Cabo's
History
Gratefully Reprinted From Cabo Life Magazine - by C.W.Ferguson
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.
© C.W.Ferguson
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