Nogales Overview

An aggressive, restless energy pumps through Nogales (pop. 350,000), dissuading travelers from staying longer than absolutely necessary. Walk toward the border during the day and you can feel tensions increase, as the streets become awash with gaudy souvenir shops all vying for the daytripper’s dollar. The first block of the city welcomes many each day, only to see the vast majority move off in a matter of hours or even minutes. It’s hard to imagine why anyone would rest their head here: cheaper, cleaner, and safer accommodations can be found in Nogales, AZ and farther down the highway in Hermosillo. Nogales lacks the pleasant parks and zócalos that characterize many Mexican cities, and a swelling population combined with competition for dollars have raised crime levels. On weekends, American teenagers often come down to booze it up in the cantinas lining Obregón.

Transportation. Nogales can be reached by foot or by car by simply crossing the Arizona border via US 19/Mex. 15. The towns of Nogales, AZ and Nogales, Sonora are divided by an ugly iron fence. Daily crossing fees change depending on the season (or the guards), but are never more than a few dollars. Expect long lines on both sides of the border on weekends. The sleek, modern bus terminal (☎313 1603, 5401, or 1703) on Carretera Internacional, 4.5km south of the centro, has a pharmacy (open 7am-11pm), luggage storage (5 pesos per hr.), and call center with fax, copy and Internet facilities (20 pesos per hr.) Next to the pharmacy is the taxi kiosk (80 pesos to the centro). If you’re not in a hurry, white buses marked “Central Camionera” do the journey (6 pesos) until around 7pm. For the return journey, buses line up along López Mateos between Campillo and Ochoa; if in doubt, ask for the bus to “el Central.” You can also catch it at any of the blue stops along López Mateos, which merges with Obregón on its way south.

TBA, Estrellas del Pacífico, and Transportes Norte de Sonora leave the main station for: Mexico City (34hr., 7 per day, 1390 pesos); Puerto Peñasco (7hr., 4pm, 270 pesos); Tijuana (12hr.; 10am, 1, 7, 8:30pm; 385 pesos) via San Luis (8hr.) and Mexicali (9hr.); and Guadalajara (26hr., 10 per day, 1097 pesos) via Hermosillo (4hr.), Obregón (8hr.), Los Mochis (11hr.), Culiacán (15hr.), Mazatlán (18hr.), and Tepic (22hr.). The last route down the west coast of Sonora is also well served by a number of carriers operating from stations just up the road toward Nogales, such as Estrellas de Pacífico, Tufesa (which offers discounts of 25% to students and 50% to those over 60 and children 2-8) and TBA (which also offers a 3pm service to Puerto Peñasco; 5hr.). You can stock up on provisions for the journey at Oxxo, a 24hr. supermarket next to TBA.

If you’re heading north into Arizona, Greyhound’s partner Crucero has buses to Tucson (1 hr., 8 per day, US$8), though you’ll probably find it more convenient to walk across the border, where a Greyhound terminal has departures on the same route (midnight, 3:45, 4:45, 7:15, 8:45am, 1:30, 5:30, 7:45pm). Crucero buses also pass through Nogales on their way to Hermosillo and Ciudad Obregón.

Orientation And Practical Information. Nogales’s small area of interest is stuck between chaotic hillside barrios, but the grid of the primer cuadro area is fairly easy to navigate. Calle Internacional is the first of the streets running east to west, parallel to the corrugated iron fence which marks the frontera. If you come across the border on foot, you’ll find yourself walking from north to south on Pesquiera; west of this, Juárez (home to the main concentration of budget hotels), Morelos (a narrow alley for pedestrians and stallholders only), Obregón (the main tourist drag), Hidalgo, and Ingenieros. If you come from Arizona by car, you’ll be on López Mateos, which runs at a diagonal angle to the north-south avenues and cuts into the grid, merging with Juárez, Morelos, and, eventually, Obregón.

The Tourist Office is next to the immigration center, to your left walking in from the US, on the corner of López Mateos and Campillo. The staff is helpful, albeit somewhat surprised if you express any interest in Nogales itself. (☎312 0666. Open W-M 9am-1pm and 2-6pm.) The primer cuadro contains several banks, which line López Mateos and Obregón. All exchange currency and traveler’s checks and have 24hr. ATMs. There is a Banamex on Ochoa between Hidalgo and Obregón. (☎312 5505. Open M-F 8:30am-2pm and 4-6:30pm.) Other services include: emergency ☎060; Police (☎312 1104) at González and Leal; Red Cross, at Elías Calles and Providencia (☎312 5808; open 24hr.); Hospital Básico, about 3km south of the border on Obregón. (☎313 0794; open 24hr.); a 24hr. Pharmacy, Comercial 3 en 1 Farmacia, Campillo 73 at Morelos. (☎312 5503; doubles as a liquor store); Internet access at Yajar, upstairs on the corner of Morelos and Ochoa. (Internet access 20 pesos per hr.; printers also available), and at a bus station (20 pesos per hour); Telecomm, has fax services above the post office, and the communications booth in the central bus station; and the post office, Juárez 52 (☎312 1247; open M-F 8am-4pm, Sa 8am-noon). Postal Code: 84000.

Accommodations And Food. Nogales’s position on the border guarantees loads of visitors and high-prices. The most obvious concentration of “budget” hotels is near the border crossing on Juárez; rooms prices often depend on the number of people. Hotel San Carlos 5, Juárez 22 (☎312 1346 or 1409; fax 312 1557), between Internacional and Campillo, rents spacious, clean rooms with glittery-blue mattresses, A/C, cable TV, and phones. Mingle with the ever-present locals watching TV in the lobby. (Reservations recommended. Singles 325-375 pesos; doubles 375-440 pesos. MC/V.) To arrive at the American-owned Motel y Restaurant Miami 5, Ingenieros at Campillo, turn right onto Campillo from the border crossing, cross Juárez, and walk another four short blocks. The large blue-and-white tiled rooms have clean baths, TVs, telephones, and fans. Rooms on the upper floors overlook the town, border fence, and beyond. (☎312 5450. Key deposit 100 pesos. Singles 350 pesos; doubles 380 pesos; each additional person 80 pesos. Cash only.) Visible from the highway, Hotel 47 5, 47 Buenos Aires, off of Elías Calles, offers spacious rooms with big TVs and windows that provide scenic views of the industrial wonderland that is Nogales. (☎312 7489. Singles 300 pesos; doubles 400 pesos. Open daily 6am to noon. Cash only.)

Nogales is home to several high-priced restaurants catering to daytrippers from the US. If tourist pricing is driving you crazy, head for the plaza on López Mateos at Ochoa, where fruits and tortas, sold by vendors as rock-bottom prices, entice your taste buds. For a truly economical meal, look no further than the tiny makeshift counters a few steps off Obregón, where local families offer excellent traditional antojitos (5-20 pesos). Salty Mexican combos are prepared para llevar (to go) at La India Bonita 3, on the corner of Obregón and Ochoa. Try the gorditas de pollo, with a side order of frijoles and arróz (rice and beans) 35 pesos. (Open daily 24 hr. Cash only.) A small family-run joint, Taquero Mucho 3, 202 Aguirre, off of Obregón, is often populated by gringos chuckling over the clever name while munching on huevos rancheros. (Entrees 35-45 pesos. Opening and closing hours at the whim of the owner. Cash only.) La Posada Restaurante 4, Pierson 116, west of Obregón, is a family-run operation, with Rodolfo Monroy greeting the (predominantly male) local regulars who come here for the hearty breakfasts. The dining room is colorfully decorated with Mexican art and handicrafts, and the tart and tasty huevos con nopales (prickly pears) are worth the 45 pesos. (☎312 0439. Desserts 25 pesos. Open daily 7:30pm-10pm. Cash only.)

Nightlife And Entertainment. Despite the rather half-hearted attempts of the tourist bureau to pass off the statue of Juárez, the industrial park, and even the border crossing itself as attractions, there isn’t much in the way of museums or other cultural excitement in Nogales. Most of the Arizonans who come over for the day do so in search of bargain prices on pharmaceuticals and Mexican trinkets, either in the crowded area around Obregón and Morelos, or in the El Greco building on the corner of Obregón and Pierson. Merchandise is priced in anticipation of haggling, so confidence and knowledge of the goods can get you great deals. Shops farther from the border on Obregón are less exclusively aimed at the tourist crowd. If earthenware curios don’t set your heart aflame, Cinemas Gemelos, Obregón 368 (☎312 5002), between González and Torres, shows recent American films dubbed or subtitled in Spanish (40 pesos). For those seeking a bit of culture, the spacious, modern Teatro Auditorio de Nogales, Obregón 286 (☎312 4180), between Vázquez and González, seats just under 1000 and stages theater, music, and dance. Call or visit for show times and prices; the calendar is posted on the door.

If tequila is a must, Nogales’s nightlife may have something to offer. Right after lunch, the bars on Obregón open their doors to a mix of locals and tourists by 10pm on weekends. The most popular hang-out (and the most Amero-centric) is Kookaracha’s, Obregón 1. Dance the night away and down tequila shots (US$1), or just chill with a cerveza (US$2) on the balcony overlooking the border and the fountain in the Roach’s techno-colored courtyard. (☎312 4773. Cover US$10-15. Open W and F-Sa nights.) Kick-back types enjoy mixed drinks and well-dressed company at Fray Marcos de Niza Cocktail Lounge, at Obregón and Campillo. (☎312 1112. Beer 20 pesos.Open daily 11am-1am.)