966 the remains of Padre Kino were found and the town took the name of its founder.
5. Who was Padre Kino?
Eusebio Francisco Kino was a famous Jesuit missionary born in Milan in 1645 and died in Magdalena de Kino in 1711. He was the main evangelizer of northwestern Mexico and the southwestern United States, a territory in which he raised 20 missions. He was distinguished by his ability to understand and relate to indigenous populations and apart from being a missionary, he was also a cartographer, geographer and astronomer. After an unsuccessful search for more than 250 years, his remains were found in 1966 on the site that today occupies the Plaza Monumental de Magdalena de Kino.
6. What are the main attractions of Magdalena de Kino?
The tour of Magdalena de Kino must begin with its nerve center, the Plaza Monumental. Around this central space are the main attractions of the town, such as the Temple of Santa María Magdalena, the Mausoleum of Padre Kino and the Temple of San Francisco Javier. Other places of interest are the Plaza Benito Juárez, the Municipal Palace and the municipal pantheon in which many people visit the Luis Donaldo Colosio mausoleum.
7. What's in the Plaza Monumental?
This esplanade in the historic center of Magdalena de Kino is the main square of the town. On one of its sides are the Temple of Santa María Magdalena and the modern religious sanctuary of San Francisco Javier. On the south side of the square is a statue of Luis Donaldo Colosio, one of Magdalene's most beloved. On the east side of the Plaza Monumental is the Mausoleum of Padre Kino and on the north side there are several picturesque shops.
8. What is the interest of the Temple of Santa María Magdalena?
In front of the Monumental Plaza of the town is this beautiful temple, built in the same place where Father Kino erected the missionary church at the end of the 17th century. Near the temple is the Chapel of San Francisco Javier, built in 1711 by Father Agustín de Campos. For the inauguration of the chapel, Father De Campos invited Father Kino and he fell ill, dying a few hours later in the town that now bears his name.
9. What is the Mausoleum of Padre Kino like?
This mausoleum located in the Monumental Square of Magdalena de Kino houses the remains of Padre Kino. For more than two centuries, the faithful traveled to Magdalena de Kino to pay tribute to the famous Jesuit priest in the town of his death, but without being able to do so in front of his mortal remains. After the appearance of the remains of Padre Kino in 1966 under an orange tree, an imposing white mausoleum was built on the same site, which is a must-see in Magdalena de Kino.
10. What is the importance of the Temple of San Francisco Javier?
The modern and beautiful Chapel of San Francisco Javier, located near the Temple of Santa María Magdalena in the Plaza Monumental, was inaugurated in 2013. San Francisco Javier has enjoyed great veneration in Sonora since Father Kino unveiled the work of the holy missionary Navarrese from the 16th century who collaborated with Ignacio de Loyola. Many faithful make pilgrimage to Magdalena de Kino to pay tribute to San Francisco Javier and its patron saint festivities are very well attended.
11. When are the Magdalena de Kino festivals?
The most important festivals in Magdalena de Kino are the so-called October Festivities, which are celebrated between the last week of September and the first of October in honor of San Francisco Javier, patron saint of the town. For the occasion, hundreds of people flock to Magdalena de Kino, many from Nogales and other US border towns, to participate in religious events and enjoy folkloric and cultural shows. Another important annual event is the Kino Festival.
12. What is the Kino Festival about?
The idea of holding an annual festival in Magdalena de Kino in honor of the town's founding missionary, arose shortly after the remains of the famous Jesuit were discovered in 1966. The first festival was held in 1967 and since then it has been held during the third week of May to remember and praise the missionary origin of the region and recall the figure of Eusebio Kino. It includes events in different fields of art and culture, has been expanded to other municipalities and is currently coordinated by the Sonoran Institute of Culture.
13. Where is the Mausoleum of the Colosio family?
Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta was a prestigious political leader born in Magdalena de Kino on February 10, 1950. He was assassinated on March 23, 1994 in Tijuana, when he was the candidate with the greatest option to win the Presidency of the Republic, in one of the political crimes that have most shocked Mexico. The remains of Luis Donaldo Colosio and his wife, Diana Laura Riojas, are buried in a beautiful mausoleum in the Magdalena de Kino cemetery.
14. What attractions does the Plaza Benito Juárez have?
This little haven of peace is located one block from the Plaza Monumental. The bust of Benito Juárez is on a stone block pedestal, flanked by two slender pine trees and surrounded by trees and green areas. In the center of the square there is a nice kiosk which is accessed by a short staircase. During the October Festivities and other Magdalena de Kino festivities, the surroundings of Plaza Benito Juárez are filled with stalls selling drinks and typical foods.
15. What stands out in the Municipal Palace?
This building located on Avenida Obregón, two blocks from Plaza Benito Juárez, was originally a military school, being restored to become a municipal presidency. In the building inaugurated in 1922, ancient and modern, European and American architectural styles are mixed, and it has the peculiarity that its roofs are made of a metal tile brought from Italy. It has a cozy interior garden in Mexican style.
16. What is Magdalene gastronomy like?
Sonorans are great meat eaters and in Magdalena de Kino they honor the name of the people. Sonora-style roast beef should be prepared with a good cut, thick enough so that it does not dry out when grilled on the wood or charcoal embers. In Magdalena de Kino you will not miss a good hamburger, a pizza or a hot dog. Don't forget to eat a Dogo, the Sonora-style hot dog, with an irresistibly sauced beef sausage.
17. What are the main artisan products?
The main artisan products that you can buy in Magdalena de Kino are fabrics, footwear and hats. These pieces can be purchased at good prices in a tourist corridor located very close to the Plaza Monumental.
18. Where do I stay in Magdalena de Kino?
Magdalena de Kino is in the process of forming a service base that will give tourists confidence, especially those who cross the border with the United States. Among the town's accommodations, we can mention Casa Monumental, located on Avenida 5 de Mayo 401. Other recommended accommodations are in the nearby city of Heroica Nogales, such as the Fiesta Inn Nogales, on Calle Nuevo Nogales 3; the City Express Nogales, in the Álvaro Obregón Extension; and the Hotel San Carlos, on Calle Juárez 22.
19. Where can I go to eat?
Asadero Gallego, located on Avenida Niños Héroes 200, offers roast meat in the Sonoran style, with good seasoning and cooked to the desired point. El Toro de Magdalena de Kino, also on Avenida Niños Héroes, is another steakhouse. If you feel like tack, you can go to Los Tacos de La Maruca, on Calle Diana Laura Riojas de Colosio. Salaty, in Matamoros 201, is praised for its tamales, quesadillas, and natural juices. Mi Tierra, on the south exit of Magdalena, specializes in Sonoran and Mexican food.
Ready to leave for Magdalena de Kino? We hope this guide will be useful to you on your trip.
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