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The Town
The name of Mulegé comes from the Cochimi
words “Carmaañc
galexa”, which mean large
white-mouthed canyon. The Jesuit priest
Juan María de Salvatierra discovered the
small town, located on the shores of the Sea of
Cortez, in 1702. Date palms, olive groves, and
mango, guava, orange and fig trees offer natives
and visitors alike the chance to enjoy freshly-picked
tropical fruits in the desert, while refreshing
breezes blow in off the river and the lagoon on
the edge of town, and beyond them, the open sea.
THE TOWN/PLACES TO VISIT
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Santa Rosalía de Mulegé Mission
The third mission of Baja California Sur was founded
in 1705; the Jesuit Francisco Escalante completed
the construction of the mission church in 1766.
The stone structure, characterized by its unusual
“L”
shape and the tower set back several meters
from the main facade, was abandoned in 1828 due
to a lack of population, but has since been restored
over the years ton near-original condition. Inside
the church are a perfectly preserved statue of
Saint Rosalia and a bell, both dating from the
18th century.
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REGIONAL MUSEUM
Famous for being the only jail without bars that
ever existed in Baja California Sur, the old “Cananea”
has been converted into a museum of history and
anthropology, exhibiting archeological finds,
fossils, ancient tools and other artifacts from
the region’s past.
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EL GALLITO DUNES
Hills of soft on the edge of the beach invite
the fun loving to bring their sand boards and
ATVs, or just to kick off their shoes for a romp
on the dunes.
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CONCEPCION BAY
A short drive south of Mulegé, this bay
boasts some of the most spectacular views on the
entire peninsula, with its necklace of white sandy
beaches and its coves protected by enormous cliffs
and majestic stretches of desert.
The breathtaking clarity of
the water in the Sea of Cortez invites divers
and snorkelers to explore the underwater treasures
of this bay. Other aquatic sports are available
above the surface. Kayaks, Hobie cats and sailboats
set out from the most popular beaches-Punta Prieta,
Punta Arena, Santispac, Eco-mundo, La Escondida,
El Burro, Requesón and Coyote.
Services such as trailer parks,
ecological camp sites, restaurants and outfitters
offer outdoor-lovers everything they need to commune
with nature, to relax and enjoy.
PINTURAS RUPESTRES
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SAN BORJITA CAVE
Hidden in the San Francisco Mountains, 40 miles
from Mulegé, the San Bortija Cave houses
an impressive collection of cave paintings. A
wall measuring 13 feet high and 98 feet wide served
as the canvas for anonymous artists who long ago
painted human figures in ochre and black, with
what seem to be lances and arrows sticking though
them; some have square heads. Animal figures such
as deer, coyotes, whales and fish complete this
enigmatic composition.
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SANTA ROSALIA
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Santa Rosalía also
looks out over the Sea of Cortez. Its authentic
French architecture gives it a completely
different feel from any other town in Mexico.
In 1885 President Porfirio Díaz gave
the French firm El Boleo the concession to
mine the rich copper deposits found nearby.
Presently, different plans are being considered
to renovate the old mining facilities and
use them for cultural and social events.
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SANTA ROSALIA/PLACES TO
VISIT
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Santa Barbara Church
The first-prefabricated
church in Mexico was designated by Gustave Eiffel
en 1884, and exhibited at the Paris World’s
fair in 1889. It was installed in Santa Barbara
in 1897. Curiously enough, the saint that is venerated
inside the church in not Saint Rosalia, But Saint
Barbara.
Built entirely of iron, the
church has extremely valuable stained glass windows
behind the altar and Gothic-style retable imported
from Europe.
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Museum and Municipal Archives
This handsome building, built entirely of wood,
is also attributed to Gustave Eiffel. Construction
began in 1885 and the building was finished in
1900. The façade has a porch running the
width of the, with attractive wooden railings
and latticework.
This French-style building houses
on interesting collection of tools and other objects
that recall the region’s prosperous mining
past.
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San Marcos Island
Boats leaving from the docks at San Rosalía
take visitors to the world’s largest gypsum
mine, located on San Marcos Island. Miners live
in a small town on one side of the island and
the waters offshore attract expert divers who
explore the coral banks and observe marine species
such as sharks and dogfish.
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Tres Vírgenes volcano
 A
favorite site for thrill-seeking mountain and
rock-climbers, this mountain rises
to 5,350 feet above sea level. From its
peak visitors can look far out over the splendid
Sea of Cortez. There are also trails for mountain
bikers, and lovely spots for camping. This volcano
presents a certain degree of difficulty, and it’s
thus recommended only for experienced climbers,
especially its south face, which leads up to an
imposing crater.
On the side of this majestic
volcano is the hunting preserve of the bighorn
Sheep, a highly prized trophy for hunters who
come from to November to march in search of adventure.
The preserve can supply guides, carriers, interpreters,
(if necessary), vehicles and other equipment required
by hunters who aim to bag a bighorn during an
approximately 10-day hunting trip.
San
Ignacio The
Town
San Ignacio, gateway to the cave paintings of
the San Francisco Sierra, rises up out of the
surrounding desert like a veritable paradise.
The underground river that emerges from the ground
forms a lake surrounded by reeds. The Jesuit missionary
Francisco Ma discovered this place on November
19th, 1716. Piccolo. The original inhabitants
were Cochimí Indians, who called the place
Kadacaamán, meaning “stream of reeds”.
The National Institute for Archeology
and History has an office in San Ignacio, which
issues permits to hike into the of San Francisco
sierra and observe the caves that contain paintings.
Local inhabitants act as guides, since visitors
are not allowed to go into the mountains by themselves.
Places to Visit
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San Ignacio de Loyola Misión
 The
Mexican Jesuit missionary Juan Bautista Luyando
founded this mission in 1728. Blocks of volcanic
stone almost 4 feet thick were used to build the
church. Construction was completed in 1786 under
the direction of the Dominican missionary Juan
Crisóstomo Gómez.
The solidity of its walls has
kept the façade virtually intact. Many
experts consider this church to be one of the
most beautiful in the state because of its carved
stone ornamentation. The highlight of the interior
is an enormous altar of carved wood and gold leaf
with seven oil paintings and a statue of Saint
Ignatius of Loyola, a jewel of 18th century art.
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San Ignacio Lagoon Photo#047
Gray whales visit this splendid sanctuary, bathed
by the waters of the Pacific Ocean, every year
from January to march. These marine mammals offer
an unforgettable spectacle mating, giving birth,
and playing as if on display. They can see up-close
by visitors to the lagoon, with the help of different
eco-tourism camp operator licensed to take whale-watchers
out in their boats. Services include bilingual
guides.
In harmony with the natural
setting, you can undertake any numbers of activities,
including hiking, riding on ATVs, bird watching
on the lagoon, kayaking, surfing and diving.
Pelícano, San Ignacio, Malcomb and Delgadillo
islands, and the Delgadillo islet in the Pacific
Ocean, also form part of the San Ignacio lagoon
system.
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Ratón (Mouse) Cave
To reach the cave, you will have to take a 23-mile
dirt road from the town of San Ignacio into the
majestic San Francisco Mountains. Inside the cave
is a mural like painting with larger-than-life
human and animal figures. The humans are almost
all masculine figures, with no face and with headdresses
that historical sources and shamans. The animals,
mostly deer, hare and sheep, are depicted being
shot whit lances, arrows and darts. Experts have
interpreted the mural as a hunting scene, or else
some kind of magical combat.
Researches have been studying
the Raton Cave mural since 1994, and it now forms
part of preservation project involving the National
Institute for History and Anthropology, the Getty
Preservation Institute in Los Angeles, and government
of Baja California Sure.
The wrecked ship remained for
several decades, a reminder to mariners of the
dangers of the lagoon’s inlet. Its name
was translated into Spanish as Guerrero Negro,
and to this day the town and the lagoon bear witness
to that long-ago shipwreck.
GUERRERO NEGRO/PLACES TO VISIT
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Salt Works
 The
climatic conditions-wind, sun, scant rainfall-together
impermeable soil, have contributed to making Guerrero
Negro the site of the world’s largest open-air
salt works. All year long, sea salt is obtained
here trough the evaporation method. Visits to
the enormous complex are permitted, but not on
massive scale for safety reasons. Visitors travel
whit sediments from the salt-washing process,
to see the 46 salt pans installed throughout this
open-air complex that covers more than 100 thousand
acres and producers and exports 7 million tons
of salt a year.
Among the vast salt plains,
the company has set aside wetlands that provide
food for a wealth of bird species. Cormorants,
white pelicans, eagles, hawks, falcons, sparrows,
finches, mockingbirds and over 80 other species
makes their home here. The habitat is strictly
protected, and nesting sites have been installed
for birds of prey.
Marine animals and plants, mats
old micro-algae an huge accumulation of brine
are the food sources for these resident and migratory
birds, including two species found nowhere else:
ospreys and peregrine falcons.
According to company estimates,
the salt works are visited over the course of
the year by 173,000 birds, with monthly concentrations
ranging from 5,300 to 73,000 birds. Under the
criteria of Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve
Network, Guerrero Negro is an internationally
significant conservation site.
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Guerrero Negro Lagoons
The ojo de Liebre Lagoon, sanctuary of the gray
whale, draws thousands of tourists every year
who come to experience the thrill of a close encounter
with these enormous but gentle creatures. In boats
that seem dwarfed by the whales, visitors can
come surprisingly close to these huge mammals,
and often to their claves as well.
The lagoon complex itself is a spectacular setting,
with dunes of fine white sand making a perfect
backdrop.
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Malarrimo Beach
This beach its fame to the many strange objects
found here. Over the centuries, the Kurosiwo Current,
also known as the Japan Current, has carried everything
from boat engines, lamps, bottles and pictures to
pieces of wrecked galleons and even modern ships
across the Pacific Ocean, to wash up on Malarrimo
Beach, much to the delight of collectors.
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Peninsular Pronghorn Reserve
This ministry of the environment, Natural Resources
and fisheries has joined forces with the Ford
Motor Company and a local nonprofit organization
dedicated to sustainable development and nature
conservation in the Vizcaíno Desert Biosphere,
to implement a recovery plan for this endangered
species. The campaign is called “save the
pronghorn”.
The plan includes three lines of action. The first
is to assure reproduction in semi-captivity, in
order to increase the number of individuals in
a controlled environment. Then there is the protection
and monitoring in a habitat measuring almost 2000
square miles, for the purpose of preventing poaching.
Long-term measures include environmental education
among the local population to enlist their help
in making the project a success, in view of the
well-known fact that the pronghorn’s survival
is threatened more than anything else by human
activity.
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La Concha Cave
To reach this cave, located right in the heart
of the Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, take
the highway out of Guerrero Negro toward Baja
California. The name refers to the shape of a
“concha” –or shell- suggested
by the appearance of the cave at the top of the
mountain. Paintings inside the tiny cave depict
colossal figures painted in two colors, as well
as native animals.
Once you’ve climbed up
to the cave the valley will seem to unfold at
your feet. A wide variety of cacti can be seen:
ancient, enormous cardons, cirios –also
known as boojums- and desert trees such as the
torote.
www.mulege.gob.mx |
