Hidden among the Sea of Cortez and the southern tip of the Pacific Ocean’s Baja California Sur, Mexico peninsula, there are long stretches of pristine beaches with crystal clear turquoise water, one of the top vacation destinations, Cabo San Lucas, resides. Although, in recent years, Cabo San Lucas has become the go-to spot for relaxation and rejuvenation it still retains the initial draw of natural untouched beauty.
In Cabo San Lucas you will find everything you need to allow yourself to release the stresses from your everyday life. The Baja California Peninsula is approximately 1,000 miles long and offers the worlds youngest and a large amount of biologically diverse sea life. By containing approximately 800 marine vertebrae species, Cabo San Lucas is a perfect spot for divers and sports or recreational fisherman, alike.
Cabo San Lucas also, offers not only beautiful surf and sun but also has vast options for everyone, not only the outdoor enthusiasts. Including shopping, spa treatments, lively nightlife, golfing, and eco-tours are just a few of the activities that you can indulge in while letting your cares wash away in the Mexican sun.
The actual founding history is contradictory with many different reports. One states that the name Los Cabo was created by Cortez’s navigator, Francisco del Ulloa, in 1537, whom combined the two towns Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo.
Others state that Los Cabos was founded according to Hatsutaro’s book Kaigai Ibun in approximately 1842. There is another report that claims Englishman Thomas Ritchie was the founder in 1828. Nonetheless Cabo San Lucas was a tiny fishing village with approximately twenty inhabitants of the nomadic Pericu’s.
One of the most world renowned natural stone aches is located at the very tip of the Baja Peninsula, El Arco de Cabo San Lucas or The Arch in English. This majestic geographical landmark, El Arco, has become the famous symbol of Cabo San Lucas (also known as Los Cabos).
El Arco is a natural granite arch that is one of a kind. No other rock formation in Mexico can match its grandeur. El Arco is approachable by boat. Long ago, pirates used the arch as a hiding spot for approaching merchant ships carrying their goods along the west coast.
Cabo San Lucas was frequently under siege once the pirates discovered this trade route. Prior to the merchant ships Dutch and English pirates frequented this area due to Cortez’s ships that were laden down with gold, silver and pearls that Cortez had gathered from “New Spain”.
In 1587, Englishman Sir Thomas Cavendish pulled off one of the more spectacular raids on the galleon, Santa Ana, just off of the Cape of Los Cabos. It is reported that the ship was loaded down with about 600 tons of Spanish galleons and 122,000 silver dollars.
His ship, the Desire, was unable to carry the huge load; therefore he burned the Santa Ana and sent its remains to the bottom of the sea of Cortez. Nonetheless due to its capture it actually affected the London bullion markets for years to come.
Obviously, the Spanish crown had to rebut the onslaught of attacks from pirates. Therefore, they sent a Jesuit missionary, Nicolas Tamaral, in 1730 in an attempt to colonize the area of Cabo San Lucas and convert the Pericu’s. This attempt only lasted around 4 years.
Los Cabos remained virtually untouched throughout the 18th century and by 1930 there were approximately 400 residents. It wasn’t until after the war when it became a primary destination for sport fisherman that started to give this little quaint area some notoriety.
Desi Arnaz and Bing Crosby lead the Los Cabos area into the Cabo San Lucas that we know today, by building hotels for the rich and famous in La Paz and San Jose del Cabo.
