Banámichi (

Opata The Opata (written Ópata in Spanish, pronounced with stress on the first syllable: /ˈopata/) are three indigenous peoples of Mexico. Opata territory, the “Opatería” in Spanish, encompasses the mountainous northeast and central part of the ...

: Banamitzi) is a small town in Banámichi Municipality in the north of the Mexican state of Sonora. Geographical coordinates are .

Area and population

The municipal area is 773.06 and the population was 1,464 in 2005, with 82% or 1,096 inhabitants residing in the town itself. (Two other smaller pueblos are part of the municipality; La Mora and Las Delicias.) There were 1.96 inhabitants per square kilometer in the municipality, which has been losing population since the census of 1995. The lack of economic opportunity has caused many people to emigrate, especially to the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

. There is anecdotal evidence that this emigration has been reversed with many former residents returning to the area as a result of the

Financial crisis of 2007-2010 Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fi ...

in the US.

Geography

Banámichi is approximately 135 miles (217 km) south of

Bisbee, Arizona Bisbee is a city in and the county seat of Cochise County in southeastern Arizona, United States. It is southeast of Tucson and north of the Mexican border. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town was 4,923, down from 5,575 ...

by road. The town lies on the east side of the

Sonora River Río Sonora (''Sonora River'') is a 402-kilometer-long river of Mexico. It lies on the Pacific slope of the Mexican state of Sonora and it runs into the Gulf of California. Watershed The Sonora River watershed covers of public land. Slopes range ...

which defines the region. Much of the land above the river is mountainous and soils are poor. Land along the river bottom is generally more productive, producing alfalfa, fruit trees and small cash crops. There are still pine and oak trees in higher elevations, and some logging is carried out. The area still has wild life such as mule deer, big horn sheep, white tailed deer, bobcats, opossums, mourning dove, wild turkey, and quail. Mountain lion and Jaguar sightings have been reported in the higher elevations.

Education and health care

Banámichi has the only middle-level school in the region, serving an area from the localities of Mazocahui to

Arizpe Arizpe (or Arispe) is a small town and the municipal seat of the Arizpe Municipality in the north of the Mexican state of Sonora. It is located at 30°20'"N 110°09'"W. The area of the municipality is 2,806.78 sq.km. The population in 2005 was ...

. There is no hospital and the population is served by a public health clinic.

Communications

A state highway (Son 089) links the municipality with the state capital,

Hermosillo Hermosillo (), formerly called Pitic (as in ''Santísima Trinidad del Pitic'' and ''Presidio del Pitic''), is a city located in the center of the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the municipal seat of the Hermosillo municipality, the ...

to the south and the cities of

and

Cananea Cananea is a city in the Mexican state of Sonora, Northwestern Mexico. It is the seat of the Municipality of Cananea, in the vicinity of the U.S−Mexico border. The population of the city was 31,560 as recorded by the 2010 census. The p ...

to the north. There is an undeveloped air strip for small planes. Telecommunication services available are

Telmex Telmex is a Mexican telecommunications company headquartered in Mexico City that provides telecommunications products and services in Mexico. Telmex is still the dominant fixed-line phone carrier in Mexico. In addition to traditional fixed-line ...

voice services, high speed

ADSL Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) is a type of digital subscriber line (DSL) technology, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. ...

internet and

Telcel Telcel is a Mexican wireless telecommunications company, owned by América Móvil. Founded in 1984 and based in Mexico City, Telcel is the leading provider of wireless communications services in Mexico. As of December 31, 2006, Telcel's cellular ...

cellular services.

Economic activity

The main economic activities are agriculture and cattle raising with limited tourist activity. More than half the population works in these areas. Subsistence farming is carried out to produce corn and beans while most of the farming is of grasses for cattle feed. The cattle herd had over 10,000 head in 2000. Industry is limited to a handful of micro industries and a modest plant assembling fish hooks for the North American market. The long abandoned Santa Elena gold and silver mine has been reopened, and employs upwards of 300 employees and contractors. A small cottage industry making furniture of mesquite wood has developed with two carpentry shops producing rustic chairs, tables, beds, and other pieces.

Tourist attractions

The recently rebuilt Plaza Hidalgo is very attractive with a gazebo/bandstand in the center. Facing the plaza is the main church, Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Loreto, which was begun in the 17th century and retains its original structure with additions from the 1940s. The Palacio Municipal, or city hall, also faces the plaza. The city park on the main highway contains the Piedra Histórica, an ancient petroglyph, being held aloft by statues of four imposing

warriors. Scholars believe the petroglyph represents an irrigation map. Just south of the town is the Bacachi warm springs pools. The town has a baseball stadium where the home team, the Halcones, play in the municipal league and games are often televised. Quarter horse racing takes place at a track near the airport. La Posada del Río Sonora is an historic inn with a full restaurant, cafe, and cantina, located on Plaza Hidalgo. The main part of the hotel is remodeled from a 17th-century colonial adobe house. La Posada has a large rooftop terrace that is considered the best sunset view in town. Other hotels in Banámichi are Hotel Los Arcos de Sonora, opened in 2009, a combination of a hundred-year-old restored adobe and modern construction. Los Arcos features a restaurant and is unique in that it is the only hotel in the area with a swimming pool, Los Dos Potrillos, and two smaller guest houses, Guest House Guely and Casa Rural León. Also, several of the cattle ranches in the area also serve as hunting lodges for organized hunting trips, typically run by professional hunting outfitters.

Origin of the name and history

The name is derived from the

word ''Banamitzi'', which means, "Where the water turns" or "lowered by water". The region was once inhabited by the

Opata people The Opata (written Ópata in Spanish, pronounced with stress on the first syllable: /ˈopata/) are three indigenous peoples of Mexico. Opata territory, the “Opatería” in Spanish, encompasses the mountainous northeast and central part of the ...

; in 1639 the Spanish missionary Bartolomé Castaños S.J. founded the settlement of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios de Banámichi. In 1930 it became part of the municipality of

and got its autonomy in 1931, with Banámichi as its municipal seat.

References

External links

Enciclopedia de los municipios de MexicoInstitute of StatisticsBanámichi, Ayuntamiento Digital
''(Official Website of Banámichi, Sonora)''
Banamichi home pageHotel Los Arcos de SonoraLa Posada del Rio SonoraBanamichiMexico.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banamichi Populated places in Sonora