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Ciudad Constitution
The political seat of the municipality
of Comondú is located on the transpeninsular
Highway, 91 miles southwest of Loreto and 131
miles north of La Paz, in the agricultural heart
of Santo Domingo Valley. The local economy is
based on farming, livestock raising and, to a
lesser degree, on commerce.
The community is justly proud
of the generations of hardworking men and women
who have turned the desert into a veritable orchard.
Comondú offers a variety of services for
visitors and for those just passing through, including
hotels, restaurants, gas stations, banks, convenience
stores, travel agencies, a bus terminal, a trailer
park and leisure and recreational facilities.
Outside the city are several
ostrich ranches, including the “Santa Fe”,
a short ten-minute drive away. Tourists are welcome
to visit this large ranch, one of the country’s
leading producers of ostrich meat for export.
Another interesting site is
Invernaderos Comundú, S.A., an agricultural
concern that produces 1.2 million crates of tomatoes
a year, principally cherry, round and cluster
varieties, for export to the United States.
Every year the region celebrates
EXPO COMONDÚ in the month of July, a two-week-long
fair where the local community exhibits the wide
range of its economic activities: handcrafts,
small businesses, fishing, tourism and industry.
There are also artistic events with regional and
national performers, athletic activities and special
events.
Puerto San Carlos
This splendid natural setting
includes Margarita and Magdalena islands, with
their dunes of fine sand offering majestic views
over the island sea formed by the Magdalena and
Santa Maria bays, a perfect area for ecotourism
and other outdoor activities such as kayaking,
snorkeling and camping.
Bird watches and nature enthusiasts
thrill at the sight of resident and migratory
birds on Patos Island, in the middle of the lagoon.
The mangrove swamps and marshes are definitely
worth exploring.
San Carlos is a deepwater port
located on Magdalena Bay. The surrounding waters
have gained fame as the winter home for gray whales;
visitors come from around the world between January
and March to observe these magnificent animals.
This mellow fishing village
has ample tourist facilities to receive the many
visitors who come during the winter months, especially
for the traditional Whale Festival in February.
During the festival, you will also be able to
attend various athletic and cultural events.
Puerto López Mateos
This port,
with this attractive coastline, is located on
the northern part of Magdalena Bay, an area favored
by gray whales for their annual reproductive cycle.
The port has a small but comfortable range of
tourist facilities including hotels, restaurants
and charter boat operators.
From the shoreline, visitors get an unforgettable
view of the scenery, including the white sand
dunes of Magdalena Island. Extensive lagoons,
surrounded by mangrove swamps, are home to thousands
of resident and migratory birds, making this a
favorite spot for bird-watchers, environmental
scientists, kayakers, canoeists and snorkeling
enthusiasts.
Bahìa
Magdalena
Con una superficie de 114,600 hectáreas,
esta bahìa se conecta al mar abierto por
una ancha boca de 33 metros de profundidad media.
Es un espacio de descanso, refugio, apareamiento
y criadero de especies marinas y aves migratorias,
como la ballena gris, tortugas, delfines, lobos
marinos, fragatas, garzas, gaviotas y águilas
pescadoras.
Para los pescadores de la región
resulta de gran importancia comercial debido a
que en sus aguas se captura camarón, langosta,
adulón, almejas, lenguado, caracol, mero
y pargo.
Magdalena Bay Photo
Covering an area of 283,000
acres, this bay is connected to the open sea by
a wide inlet with an average depth of over 100
feet. Countless marine animals and migratory birds,
including the gray whale, tortoises, dolphins,
sea lions, frigate birds, herons, gulls and ospreys,
make their way to Magdalena Bay to feed, rest,
mate and raise their young.
Local fishermen harvest the
bay for shrimp, lobster, abalone, clams and other
shellfish, flounder, grouper and red snapper.
THE MISSIONS
San
Luis Gonzaga
In San Domingo Valley, in the
midst of forbidding desert 33 miles southeast
of Ciudad Constitution, is the community of San
Luis Gonzaga, site of the San Luis Gonzaga Mission.
The easiest way to get to the town is by turning
off the La Paz- Ciudad Insurgentes Highway at
approximately km 194, and taking the dirt road
that leads to El iguajil Dam.
In 1721, Father Clemente Guillen
selected the site for an outpost of the Mission
of Nuestra Señora de Dolores (Our Lady
of Sorrows). Later, in 1740, a donation from Luis
de Velazco, Count of Santiago, enabled the missionary
Lambert Hostell to found the San Luis Gonzaga
Mission. Another Jesuit father, Johan Jakob Beagert,
oversaw the construction of the mission church,
which is still in use and in good condition.
At San Luis Gonzaga There are
still signs of the town’s prosperous past,
although the mission buildings themselves were
looted by treasure hunters. It is a unique historical
site, set like an emerald in the middle of the
barren desert, a reminder of the fortitude of
the old Californians who found a way to live in
harmony with their natural surroundings, and of
the faith of those who carried the flame of missionary
zeal to these remote lands.
San José y San Miguel
de Comondú
Tucked away in a lush, hidden
canyon measuring 10 miles long and on average
of just over half a mile wide, opened like a crack
in the heart of the La Giganta Sierra, are the
quaint towns of San Miguel and San José
de Comondú. Time seems to stand still amidst
the vibrant colors of gardens and orchards. Two
miles separate one town from the other, a pleasant
walk in the shade of babble of water flowing trough
the canals.
Together, they are a magnet for visitors interested
in ecotourism, rural tourism, and adventure sports.
Residents also produce and sell fine handcrafts
including baskets, handbags and hand-carved figurines
made with primitive tools, from local stone and
wood from the region.
San Miguel de Comondú
is located 82 miles from Ciudad Constitución
along the Ciudad Insurgentes-La Purísima
highway. Another, more challenging way to reach
these hidden towns is by taking the dirt road
that connects them to San Javier, 30 miles distant.
San José de
Comondú Mission
The missionaries based in Loreto
organized a series of explorations of the peninsula
in search of sites for new missions, and eventually
came across where several Indian tribes had settled.
Here they set up one of the missions founded by
José de la Peña y Castrejón,
y Salzines, the Marquis of Villapuente. In 1708
the missionaries Juan María de Salvatierra,
Juan de Ugarte and Julían Mayorga arrived
at the site. Father Mayorga took charge of the
San José de Comondú Mission, and
is credited with its foundation. He died on November
10th, 1736.
The Austrian missionary, Frank
Inama, was responsible for the construction of
the church, and imposing structure with three
naves. In 1827 the mission was abandoned, and
at the beginning of the 20th century a large portion
of the church was demolished to make way for a
school. Today one of the original naves is still
standing and used for workshop. The huge blocks
of the ruined walls give an idea of the magnitude
of the original building. Three bells survive,
dated 1697, 1708 and 1741, as well several old
houses recognized as national historical monuments.
La Purísima
y San Isidro
La Purísima, located
in the northern part of municipality of Comondú,
was founded at the place called “Cadegomó”
in 1717, by the Jesuit missionary Nicolás
Tamaral. It was the 18th mission founded on the
peninsula of Baja California Sur.
La Purísima and San Isidro,
are peaceful towns, surrounded by hills. The most
famous of these is the cone-shaped “el pilón”,
located in the middle of the stream. Measuring
approximately 1,300 feet from base to summit,
and with its sharp peak, “el pilón”
is a daring challenge for climbers. In the 18th
century, the Jesuit fathers saw in this hill an
abstract form of the Virgin Mary, which they took
to be a divine message to establish a mission
on the spot.
The stream that flows trough
this area has its source in the San Sebastián
Sierra, actually a part of the La Giganta Sierra.
Three tributaries come together to form the stream,
which empties into the Pacific Ocean at La Bocana
de San Gregorio.
San Isidro is located
just 2.5 miles from La Purísima; in fact,
the two towns are very similar. The road to San
Isidro runs along a plateau that descends sharply,
forcing the road to take a sinuous route before
reaching its destination.
La Purísima offers lovely spots for picnicking,
where visitors can swim and fish for carp in absolutely
safety. The area around the spring, the Cantil
Well and the reservoir are perfect for outings.
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