Mexican Border Towns 

As you travel to the country of Mexico, you will discover that there are many different border towns.  In fact, if you live or travel to Arizona, you can be over the Mexico border in minutes.  For this reason, citizens of the United States cross in and out of Mexico easily, taking with them no more than some type of government issued ID such as a driver’s license or birth certificate, and proof of ownership of the vehicle if driving.  Keep in mind that the further you travel into Mexico the more documentation is required. 

One of the reasons people go into Mexico from various border towns is because of the incredible shopping.  There, you will find one open-air market after another, selling everything imaginable such as glassware, blankets, ivory, silver, leather goods, embroidered clothing, sombreros, piñatas, jewelry, pottery, handicrafts, and more.   

Interestingly, people from the Mexican borders also love the counterfeit items they can purchase for incredible prices such as Rolex watches, Ray Ban sunglasses, Nike shoes and clothing items, etc.  Unfortunately, some people will buy these items, which are marketed as the real thing, only to get home and find they purchased something fake.  Even so, the counterfeit merchandise is so real that unless you said anything, no one would be able to tell them from authentic pieces. 

In addition to this type of merchandise, people come from the border towns for something a little more serious – medication.  Because Mexican laws and regulations for prescription drugs are different from that of the United States, you can purchase many prescriptions over the counter, with the exception of narcotics.  Because there is little regulation, you pay far less but you also have to consider that without high standards, you also risk purchasing poor quality and even counterfeit drugs.  Although this is not common, it does occur. 

Just remember that if you choose to buy prescription drugs in Mexico and then take them back into the border towns of the United States, taking these across the border with a legitimate prescription from a licensed US doctor could be putting you at risk for violating both local and state laws.  However, some drugs are fine so you need to know what you can and cannot take over the border if you plan to purchase prescription drugs in Mexico. 

To give you an idea of some of the border towns, if you are coming from the east to the west, you could go into Sonora or Agua Prieta from Douglas, Arizona, which is open 24 hours a day for non-commercial vehicles and walking traffic.  Then from Naco, Arizona, you can go into Sonora, another area open 24 hours a day for non-commercial vehicle and foot traffic.  Additionally, from Nogales, Arizona, you can go into Sonora.  In this case, you can enter the Deconcini Gate 24 hours a day for non-commercial vehicle traffic and to shop, you can walk from any of the parking lots on the US side of the border. 

To go to Sonora, you can also enter from the border town of Sasabe.  This entry point is open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for foot traffic and non-commercial vehicle traffic.  To head into Sonoyta and Sonora, you would cross over from Lukeville.  This port is open from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight for non-commercial vehicle and foot traffic.  From this location, you would have to drive a little distance to reach the heart of Sonoyta where there is ample shopping. 

Then, you can reach Sonora from San Luis, Arizona, which is open 24 hours a day for non-commercial vehicle and walking traffic.  This location is just 23 miles to the south of Yuma.  However, San Luis has a population of 150,000 and the town offers a number of restaurants, nightclubs, and hotels.  Finally, you can go into Algodones and Baja from Andrade, California.  This port is open from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., again for non-commercial vehicle and foot traffic.