History of Cabo San Lucas

Gratefully Reprinted From Cabo Life Magazine

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.

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