Naco, Sonora facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Naco
Town
Border crossing at Naco
Coat of arms
Naco, Sonora Location in Mexico
Country	Mexico
State	Sonora
Founded	1901
Municipal Status	1937
Area
• Total	651.8 km2 (251.7 sq mi)
Elevation (of seat)	1,408 m (4,619 ft)
Population  (2010) Municipality
• Total	6,401
• Seat	6,064
Time zone	UTC-7 (Pacific (US Mountain))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (No DST)
Area code(s)	633
Website	/Official site: http://naco.sonora.gob.mx/

Naco is a town in Naco Municipality, Mexico. It is located in the northeast part of the Sonora state. The town sits right on the Mexico – United States border, directly across from Naco, Arizona in the United States. The name Naco comes from the Opata language and means "prickly pear cactus."

Naco has been important in history. It saw fighting during the Mexican Revolution and another conflict in 1929. During the 1929 rebellion, an American pilot named Patrick Murphy tried to help the rebels. He accidentally dropped bombs on Naco, Arizona, instead of the intended target.

History of Naco

Before Europeans arrived, the Opata people lived in the Naco area. Naco, Sonora, and Naco, Arizona, started in 1897 as a border crossing. This crossing helped connect copper mines on both sides of the border. Naco, Sonora, was officially founded in 1900 when a railway line was built.

Until 1901, Naco was part of the Fronteras municipality. Then it became part of the Cananea municipality. In 1937, Naco became its own independent municipality.

Naco During the Mexican Revolution

The Mexican Revolution began in 1910. Before that, in 1906, there was a big miners' strike in Cananea. This strike caused problems and led to soldiers facing each other on both sides of the border.

During the Mexican Revolution, Naco changed hands many times. The control of the customs house was important because it brought in money. Also, when Arizona banned alcohol in 1915, Naco made money from its businesses that sold alcohol.

One major battle happened in 1913. General Ojeda, a Mexican federal commander, moved his troops to Naco. Rebel forces were closing in. Ojeda fought from Naco for several days. Eventually, his soldiers crossed the border into the U.S. to surrender. The rebels took over Naco on April 13, and Ojeda also crossed the border to escape.

The Siege of Naco

A very important battle called the Siege of Naco took place here. It was the longest battle of the Mexican Revolution, lasting 119 days from 1914 to 1915. This conflict involved many important leaders of the Revolution. It also affected how the war ended.

The battle was between forces loyal to Francisco Villa (called Villistas) and forces loyal to Venustiano Carranza and Alvaro Obregón. The fight started when Governor José María Maytorena challenged the forces of Plutarco Elías Calles for control of Sonora. Maytorena's forces attacked Calles’ forces in Nogales and made them retreat to Naco.

The Constitutionalists dug in, and Maytorena began a siege. He tried to take Naco's defenses for almost four months. This long fight caused many losses on both sides. It also damaged property in Naco, Arizona. People in the U.S. worried about their country's neutrality. Extra troops were sent to Fort Huachuca to protect U.S. interests. Cavalry soldiers were placed along the border to stop the fighting from crossing over. Some U.S. soldiers were even wounded by stray bullets.

The U.S. Army Chief of Staff, Hugh L. Scott, helped arrange a peace agreement. This led to the signing of the Treaty of Naco on January 15, 1915.

The 1929 Rebellion

In early 1929, José Gonzalo Escobar led a rebellion against the government. Mexican federal troops in Naco were often attacked by the rebels. People on the Arizona side of the border would come to watch these battles. Both sides were careful not to let the fighting spill over into the U.S.

Patrick Murphy was an aviator who owned a biplane. He decided to help the rebels by dropping homemade bombs on federal positions. The rebels promised him a reward. Murphy made bombs by filling pipes with dynamite, scrap metal, nails, and bolts. He put these pipes into old leather suitcases.

On March 31 and April 1, Murphy tried to drop bombs, but they did not explode. A third bomb hit the customs house, spraying people watching on the Arizona side. Between April 4 and 6, Murphy dropped four more bombs. One hit a trench, killing two federal soldiers. However, the other three landed on the Arizona side, hitting buildings in Naco, Arizona. The next day, U.S. government troops arrived and stopped Murphy's plane. Murphy escaped to the Mexican rebel lines. He crossed back to the U.S. when the rebellion ended. He was briefly jailed for breaking neutrality laws. Murphy was the first person working for a foreign group to bomb U.S. soil.

On October 21, 1974, President Luis Echeverría visited Naco. He promised to bring industry, money, construction, and welfare to the town.

Climate in Naco

Naco has a semi-arid climate. This means it is generally dry. Its high altitude helps to make the weather milder.

Winters are cool and sunny. Daytime temperatures average about 16°C (61°F). Nights are cold, averaging about 1°C (34°F). Frosts are common in winter. The area gets about 2 days of snow each year.

Summers are hot. In July, the high temperature averages 33.5°C (92.3°F), and the low is 18.9°C (66.0°F). However, temperatures can go above 40°C (104°F) on some days.

There is not much rain, averaging about 350.7 mm (13.8 inches) per year. Most rain falls during the summer monsoon season. This is when humid air comes in from the Gulf of California. The highest temperature ever recorded was 45.0°C (113.0°F) on June 15, 1990. The lowest was -18.0°C (-0.4°F) on December 8, 1978.

Life in Naco Today

An intersection near the border crossing, 1990

Naco's town layout has two main north-south avenues and 12 smaller east-west streets. Only the two main avenues are fully paved. In the capital city of Hermosillo, Naco is sometimes called "a small village forgotten by God." Because of the many battles in the early 1900s, almost every old house in Naco has holes from gunshots. The Naco Hotel used to advertise its bulletproof rooms, which had very thick mud walls.

The border crossing at Naco closes at 10:00 pm. You can no longer get permits for foreign cars there. Naco's downtown area is small. However, it is popular with people from southern Arizona. They come to buy things like prescription medicines, food, drinks, and crafts. These crafts include pottery, sombreros, piñatas, glassware, and leather goods. Many products are sold in open-air markets. There are also about eighty established businesses that serve both locals and Arizona residents. The Galaxy disco is a popular spot on weekends.

Part of the local economy helps people traveling north. There are guesthouses, hotels, restaurants, and stores selling jackets and blankets for them.

The Local Newspaper

Rodolfo Santos is the publisher and editor of Naco's newspaper, El Mirador. This newspaper has uncovered problems and unfair actions at the local orphanage. This led to charges against the director. Before that, the newspaper found out about problems with the former municipal president, Vicente Torres. This forced state officials to investigate and remove the president from office.

The newspaper is located at the Santos family home, which also has a shop selling school uniforms. El Mirador started in 2006 and is Naco's first permanent newspaper. It is known for its investigative reporting. It also publishes local news like quinceañeras, school news, and cultural events. The newspaper is printed in Bisbee, Arizona and given out for free in Bisbee, Naco, Cananea, Agua Prieta, and Rio Sonora.

The Border Wall

Since the 1990s, walls have been built along parts of the U.S.-Mexico border. This includes the area between the two Nacos. These walls are meant to slow down illegal immigration. The wall here is four meters (about 13 feet) high and made of steel. It is currently 7.4 kilometers (about 4.6 miles) long. There are plans to make it another 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) longer.

Security at the border became even tighter after September 11, 2001. This led to many businesses closing on the Arizona side of the wall. Crossing the border without permission increased after the NAFTA was passed. It also surged after the California-Mexico border was made more secure. The Border Patrol says the wall and better technology cut the number of people caught crossing near Naco by half in 2006. People on both sides of the wall have different feelings about it.

Newspaper editor Rodolfo Santos says that if people get too close to the wall, the Border Patrol calls the Mexican police. However, the wall does not stop people from trying to cross here. Santos believes about half the town makes a living by housing travelers or by guiding them across the border.

See also

In Spanish: Naco (Sonora) para niños