Visitors View of Rocky Point Mexico

Sonora, Puerto Peñasco, Where the Desert Meets the Sea. By the Nelson-Duac Family

Imagine miles of coastline with sandy beaches and rocky coves, salt marshes and secluded estuaries, a place where the tide pools have no waiting lines. Imagine a place where low tide beach combing the event of the day. It is the home of CEDO --The Intercultural Center for the Study of Deserts and Oceans, and a terrific place for families.

Puerto Peñasco or "Rocky Point", as Arizona gringos call it, is on the edge of the Sea of Cortez also known, as Golfo de California is. It is less than a five-hour drive from Phoenix or Tucson. Either route crosses miles of the Papago Reservation (Tohono O’odham) and miles of uninhabited Sonoran desert terrain.

The Golden Years of the Capone Era

Al Capone and Rocky Point Mexico - Puerto Penasco

At the age of twenty-six, Al Capone assumed control of the Torrio Organization, with over one thousand people on the payroll of $300,000 a week. The profits continued to roll in because the majority of people felt that betting and bootlegging were minor vices and the man that made these things possible was a public servant who did what he could to meet the needs of the people. Capone, himself attempted to put his feeling in regards to his business by stating, "This American system of ours, call it Americanism, call it capitalism, call it what you will, gives each and every one of us a great opportunity if we only seize it with both hands and make the most of it."

“ Public service is my motto. Ninety percent of the people in Chicago drink and gamble. I’ve tried to serve them decent liquor and square games. But I’m not appreciated. I’m know all over the world as a millionaire gorilla.”