Magdalena de Kino, Sonora, Mexico
The pueblo of Magdalena de Kino has approximately 25,000 residents and is located in Northern Sonora, a short drive from the Arizona-Sonora border. The town was originally established by Jesuit priest Eusebio Francisco Kino in 1688, as the Santa Maria Magdalena de Buquivaba mission.
Father Kino’s remains are on display in a crypt built near the temple of Saint Mary Magdalene and the Plaza Monumental. Nearby is a shopping plaza where a variety of Mexican products are offered for sale.
Another destination in Magdalena is the mausoleum of native son Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta and his wife Diana Laura. Colosio was assassinated while campaigning as the PRI presidential candidate in 1994, and his vision and powerful messages for the people of Mexico are memorialized there.
Magdalena de Kino holds the distinction of being a “Magical Pueblo” (pueblo mágico). This is a nationally recognized honor and recognition of the city’s historic significance, excellence of tourism destinations and quality of tourism services, like lodging and restaurants. There are only two cities in Sonora that have been awarded this honor, Magdalena and Alamos.
Magdalena has two major festivals every year. The first, a cultural festival held in late May, is to commemorate Padre Kino. The other is the Fiestas de San Francisco Javier, also known as the Fiestas of October, from the last week of September through the first week of October.
If you are driving on Highway 15 south of Nogales during that time, you will see hundreds of the faithful walking from the US-Mexico border to Magdalena fulfill a manda and to commemorate the event.
Lodging
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More photos of Magdalena de Kino, Sonora
Photos of the Capilla San Francisco
Photos from the Fiestas de San Francisco Javier
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