Magdalena de Kino

Magdalena de Kino is a fantastic little historic town in the north of Sonora. Founded in 1687 by the Italian Jesuit, Eusebio Kino, he is famous for his role in the Missions to California in the early 18th century. His mausoleum is one of the main sites in the town center and ended a near 40-year search by historians and scholars for the site of his actual burial.   

Today, the cobblestone streets and stunning landscapes are enough to keep people coming back for the high desert camping, terrific food, and festivities that seem to light up the night nearly year round. The stunning Chapel of San Francisco Javier, the Magdalena Temple, the Cerro de la Virgen make it seem like a highly religious destination. And it is that some of the time. People also visit the School of Coronel Fenochio, and the House of the Minister of War.

The main annual happening is the Kino Festival every May. This is followed by the Feast of Saint Ignatius of Loyola in late July and early August, and the Feast of Saint Francis Xavier all of which will draw revelers to the streets around the town center. People eat grilled foods, machaca (shredded dried beef), and colorado chile sausages, and the food is nearly always something special. In the same area around the town center you'll also find carvings in ironwood, fantastic embroidery, and silver and costume jewelry. 

Magdalena is one of the main crossroads on the route from Nogales on the northern border, to Hermosillo, the state capital. From Nogales, southward, the trip is only a little more than one hour. Northward from the capital, the trip can be made in about 2.5 hours. Albatross and Tufesa buses make the trip multiple times each day.