In the eyes of the world, Los Cabos has been an international holiday destination for no more than 20 years or so, however, the southernmost tip of the Baja Peninsula has been on the map for much longer than that.
A large portion of the history of Baja California is anecdotal with several historians recording a different chain of events in the history of the peninsula and new stories being written every day!
As the official records are not clear, there have been several different stories passed down from generation to generation claiming that the first Europeans to explore the Baja Peninsula were the Spaniards, led by Hernán Cortés during his fifth expedition along the Pacific Coast, circa 1535. Due to the rugged terrain, harsh weather conditions and difficult journey from the mainland of Mexico, the Baja peninsula was not of much interest to the Spanish at that time and therefore left virtually untouched. Inhabited by the nomadic indigenous tribes of the Pericues in the south, Guaycuras in the center and Cochimies to the north, these tribes were hunters-gatherers surviving mainly from the bounty of the Gulf of California. The nomadic lifestyle of these tribes is vividly depicted in cave paintings hidden all along the mountain ranges of Sierra La Giganta and Sierra La Laguna; the most famous murals being those found at Rancheria San Gregorio and Rancheria San Francisco. It was not until the late XVI century that the Baja Peninsula again caught the eye of the Spanish Empire when Sebastian Vizcaino commenced sending exquisite pearls back to Spain, harvested from the waters around Hernán Cortés’ first outpost, known today as La Paz.
Today Los Cabos shines bright in the international spotlight, while the lesser-known towns of La Paz, Todos Santos, and Loreto are still hidden gems for modern adventurers to discover and explore.
