For Spanish With this issue of El Futuro we begin our fifth year of publication. It's hard to believe. We didn't even start out to do this. It just happened. The first year of publication was 1995, but we actually started in October of 1994. That issue was 4 pages and had one ad. The next one had three. We've come a long way since then and hope to go much further.
Our editorial policy from the beginning has been to publish only positive articles. There's enough bad news in daily papers in both the U.S. and Mexico. We hoped to convey to our readers the enthusiasm we feel for Mexico in general and Puerto Peñasco in particular. We've also tried to educate our American readers about Mexico and our Mexican readers about the U.S. in order to promote better relations between the two countries. After all, we are neighbors in this hemisphere.
As we look back on the first four years, it's interesting to see some of the recurrent themes we've dealt with in our articles.
The first major theme is the city itself and its growth and development. Some of the early issues had articles on the history of Puerto Peñasco and its early days. We also covered milestones such as the North American Institute in 1968, establishment of the Biosfera in 1993, the passage of NAFTA in 1994, meetings of the Arizona-Sonora Conference in 1995, the Sonora-Arizona Conference in 1996, and the Arizona-Mexico Commission in 1998. We also noted when the airport went international in 1995, when the Tourism Office opened in October 1998, and cultural events such as Coolio in 1997 and the Jazz Festival in 1998. Although we have yet to do an article on the subject, we should note that the city, as of 1998, now has a baseball team.
We've written a good many articles on local institutions with the idea of educating American visitors and residents about what's here. Some of the subjects have been CEDO, the ABC School, the Red Cross, the Library, the Cultural Center, the police and fire departments, Casa Hogar, Esperanza Children's Home, CETMAR and ITMAR, City Planning, DIF, and Citizens' Wednesday.
In addition to these civic institutions, we have innumerable articles about local businesses and business owners. During the last four years we have covered many such enterprises, both new and old--restaurants, from the taco stand on a side street to the new dining palace on the hill; furniture stores, curios, bakeries, tile stores, travel agencies, businesses of all kinds. And we've also done stories about the people--lawyers, tile-setters, printers, jewelers, the airport comandante, our accountant, a notario, artists, architects, fishermen--the list goes on and on. We believe this kind of reporting gives the city a human face. These people and these businesses are Puerto Peñasco.
The city's growth in the last few years has been dependent on tourism, and so we have included stories about some of the big housing developments planned to attract outsiders. The first was Plaza las Glorias, built by Situr about the time we began publishing El Futuro. Others have been Marina Peñasco, Costa Real, La Pinta Mayan Palace, La Pinta Bahia Azul, La Jolla, Costa Diamante, Laguna del Mar, and La Princesa de Peñasco. Some of these have been actually carried out; others are still in the planning stages. Cholla Bay, although it has existed as a community for years, has recently regularized the legal status of many of its property owners, and a company of that name is selling new lots there. Las Conchas, the first planned community in Puerto Peñasco, which goes back 25 years or so, has continued to be developed, with different builders putting up homes there. In one of the first issues of El Futuro was an advertisement for lots for sale. Ocean front lots were $60,000 to 80,000, second tier lots $20,000-30,000, and 3rd tier $10,000-15,000. Now, only 4 years later, ocean front lots in Las Conchas are almost gone; those left are probably worth $150,000. Second and third tier lots have appreciated in value to about $35,000 and $20,000.
In addition to the articles on Puerto Peñasco, we have from time to time written stories about businesses and people in neighboring communities in both Sonora and Arizona: Sonoyta, Caborca, Ajo, Why, Tucson, and Phoenix.
A second major theme that runs throughout El Futuro's history is culture. Since we have spent so much time in Puerto Peñasco, we have noticed many cultural differences between Mexico and the U.S. We have contrasted English and Spanish writing styles, naming practices, and uses of language. We have compared Mexican and U.S. history, holidays, political campaigning, and measurement systems. We've noted that Mexicans tend to think of their homes as extending from the outside in, with a courtyard enclosed by the building; whereas Americans tend to think of theirs as miniature castles set in their own grounds and extending from the inside out. We've learned that Mexicans put family first in importance; where Americans often put their jobs first. Mexicans establish and maintain intimacy by physical contact more than Americans do; Americans often use language and jokes for the same purpose.
One of the hardest things for us to adjust to has been Mexican hours of business, which are typically from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 or 2:00 p.m. and from 3:00 or 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Workers take a long lunch hour for a big meal and time with their families. In the U.S. the pattern is to work from 8:00 a.m. to noon and from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. The big family meal takes place in the evening, after work, at 6:00 or 7:00 p.m., when most Mexicans are still working. Since we stay on our own schedule even in Mexico, we often go out after our lunch to look for people and are frustrated to find that everyone has gone home and won't be back for several hours. The way Mexicans do business is also different. In Mexico it's important to develop relationships with the people before proceeding to talk business. This process may take several hours, but more often extends over a period of weeks or months. Americans are in much more of a hurry. Typically they want to come in and do everything NOW. We prefer the Mexican way and have adjusted to it pretty well by this time. As a result, we have made many good friends among the local business owners.
Of course one of the most fascinating cultural differences is in our food. Having lived in close proximity to Mexico for years has given us an acquaintance with Mexican cuisine. Americans have adopted the taco, the burrito, the tamale, the tostada, the flauta, and the chile relleno, just as Mexicans have adopted the hamburger, the hot dog, steak, pizza, and milkshakes. Still we have met a few dishes we didn't know before: shrimp al mojo de ajo (garlic shrimp), molé, albondigas, posole, menudo, nopales, and ceviche, many of which have been reported on in our articles.
A third major theme in El Futuro has been real estate. Since many Americans want to acquire property in Puerto Peñasco, we have written many articles explaining the process. Technically, foreigners can't own real estate in the restricted zone, which includes Puerto Peñasco, but they can have all the rights of ownership through an instrument called a bank trust. We have explained this fully in some of our early articles, as well as the role played in real estate transactions by the notario, an attorney with powers similar to those of a judge. In more recent issues we have had articles about title insurance, escrow, appraisals, and financing, as these processes have become increasingly available to Americans buying property in Mexico. We also have had one article on how Mexicans can buy real estate in the U.S.
Closely related to real estate is home building. Since the earliest issues of El Futuro, we have been searching for ways of building affordable housing for Mexican families. One of our early articles dealt with mobile homes and their history in the U.S., suggesting that this might be an option for Mexicans. Then we had an article about a builder who was using walls of poured concrete, constructed on-site, for low-cost homes. Unfortunately after putting up only a few homes, the builder left town. When we decided to put up a small building for an office and home away from home, we researched many diffferent possibilities: adobe, rammed earth, brick, block, metal, frame-stucco, and straw bale. Eventually we decided to use a building material called Tridipanel (3D Panel), which is easy to put up, strong, attractive, earthquake- and fire-resistant, and environmentally friendly. It is made in a factory in Mexicali. The story of our first casita, made from this material, is detailed in several successive articles. We were very happy with the results and decided to put up a second. Then we became acquainted with someone who had a dream of building low-cost homes for Mexicans, using recycled and environmentally-friendly materials--metal and compacted board. We decided to experiment with his model. Although we had many delays because of bureaucratic regulations, difficulty getting materials, and other problems, we finally finished the third house, just last month. For those who are interested in these details, we collected articles and put together a little booklet called "Buying and Building in Puerto Peñasco." It's available upon request.
The fourth major theme has been communications, particularly computers and the Internet. Four years ago very few businesses in town had computers, and there was no Internet server in Puerto Peñasco. It was possible to connect with the Internet only by making a long-distance phone call to Hermosillo or Tucson. Our records show the following notation:
Historic Moment
Puerto Peñasco, Oct. 7, 1995, 11 a.m.
El Futuro Accesses the Internet
Present: John and Margaret Fleming, Olegario Morales, Romeo Torres, Ron Meikle
That was Puerto Peñasco's first shaky step onto the World Wide Web.
Starting in July 1995 we experimented with another hi-tech communication medium. We developed a 900 telephone line. Anyone interested in Puerto Peñasco could call and get information at the rate of .35 a minute. This was less than successful. Although we did get calls, they were fewer than anticipated, and the cost of the service was more than the income from it. We had to abandon it, but by that time the Internet was available to perform the same service more effectively.
From the beginning, frequent articles in El Futuro talked about the Internet Some discussed the technology involved in computers, with the intention of educating the public about them. Others listed possible uses: shopping, research, entertainment, making hotel reservations, conducting long-distance romances, to name only a few. At least one of these predictions is now a reality. El Gato Negro is using the Internet to accept reservations for its rental homes. Prospective visitors visit the site on the Internet, fill out a reservation form and send it via e-mail, giving their credit card number. The credit card is processed, and the reservation is confirmed. It's very fast and convenient and all done electronically.
Gerardo Portugal, a local computer salesperson and aficionado, was also interested in bringing the Internet to Puerto Peñasco, and we discussed with him the possibility of setting up a server. This was early in 1997. Then we met two young men, Juan Vanegas and Marco Flores, who had plans for establishing a server in Puerto Peñasco. Being busy with other things, we were all happy to have them do it. In June 1997 Infotec, the local server, became a reality. Juan was concerned that he might not be able to get enough customers to keep going, but happily that has not been a problem. The number of Internet users has grown steadily among both the Mexican and American residents of Puerto Peñasco. El Futuro continued to promote uses of the Internet and to write informative articles about its possibilities, as well as developing an entire site featuring the city, La Plaza de Puerto Peñasco. It can be visited at http://penasco.com.
Past Predictions
In November 1995 El Futuro published a list of predictions for the future. We thought it would be interesting to go back and review them to see how many were fulfilled. Here they are:
1) There will be more businesses selling building materials.
This has happened. We have seen tile shops, hardware stores, blockmaking companies, and others open.
2) Discount stores will come to Puerto Peñasco.
This hasn't happened yet. But judging from the traffic in a place like Salmo's, such a store would be very successful.
3) Telecommunications will increase.
This has happened. Two cellular phone companies, Telcel and Movitel, have been selling at an unprecedented rate. The thing to do is to have a cellular phone.
4) The use of computers will increase.
As we discussed above, this is a continuing explosion.
5) Technical services will expand to meet the needs of phone and computer users.
This too has happened. Several new computer sales and service companies have opened and are apparently doing well.
6) Foreigners will be able to buy property in Mexico and obtain fee simple title.
We were over-optimistic on this one. So far foreigners must still use a bank trust, but there are signs of change.
Well, we were right two-thirds of the time. Now for some more predictions:
Happy New Year, everyone. Tune in again in a year or two and see how good our predictions were.
