Sonora

Sonora is the northernmost and most extensive state in northwestern Mexico: the Sonoran Desert, virgin beaches of the Sea of Cortez, pine-covered mountains, and the most robust flavors of northern gastronomy combine in a territory the size of Italy. Hermosillo, the capital, is a city in constant industrial and technological growth that maintains the essence of the north: direct, hardworking, and proud.

The beaches of the Sea of Cortez in Sonora—Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point), Bahía Kino, Guaymas, and San Carlos—combine spectacular nature with more accessible and peaceful tourist infrastructure than the Caribbean. Puerto Peñasco, just 4 hours from Phoenix by road, is the favorite destination for Americans from the southwestern United States.

Sonoran gastronomy is perhaps the most influential in the north: the Sonoran carne asada burrito—with flour tortilla, the largest in the world—sun-dried beef, Chihuahua cheese, and grilled cuts of beef have defined what the world understands as "northern food". Sonoran carne asada is a family and social institution.

The Sierra Tarahumara shares territory with Chihuahua and also preserves the rarámuri culture in Sonora, one of Mexico's most resilient. The Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a volcanic landscape of craters and giant sand dunes unique in the world.