San Quintín, Baja California
Encyclopedia
San Quintín is a coastal town on the west coast of the Mexican state of Baja California
, in the municipio
of Ensenada
. San Quintín has beautiful beach
es and several places for tourists
to stay. Tourists can enjoy fishing
, camping
, bird watching, surfing
, and clam digging
. It is also in the middle of an important agricultural area, especially for growing strawberries and tomatoes.
The coast is also home to many sand dunes and a popular place for off-road vehicles.
The town is on the west coast of the central Baja California Peninsula
, near the Bahía de San Quintín, 300 km (187 mi) south of the San Ysidro
–Tijuana
international border along Federal Highway 1
.
The Misión Santo Domingo de la Frontera
lies 20 km north of San Quintín.
A drought devastated one of the first wheat harvests, and by 1900 all colonists had abandoned San Quintin. Although individual farmers were economically ruined, the U.S. and British land companies walked away all the richer, a pattern that would recur several times in northern Baja. Remains of the gristmill, railroad causeway, pier, and English cemetery still stand along the perimeter of the inner bay. The English names on the cemetery’s heavily weathered wooden crosses have faded from sight, and more recent Mexican graves are beginning to crowd out their neglected English counterparts. http://www.bajaquest.com/sanquintin/baja14i_1.htm
Off Road Races are very popular in San Quintin.
Bahía de San Quintín: The inner bay.
Bahía Falsa: The outer bay.
Bahía Santa María: South of San Quintín
Malibu Beach: Pacific beach north of town.
Playa Medano: On the Pacific Ocean, running from Picacho Vizcaino south to Cabo San Quintín.
Playa de Oro: Means Beach of Gold.
Playa Santa María: Beach facing Bahía Santa María.
Playa Pabellón: This is the prettiest beach in San Quintín vicinity.
Playa Tranquilo: a few kilometers north of El Rosario
El Socorro: A small town between San Quintín and El Rosario
. It is located at (30°18′57"N 115°49′10"W) (population 7). In the vicinity of this town was a salt marsh
area which was the home of the likely extinct Tule Shrew
and the San Quintin Kangaroo Rat
.
, which runs from Cabo San Lucas
to Tijuana
. By air, the San Quintín Valley is served by severals airstrips:
The San Quintín Airport
is the only paved airstrip in the valley, but is a military field, so it's used for military aviation
purposes only. The closest airports of entry
are Ensenada
and Tijuana.
, a government-run indigenous
community radio
station
that broadcasts in Mixtec, Zapotec
and Triqui, is based in San Quintín.
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, in the municipio
Municipio
Municipio and Município are terms used for country subdivisions. They are often translated as municipality.-Overview:...
of Ensenada
Ensenada (municipality)
The municipality of Ensenada, with a land area of , takes up the majority of the state of Baja California. It is the largest in Mexico by area and the Americas. It contains all of Baja California apart from a strip at the north and, at the northeast extremity of the state, the municipality of...
. San Quintín has beautiful beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es and several places for tourists
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...
to stay. Tourists can enjoy 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....
, camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
, bird watching, surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
, and clam digging
Clam digging
Clam digging is a common means of harvesting clams from below the surface of the tidal mud flats where they live. It is done both recreationally and commercially...
. It is also in the middle of an important agricultural area, especially for growing strawberries and tomatoes.
The coast is also home to many sand dunes and a popular place for off-road vehicles.
The town is on the west coast of the central 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...
, near the Bahía de San Quintín, 300 km (187 mi) south of the San Ysidro
San Ysidro, San Diego, California
San Ysidro is a community in the southern section of San Diego. It is located in the southernmost part of San Diego County, immediately north of the U.S.-Mexico border. It neighbors Otay Mesa West to the north, Otay Mesa to the east, and Nestor and the Tijuana River Valley to the west...
–Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
international border along Federal Highway 1
Mexican Federal Highway 1
Mexican 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...
.
The Misión Santo Domingo de la Frontera
Misión Santo Domingo de la Frontera
Mission Santo Domingo was founded among the Kiliwa Indians of Baja California, Mexico, by the Dominicans Miguel Hidalgo and Manuel García in 1775. It is located near Colonia Vicente Guerrero and northeast of San Quintín Bay ....
lies 20 km north of San Quintín.
History
In the 1880’s, a British land company with plans for a wheat empire purchased much of the San Quintin area from the U.S. – based International Land Company; at the time, ILC owned most of northern Baja. In response to promises of agricultural wealth, around a hundred English colonists purchased subdivided land tracts from the parent company, planted wheat, and constructed a gristmill. For flour transportation, the English built a pier on inner Bahiá San Quintin and began constructing a railway to link up with the Southern Pacific tracks in California. Thirty km of track were laid - including a rail causeway from the west bank of inner Bahiá San Quintin – before the colony failed. A 17-ton, six-wheeled locomotive still lies underwater at the mouth of the bay, the remains of a loading accident for the aborted railway.A drought devastated one of the first wheat harvests, and by 1900 all colonists had abandoned San Quintin. Although individual farmers were economically ruined, the U.S. and British land companies walked away all the richer, a pattern that would recur several times in northern Baja. Remains of the gristmill, railroad causeway, pier, and English cemetery still stand along the perimeter of the inner bay. The English names on the cemetery’s heavily weathered wooden crosses have faded from sight, and more recent Mexican graves are beginning to crowd out their neglected English counterparts. http://www.bajaquest.com/sanquintin/baja14i_1.htm
Sports
Inside and along the San Quintin Bay there are many options for activities including kayaking, boating, fishing, camping, hiking and enjoying off-road activities on the long sand dunes that surround the volcano field west of town. El Molino Viejo (The Old Mill) is the historic bay launch point for anglers for many decades. Navigating outside the bay, the San Quintin Pacific Ocean coastline offers world class sport fishing to anglers who come from points world wide to experience the famous tuna fishing season each year. San Martin Island, just five miles offshore is a diving paradise with crystal clear water along the kelp beds growing on the volcanic island's east shore. Between the island and shoreline the prevalent NW winds keep sails full for sailboats making the day trip down from Ensenada. The vast farmlands and fields outside town as well as the hills to the east are considered some of the best in the Baja California state for hunters. The Punta San Carlos surfing, windsurfing and kiteboarding area is located 100 miles south.Off Road Races are very popular in San Quintin.
Medical Care
The Flying Samaritans from Central California provide free medical care one Saturday per month throughout the year.Bays
Bahía San Ramón: North of San Quintín.Bahía de San Quintín: The inner bay.
Bahía Falsa: The outer bay.
Bahía Santa María: South of San Quintín
Beaches
La Chorera: Pacific beach directly west of town, northwest of Bahia Falsa.Malibu Beach: Pacific beach north of town.
Playa Medano: On the Pacific Ocean, running from Picacho Vizcaino south to Cabo San Quintín.
Playa de Oro: Means Beach of Gold.
Playa Santa María: Beach facing Bahía Santa María.
Playa Pabellón: This is the prettiest beach in San Quintín vicinity.
Playa Tranquilo: a few kilometers north of El Rosario
El Rosario, Baja California
El Rosario is a small town on the west coast of the state of Baja California on Highway 1, 61 kmsouth of San Quintín and 119 km north of Cataviña. The census of 2010 reported a population of 1,704 inhabitants...
Towns
Colonia Vicente Guerrero: a town north of San Quintín. It is located at (30°43′33"N 115°59′20"W) (population 11,455)El Socorro: A small town between San Quintín and El Rosario
El Rosario, Baja California
El Rosario is a small town on the west coast of the state of Baja California on Highway 1, 61 kmsouth of San Quintín and 119 km north of Cataviña. The census of 2010 reported a population of 1,704 inhabitants...
. It is located at (30°18′57"N 115°49′10"W) (population 7). In the vicinity of this town was a salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
area which was the home of the likely extinct Tule Shrew
Tule Shrew
The Tule Shrew is a possibly extinct subspecies of the Ornate Shrew . It was confined to the Baja California peninsula in Mexico.-Description:...
and the San Quintin Kangaroo Rat
San Quintin Kangaroo Rat
The San Quintin Kangaroo Rat is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is endemic to Mexico, where it is known only from western Baja California. The natural habitat of the species is hot deserts. It is threatened by conversion of its habitat to agriculture...
.
Transportation
By land, San Quintín is communicated by the Federal Highway 1Mexican Federal Highway 1
Mexican 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...
, which runs from Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas , commonly called Cabo, is a city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the municipality of Los Cabos in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,463 people...
to Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
. By air, the San Quintín Valley is served by severals airstrips:
- Campo de Lorenzo SkyparkCampo de Lorenzo SkyparkCampo de Lorenzo Airpark is a privately-owned public-use dirt airstrip located 6 miles South of San Quintín, Municipality of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, just on the shore of the Pacific Ocean. This airport is used solely for general aviation purposes....
- Cielito Lindo.Cielito Lindo AirstripCielito Lindo Airstrip is a public-use dirt airstrip located South of San Quintín, Municipality of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, just on the Pacific Ocean coast, near the "La Pinta" Hotel. The airstrip is used solely for general aviation purposes. The CND code is used as identifier.-External...
- El Buen Pastor AirstripEl Buen Pastor AirstripEl Buen Pastor Airstrip is a public dirt airstrip located in San Quintín, Municipality of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, near the Federal Highway 1. The airstrip is part of a medical clinic operated by the Mexican Medical Ministries, an interdenominational non-profit organization dedicated to...
- El Pedregal.El Pedregal AirstripEl Pedregal Airstrip is a private dirt airstrip located South West of San Quintín, Municipality of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, just on the headland of the San Quintín Bay. The airstrip is used solely for general aviation purposes.-External links:*...
- Los Pinos.Los Pinos AirstripLos Pinos Airstrip is a public dirt airstrip located South of San Quintín, Municipality of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, just on the East side of the Federal Highway 1, to the East of "La Pinta Hotel" and Cielito Lindo Airstrip. The Flying Samaritans operate a monthly fly-in clinic here. The...
- Rancho Magaña.Rancho Magaña AirstripRancho Magaña Airstrip is a privately-owned public-use dirt airstrip located North of San Quintín, Municipality of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, just on the East side of the Federal Highway 1. The airstrip is used solely for general aviation purposes. The MAG code is used as...
The San Quintín Airport
San Quintín Military Airstrip
San Quintín Military Airstrip is the military airstrip located at Military Camp Number 2-D, located in San Quintín, Municipality of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, in the San Quintín Valley. The airport is handled by the Mexican Army and is used solely for military aviation purposes.-External...
is the only paved airstrip in the valley, but is a military field, so it's used for military aviation
Military aviation
Military aviation is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling warfare, including national airlift capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a theater or along a front. Air power includes the national means of conducting such...
purposes only. The closest airports of entry
Airport of Entry
An airport of entry is an airport that provides customs and immigration services for incoming flights. These services allow the airport to serve as an initial port of entry for foreign visitors arriving in a country.-Africa:-Americas:-Asia:...
are Ensenada
Ensenada Airport
Ensenada Airport functions as the "El Ciprés" Military Airbase Number 3, operated by the Mexican Air Force. It is located 3 km south of Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. Besides military air operations, it handles general aviation services for the city of Ensenada. It is an official airport...
and Tijuana.
Media
XEQIN-AMXEQIN-AM
XEQIN-AM is an indigenous community radio station that broadcasts in Spanish, Mixtec, Zapotec and Triqui from San Quintín in the Mexican state of Baja California....
, a government-run indigenous
Indigenous peoples of Mexico
Mexico, in the second article of its Constitution, is defined as a "pluricultural" nation in recognition of the diverse ethnic groups that constitute it, and in which the indigenous peoples are the original foundation...
community radio
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
that broadcasts in Mixtec, Zapotec
Zapotec language
The Zapotec language are a group of closely related indigenous Mesoamerican languages spoken by the Zapotec people from the southwestern-central highlands of Mexico. Present-day native speakers are estimated to number over half a million, with the majority inhabiting the state of Oaxaca....
and Triqui, is based in San Quintín.