As of July 2, 2016, Puerto Peñasco has constructed of the new international skate park, El Pinacate Skate Park. With the help and sponsorship of Levi Strauss & Co., El Pinacate has been built to international skateboarding competition standards—the first skate park of its kind in Mexico. Over $130,000 U.S. dollars—a portion of which is represented in land donated by the city of Puerto Peñasco—was invested into the project, designed for use by skateboarders on both a national and international competition basis. As a result of the efforts of project coordinator Braulio Castro in ensuring that Puerto Peñasco would be chosen over other iconic Mexican cities like Tijuana and Mexico City, El Pinacate Skate Park is located on the corner of Calle 18 and Plutarco Elias Calles, near Sandy Beach.
Bringing Competitive Skateboarding to Mexico
El Pinacate is the sixth park globally sponsored by Levi Strauss & Co. after six years of planning. Mexico joins Bolivia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, and the U.S. in this elite status club. The park features an urban atmosphere, recreated to cater to professional competition standards, with extra flair in the depiction of El Pinacate in the center of the park. Plans are in process for Puerto Peñasco’s first international skateboard competition to take place in October 2016, with competitors coming from Canada, South America, the United States, and Mexico to participate. Now that the park is complete, the El Pinacate project will shift into a second phase in which a perimeter fence will be built, bathrooms and lighting will be added, and murals will be painted by a collective of various artists in the region, according to Puerto Peñasco mayor Kiko Munro.
Honoring the City’s Young Prodigy
Honored at the event was Aldo Gabriel Reyes Limon, a seventeen year-old native of the city who has previously represented Puerto Peñasco in national and international competitions taking place in Las Vegas, New York, San Francisco, Monterrey, Montreal, and Tijuana. Reyes Limon recently became sponsored by Levi Strauss & Co. During the ceremony, Mayor Munro wished the young professional skateboarder good fortune at the Copenhagen Open, in which Reyes Limon will be competing in Denmark from August 10th through August 14th.
Coinciding with El Pinacate’s construction, Levi Strauss & Co. created a film documentary of the park’s progress to promote publicity and marketing. The film features several sites in Puerto Peñasco, and will be presented in advance in Denmark during the Copenhagen Open.
