Very few places on the globe allow you, in the same day, to swim surrounded by colorful tropical fish and then spot cetaceans as colossal as humpback whales. In contrast, in Los Cabos de México, the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula, it is easy to get that and much more. Why not watch sea turtles nesting their future hatchlings in the sand on the beach? Or dare to dive among wrecks and corals to suddenly shudder at the presence of a whale shark? The largest fish in the world but also absolutely peaceful.
It is not surprising that the French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau regularly visited the region crossed by the Tropic of Cancer and described it as “the aquarium of the world”. Specifically, he was referring to the Sea of ??Cortez that separates Baja California from the Mexican states of Sonora and Sinaloa, already located on “mainland” as the peninsulars refer to the rest of their country.
It is a very salty body of water and although it is connected to the Pacific, it has a docile character, with waves and temperatures that have nothing to do with the nearby ocean. Its name evokes Hernán Cortés, who crossed it to land on the peninsula on May 3, 1535. The conqueror arrived in the bay of the current city of La Paz, now the capital of the state of Baja California Sur. But back then nothing in this territory had a name, at least for newcomers. So they looked at the saints and baptized the place as Santa Cruz Bay.
That was the starting point to tour the new lands, while their commander-in-chief returned to “mainland”. Those soldiers who set out to travel the world were adventurers hunting and capturing treasures. And among them there would be characters of all kinds. From unscrupulous rabble to individuals moved by the desire for exploits. But cultivated and read subjects also traveled. And if it was about reading in the 16th century, the great reference was chivalric novels, with best sellers as popular as the saga of Amadis de Gaula.
Precisely in the fifth book of his adventures, published in 1510, lines like this can be read: “Know that to the right of the Indies there was an island called California, next to the earthly paradise”. Or, “the island is the strongest of it because of its cliffs and wild rocks.” And above all, when speaking of the Amazons that inhabited it, it is said that: “her weapons were all made of gold […] on the island there was no other metal”. Undoubtedly, someone on the expedition knew the story and at the southern tip of the peninsula wanted to see something similar to what was read. It is unknown who it was or how the idea arose, but the fact is that the current Cabo San Lucas soon appeared on the maps as Cabo California.
The conquerors did not bequeath much more than that place name. They were rejected without mercy and with violence by the indigenous population, the pericures who have gone down in history for their bravery, their indomitable character and the ability to expel anyone who wanted to usurp their domains. And although the battles did not kill them, the diseases brought by foreigners did. In fact, today it is an extinct ethnic group. There are no more pericures, nor their hostility. Today Los Cabos is a most welcoming destination.
The northern neighbors, the gringos, arrive in abundance looking for all the tropical virtues. There are flights to Los Cabos from major cities in the southern and western United States, as well as from Canada. Europeans also travel, including Spaniards, who also have a direct flight operated by Iberojet from Madrid to the San José del Cabo international airport during the summer.
The city of San José del Cabo is not only the entrance to Los Cabos, it is also an essential visit. Its colonial architecture is perfectly preserved around its main square and in the streets of the Art District. A street network full of galleries of artists that show from folklore and the most traditional crafts to avant-garde creations that fuse painting with technology, providing a very complete panorama of the cultural life of Baja California Sur.
But also the historic center is a step away from the Sea of ??Cortez. Many of the large international hotel firms are present on its shores. Always with its own beach and with the possibility of getting closer to the great natural jewel of the area: the Cabo Pulmo National Park, the marine fauna sanctuary that so excited Cousteau. In addition, the hotel complexes in San José del Cabo offer a wide range of activities for the rest of the surrounding beaches. From horseback riding through the San José estuary to kayaking on Santa María beach or enjoying snorkeling at Chileno beach.
They are all small beaches but they enjoy the kindness of the Sea of ??Cortez. Which completely differentiates them from the large sandbanks of the other tourist reference: Cabo San Lucas. There are also a good number of hotel complexes. Some international and others are Mexican bets. Each one with its own personality, but all with the common factor of facing the ocean and its thunderous waves crashing against the golden sands of the beach. It is not a place to bathe, but its hypnotic power and its ability to inspire when contemplating one of the widest maritime horizons on the planet is undeniable.
And the arch of Cabo San Lucas also inspires and invites reflection. It is the great icon of the region for its natural monumentality. For millennia, the winds and waves have come together to shape this rocky area and its famous arch at the precise point where the waters of the Pacific and the Sea of ??Cortez meet. The place where California begins, the Mexican California that was the first to be called that way, long before its gringa neighbor to the north.