Hermosillo Travel Guide

Plaza Zaragoza is the main square of Hermosillo, capital of Sonora, inaugurated in 1865 and named for General Ignacio Zaragoza, who repelled the French at Puebla in 1862. Four crossing walkways cut the greenery into tidy geometric beds of mature laurels and shrubs, lined with wrought-iron benches. At the centre stands an ornate Moorish-style kiosk shipped from Florence in the early 1900s, now read as a monument to Mexican independence; similar kiosks appear in other Sonoran towns. One side is dominated by the twin towers of the Catedral de la Asuncion de Maria, the other by the pink-stone, Ionic-columned Palacio de Gobierno, completed in 1859 with its clock tower finished in 1906 and murals of state history inside its courtyard. With the municipal palace and the Torre Mirador clock tower, the square compresses the city's civic and religious axis into one short walk. A quiet corner holds 49 white crosses, each bearing a name and a stuffed toy, for the 49 preschool children who died in the ABC day-care fire of June 2009. Desert heat empties the plaza at midday; it comes alive after sunset when the kiosk lights up and food vendors arrive.

Cerro de la Campana is a low hill on the edge of Hermosillo, named for a rock shaped like a bell (campana) that reportedly sounds when struck. A cross and viewpoint platform crown the top, overlooking the city and the Sonoran desert beyond — a local spot for morning exercise and sunset views.