Located in the northwest of the state of Sonora, Puerto Peñasco a place that was born as a fishing settlement is today a tourist destination, one of the most important in the country.

The history of Puerto Peñasco dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century, when a group of fishermen most of them from Guaymas, Bahía de Kino, Puerto Libertad and Puerto Lobos ventured to explore the virgin shores of the Sea of Cortes.

Attracted by the abundance of marine species such as totoaba and the natural beauty of the place, they established a small settlement in 1926, living in makeshift tents and caves calling the place "Punta de Piedra".

This native town surrounded by volcanic formations and the great Sea of Cortes was named after Punta Peñasco, advancing with a gradual, but steady settlement, creating in 1932 the first dependent police delegation of the neighboring municipality of Sonoyta.

Many years ago, around 1826 this corner was called “Rocky Point” by the British General William Hale Hardy upon finding rocks instead of pearls who came to look for this region, and later was called, Punta Peñasco.

In 1928 a casino hotel was built by John Stone and Sofus Jhanssen, where meetings were held during the prohibition of alcohol, where people from Arizona and California were traveling on airplanes to enjoy parties as well as fishing.

It was until 1936, when General Lázaro Cárdenas, then President of Mexico, decreed that the official name of the place should be in Spanish, and so it became Punta Puerto Peñasco.

Although the formation of Puerto Peñasco dates back to 1927 as a simple fishing field, it was until July 9, 1952 when the municipality of Puerto Peñasca was erected, separating from the municipality of Caborca and is the date that is commemorated and celebrated as the day of its foundation.

Puerto Peñasco, which is a relatively young city, has experienced exponential growth through the decades, transforming from a small fishing settlement to a thriving city that holds its traditional and emblematic spaces, as well as the warmth of its people

Today it has been positioned by its hotel infrastructure which is the most important in the northwest of the country, with tourist developments reaching more than 20 floors, the construction of golf courses, the privilege of having the Pinacate Biosphere Reserve, which houses a large biodiversity, some classified as endemic and which has been named as a Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO and above all the growing popularity of tourism, all of this have contributed to the transformation of Puerto Peñasco into an internationally renowned tourist destination.

This place that in a few years has achieved remarkable growth and that has a privileged location between the Sea of Cortes, the Sonora Desert and close to the state of Arizona and California is about to reach its first centenary, celebrating this month of July its first 98 years of life, progress, and transformation.