Cabo San Lucas
Encyclopedia
Luke the Evangelist
Luke the Evangelist was an Early Christian writer whom Church Fathers such as Jerome and Eusebius said was the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles...
), commonly called Cabo, is a city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula
Baja California Peninsula
The Baja California peninsula , is a peninsula in northwestern Mexico. Its land mass separates the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California. The Peninsula extends from Mexicali, Baja California in the north to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur in the south.The total area of the Baja California...
, in the municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Los Cabos
Los Cabos
Los Cabos is a municipality located at the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, in the state of Baja California Sur. It encompasses the towns of Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo , as well as the Resort Corridor that lies between the two...
in the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
state of Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur , is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state on October 8, 1974, the area was known as the South Territory of Baja California. It has an area of , or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises...
. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,463 people. It is the third-largest city in Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur
Baja California Sur , is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state on October 8, 1974, the area was known as the South Territory of Baja California. It has an area of , or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises...
after La Paz
La Paz, Baja California Sur
La Paz is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur and an important regional commercial center. The city had a 2010 census population of 215,178 persons, but its metropolitan population is somewhat larger because of surrounding towns like el Centenario, el Zacatal and San Pedro...
and San José del Cabo
San José del Cabo
The city of San José del Cabo is located in Baja California Sur Mexico and is the seat of the municipality of Los Cabos at the south end of the Baja California peninsula. In the 2010 census it had a population of 69,788. Together with neighboring Cabo San Lucas it forms a major tourist destination...
(although it is only slightly less populous than San José del Cabo), it has experienced very rapid growth and development, often with adverse environmental impact.
Cabo is known for its sandy beaches, world-class scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
locations, balneario
Balneario
Balneario is a Latin American seaside resort, although they may also occur along great lakes, rivers and at hot springs. In Spain balneario typically only refers to spa town resorts. Whatever the case these resorts offer recreation, sports, entertainment, food, hospitality and safety services,...
s, the distinctive sea arch El Arco de Cabo San Lucas
El Arco de Cabo San Lucas
El Arco de Cabo San Lucas, or Lands End, Cabo San Lucas is a distinctive rock formation at the southern tip of Cabo San Lucas,which is itself the extreme southern end of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula....
, and abundant marine life. The Los Cabos Corridor
Los Cabos Corridor
The Los Cabos Corridor in Mexico, is an area on the southern coast of the Baja California Peninsula, facing the Gulf of California on the Transpeninsular Highway between San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas. It stretches about 30 kilometers along the highway and addresses within this area are...
has become a heavily trafficked holiday
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
destination with numerous resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
s and timeshare
Timeshare
A timeshare is a form of ownership or right to the use of a property, or the term used to describe such properties. These properties are typically resort condominium units, in which multiple parties hold rights to use the property, and each sharer is allotted a period of time in which they may use...
s along the coast between San Lucas and San José del Cabo
San José del Cabo
The city of San José del Cabo is located in Baja California Sur Mexico and is the seat of the municipality of Los Cabos at the south end of the Baja California peninsula. In the 2010 census it had a population of 69,788. Together with neighboring Cabo San Lucas it forms a major tourist destination...
.
History
Archaeological excavations have shown evidence of continual human habitation in the area for at least 10,000 years. When the first EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
ans arrived, they encountered nomadic groups of Pericú surviving on a subsistence diet based on the gathering of fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
, seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s, root
Root
In vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial or aerating . Furthermore, a stem normally occurring below ground is not exceptional either...
s, and shellfish
Shellfish
Shellfish is a culinary and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater environments, some kinds are found only in freshwater...
, as well as hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
. They lived a Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
lifestyle, without metals.
Founding
According to Hatsutaro's narrative contained in the book Kaigai Ibun (as written by David Waldner) when he arrived at Cabo San Lucas in May 1842 there were only two houses and about twenty inhabitants. However, American authors such as Henry Edwards and J. Ross Browne claim that Cabo San Lucas's founder was an Englishman named Thomas Ritchie, aka Old Tom Ritchie. J. Ross Browne says Ritchie arrived there about 1828, while Edwards says that he died in October 1874.A fishing village began growing in the area when in 1917 an American company built a floating platform to catch tuna
Tuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
and ten years later founded Compañía de Productos Marinos S.A. The plant lasted several years in operation and experts in the area say that this tuna plant was the beginning of development at Cabo San Lucas.
Development
The warmth of the waters at Cabo San Lucas, the beauty of its beaches, the abundance of sport fish, and nearby surfing motivated a great number of both foreign and Mexican vacationers to spend their vacations in large-scale tourist developments there, starting from 1974 when the Mexican government created the infrastructureInfrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
to turn Cabo San Lucas into a major center for tourism in Mexico. Upon completion of the Transpeninsular highway, tourist developments in Los Cabos
Los Cabos
Los Cabos is a municipality located at the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, in the state of Baja California Sur. It encompasses the towns of Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo , as well as the Resort Corridor that lies between the two...
often proceeded relatively unchecked. However, the rapid loss of vast stretches of desert and marine habitat has made the development of Cabo San Lucas controversial.
Until fairly recently, Mexico's unique and fragile environmental treasures were on their own and subjected to the predation of developers acting in concert with government agencies interested only in low-end tourist bonanzas. There is however, a growing collection of activists and attorneys now involved in preserving many of Baja's desert habitats, marine mammals and pristine stretches of coastline. A number of agencies including, The Gulf of California Conservation Fund and The Center for Environmental Law in La Paz are challenging the despoliation of wetlands and other ecosystems from Cabo to Ensenada
Ensenada, Baja California
Ensenada is a coastal city in Mexico and the third-largest city in Baja California. It is located south of San Diego on the Baja California Peninsula. The city is locally referred to as La Cenicienta del Pacífico, or, The Cinderella of the Pacific...
. In the face of a growing international public demand for corporate driven ecological stewardship, higher-end resorts in the Los Cabos area are increasingly sensitive to their environmental impact and are taking initial steps to institute sustainable practices like reducing water usage and non-recyclable trash output.
Migration within Mexico
The continued economic growth within Cabo has picked up within the past ten years, thanks to national and international hotel chains establishing themselves in this corridor. People from all parts of Mexico have emigrated to the area in the hope of better opportunity, which has resulted in steady growth in the neighborhoods in the northwest and west of Cabo San Lucas.Tourism
San José del Cabo
The city of San José del Cabo is located in Baja California Sur Mexico and is the seat of the municipality of Los Cabos at the south end of the Baja California peninsula. In the 2010 census it had a population of 69,788. Together with neighboring Cabo San Lucas it forms a major tourist destination...
. The distinctive El Arco de Cabo San Lucas
El Arco de Cabo San Lucas
El Arco de Cabo San Lucas, or Lands End, Cabo San Lucas is a distinctive rock formation at the southern tip of Cabo San Lucas,which is itself the extreme southern end of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula....
is a local landmark. Cabo San Lucas has the largest marlin tournament
Big-game fishing
Big-game fishing, often referred to as offshore sportfishing, offshore gamefishing, or blue-water fishing is a form of recreational fishing, targeting large fish renowned for their sporting qualities, such as tuna and marlin.-History:...
in the world. In the winter, pods of whales can be observed in the ocean. They bear their calves in the warm waters there.
Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo are served by Los Cabos International Airport
Los Cabos International Airport
Los Cabos International Airport is the seventh busiest airport in Mexico, located at San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico. The airport serves Los Cabos area: San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas. This airport has three terminals with 4 concourses...
. The town is also a popular port of call for many cruise ship
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
s. Cabo San Lucas has a small international airfield
Cabo San Lucas International Airport
Cabo San Lucas International Airport is a small international airfield located northwest of Cabo San Lucas in Baja California Sur, Mexico.The airport has air taxi service...
, which handles air traffic for general aviation flights and air taxi service.
In 1990 rock musician Sammy Hagar
Sammy Hagar
Sam Roy "Sammy" Hagar , also known as The Red Rocker, is an American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Also sings Country Music....
of Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
opened a nightclub and restaurant, the Cabo Wabo Cantina, with the three other members of Van Halen. In the mid-nineties he bought out the other owners, his band-mates, and assumed complete ownership of the club. He is known to play live at the club at least once a year with his band, The Wabos on his birthday, October 13, and shows often include many famous guests and friends from the music industry. Other clubs in Cabo include Pink Kitty Nightclub, Mandala, El Squid Roe, No Worry's Bar & Grill, Gigglin Marlin, NoWhere Bar, Tiki Bar, The Usual Suspects and The Jungle Bar. Tourists may also take horserides through the desert and parasail on the beach.
The English language newspaper for Cabo San Lucas is the Gringo Gazette, a bi-weekly newspaper, with news on tourist activities in Cabo San Lucas, San Jose, Todos Santos, La Paz and the East Cape Baja.
The Corridor
Also known as the corredor del oro (Golden Corridor), the Corridor is where most tourists go and newcomers settled down in retirement homes.Cabo San Lucas's raucous party atmosphere and San José’s laid-back colonial style are bridged by a golf course-and resort-studded Tourist Corridor that stretches between the twin towns in 20 miles of pristine beaches and craggy coves. Exclusive hotels and gated residential communities attracting a wide clientele of rich and famous are found here. Many of these properties have become havens to Hollywood stars, Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
C.E.O.s and even the U.S. President during the 2002 Asia-Pacific Economic Conference
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim countries that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region...
(APEC). High-end resorts in the Corridor include the One and Only Palmilla, Esperanza and Las Ventanas.
Now the majority of inhabitants (70-80%) in the community originate from the United States.
Climate
During summer Cabo San Lucas is cooler than San José del Cabo by about 3°F to 5°F. Sometimes during the summer, when winds blow from the Pacific Ocean instead of the Gulf of California, the differences in temperatures between San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas are higher.
Cabo San Lucas is less rainy than San José del Cabo although hurricanes can bring heavy rain for long periods but because of the position of the city and orography the local thunder storms of the summer do not get near enough to bring rain to the town.
Average rain in the year: 9.63 inches or 244.7mm
See also
- Baja California SurBaja California SurBaja California Sur , is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state on October 8, 1974, the area was known as the South Territory of Baja California. It has an area of , or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises...
- Los Cabos International AirportLos Cabos International AirportLos Cabos International Airport is the seventh busiest airport in Mexico, located at San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico. The airport serves Los Cabos area: San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas. This airport has three terminals with 4 concourses...
- Cabo San Lucas International AirportCabo San Lucas International AirportCabo San Lucas International Airport is a small international airfield located northwest of Cabo San Lucas in Baja California Sur, Mexico.The airport has air taxi service...
- Gulf of CaliforniaGulf of CaliforniaThe Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
- Sebastián VizcaínoSebastián VizcaínoSebastián Vizcaíno was a Spanish soldier, entrepreneur, explorer, and diplomat whose varied roles took him to New Spain, the Philippines, the Baja California peninsula, the California coast and Japan.-Early career:...
- Baja California PeninsulaBaja California PeninsulaThe Baja California peninsula , is a peninsula in northwestern Mexico. Its land mass separates the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California. The Peninsula extends from Mexicali, Baja California in the north to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur in the south.The total area of the Baja California...
- Mexican Federal Highway 1Mexican Federal Highway 1Mexican Federal Highway No. 1 follows the length of the Baja California Peninsula from Cabo San Lucas , at the southern end to Tijuana in the north...
- Mexican Federal Highway 19Mexican Federal Highway 19Mexican federal highway No. 19 runs along the Pacific coast of Baja California Peninsula from Cabo San Lucas up to Todos Santos where it turns inland and eventually joins Mexican Federal Highway 1 a few miles south of San Pedro, Baja California Sur.-Towns and landmarks:* San Pedro* Todos Santos*...