Hernan Cortes sat in his headquarters on the Isthmus of
Tecuantepec scheming about what he might conquer next. Bingo!
A shipwreck survivor reported an island ten sailing days north
that was populated by Amazons and was rich in gold and pearls.
That sounded to Hernan like the fabled island of California
ruled by the Amazonian Queen, Califia. He fairly drooled at
the thought. "Andale, hombres", he told his ship
builder, "get on with it".
In 1535, with three galleons and a compliment of over
600 men and women, Hernan sailed into a tranquil bay which he
promptly named Santa Cruz. It didn't take him long to figure
out that there weren't no gold and there weren't no Amazons,
neither. He packed up and sailed south for the last time.
But there were pearls in the waters around Santa Cruz.
Sebastian Vizcaino set up a pearl fishing colony there in 1596
knowing full well that he was certain to become a wealthy man.
He found a few pearls, but not enough to support his
expedititon; he also found a whole bunch of unsociable
Indians. The only thing Sebastian got out of his misguided
tour was an excellent chart of the Mar de Cortes. The only
thing California got out of Sebastian's misguided greed was a
new name for the pearl-less bay: La Paz.
During that period, Spanish merchant marine interests
had established a trade route from Luzon in the Philippines to
Acapulco in the south of New Spain. They were transporting ton
upon ton of oriental silk and spices; along with Mexican gold
and silver with which to buy the treasures. The Spanish
monarch loved the silk and spices; English pirates became
inpassioned over the silver and gold.
The 16th of September is a very special day in Mexico.
It's Mexico's Independence Day. It's also the day that Sir
Francis Drake entered the "Sea of the South" with a quintet of
warships in 1578. What do you suppose he had on his mind? The
Spanish had an inkling of what it might be.
Pirate stories abound in Baja. Some true,
others...well, maybe not exactly true. True it is that Thomas
Cavendish sacked the "invincible" galleon Santa Ana off cape
San Lucas in 1587. And true it is that a number of "Dutch
Hens" entered the Skull and Crossbones trade against the
haughty Spanish. Joris van Spilbergen was the most famous of
the group. Racing up and down the Pacific coastline, the
Pirates had a field day. And when they were not plying their
trade they were hanging out at Cabo San Lucas and San Jose and
La Paz just R & R-ing-it - and maybe stashing a little
treasure. The Spanish of course, were not happy. The only
people taking any spoils out of the new world were the English
and the Dutch and they didn't know how to get there until a
Portuguese named Magellan showed 'em the route.
So, the Spanish Crown told the Jesuits to go to
California and settle down the Indians. "Make Christians out
of 'em" spathe the King. The Crown wasn't especially
interested in the future of the Indians but he figured that if
they could colonize the peninsula and Alta California it would
keep the Dutch, the English, and by that time the Russians at
bay.
The Jesuits were delighted. They could go to an
inhospitable land, suffer as no missionary had ever before
suffered, and save souls. And that they did; but...some people
simply don't like change. The Indians were not happy campers.
They didn't much like wearing clothing. They did not like
monogamy. And they certainly didn't cotton to the Jusuits. So,
in 1734, a bunch of the local boys got together and figured
out how to run the Fathers plumb out ot the New World.
California, as it was called then, took a nap for a couple of
hundred years.
In 1844, U.S. President James K. Polk sided with a
bunch of ornery Texans who had been plumb tired of paying
taxes to "Mexicun" generals. The Mexican-American War got so
rediculous that even Mexico couldn't figure out why "green-go"
troops were marching on La Paz and San Jose del Cabo. At the
bargaining table the Americans conceeded they really didn't
want any more desert than they'd already stolen, so they left
Baja California to the "Mezicuns". After all, there weren't no
oil, no gold nor silver, no natural resources, and no water.
"Keep it Amigos", said the norteamericanos, "keep all
a it".
However, the phrase "natural resources" has taken a
bit of a twist in the last couple of generations.
Ask the question, "Who was the first Anglo to put The
Baja on the road-map to prosperity?" and you're likely to get
six different answers.
Shortly after World War II, a group of Southern
Californians learned that they could fly to La Paz and then
travel by rutty roads to the shores of the Mar de Cortes.
"Why?" people asked. Little by little word leaked that the Sea
of Cortes was teeming with fish, was protected from prying
eyes, and possessed weather "as good as God will allow" in the
Baja. There were no roads there. Only long range pleasure
yachts and private aircraft need apply. It was exclusive. The
names of the shakers and movers were exclusive: Bing Crosby,
Phil Harris, Desi Arnaz, and The Duke. About 1948 they pooled
their coins and built hotel Las Cruces on the East Cape. The
sign read:
"PROPRIEDAD PRIVADO"
PRIVATE PROPERTY
Ten years later the equally exclusive hotel La
Palmilla was built near San Jose; Hollywood money was rumored
at work there too. It didn't take long for W. Matt (Bud) Parr
to figure out a road map to his future and build hotel Cabo
San Lucas. Parr would eventually but the Hacienda and double
its size. Cabo was definitely on the map.
Ex-U.S. Air Force pilot Luis Coppola put up hotel
Finisterra near the very end of the cape and Luis Bulnes
quickly countered with hotel Solmar; Cabo was in the thick of
the race for the tourist dollars.
Los Cabos would slumber for a few years while
adjusting to the sobriquet "Tourist Destination". A peninsular
highway, completed in 1974, opened the Peninsula to Middle
America. When Los Cabos International Airport was expanded in
1986, Los Cabos' lure reached deep into the United States and
Canada and triggered the imagination of every citizen. Marlin
fishing tournaments were drawing international acclaim by this
time and non-fishermen and their ladies were discovering the
sun, the beaches, and romantic star-bright nights while
stroling "las playas del Mar de Cortes".
The past five years have witnessed the trebling of
populations in San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas and has
beheld a burgeoning growth in tourism as well. Condominiums
Cabo Bello, Marina Sol and Terrasol, and hotels Melia Cabo San
Lucas, Melia Cabo Real, Fiesta Inn, Howard Johnson, Calinda,
Posada Real, and Plaza las Glorias were operational by 1990.
Meanwhile in excess of 3,000 private residences were built for
foreign vacationers and retirees.
Currently, four major golf course designers have
finalized their fairway and green schematics and all courses
are playable. International tournaments are scheduled and a
number of airlines frequently service the area. Los Cabos, as
a "Destinational Resort Area: with world wide impact, is NOW.
Hernan Cortes, a Conquistador, saw no profitable
future in California. The modern day Conquistadors, on the
other hand, conquers not with sword and musket, but with world
class accommodations and service. Hernan plundered and ran.
The modern Conquistadors reinvest. It's evident they've been
doing just that in Los Cabos.
As you stroll down the beach and wonder at the
magnificent seascape surrounding you, take a moment to
remember Hernan; the short, short sighted fellow. . .who let
the "big one" get away.
