{"id":4856,"date":"2014-08-24T18:26:41","date_gmt":"2014-08-25T00:26:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/?p=4856"},"modified":"2014-08-24T18:26:41","modified_gmt":"2014-08-25T00:26:41","slug":"under-a-black-flag-the-pirate-themed-pleasures-of-cabo-san-lucas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/2014\/08\/under-a-black-flag-the-pirate-themed-pleasures-of-cabo-san-lucas\/","title":{"rendered":"Under a Black Flag: The Pirate-Themed Pleasures of Cabo San Lucas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cabo San Lucas <\/a>has a long history of piracy, dating back to early days of the Manila\u2013Acapulco Galleon Trade. This immensely lucrative trade route was the means by which Spain funneled valuable resources\u2014including gold, silver, silks, and spices\u2014from its far-flung colonial holdings, which by the late 16th<\/sup> century included the Philippines and much of the Americas.<\/p>\n

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Cruises aboard the Buccaneer Queen evoke the golden age of piracy in Cabo San Lucas.<\/p><\/div>\n

The trade route extended from the Philippines to Acapulco, then overland to Veracruz and finally\u00a0to Spain. During the first half of this sea voyage, ships used the arch at Land\u2019s End as a navigational aid, since the typical itinerary included taking on fresh water at San Jos\u00e9 del Cabo<\/a> before proceeding down the Pacific Coast of M\u00e9xico to Acapulco.<\/p>\n

The incredible wealth these ships carried, combined with their predictable routes and the natural cover provided by the rock formations at Land\u2019s End, produced a predictable result: Cabo San Lucas Bay became infested with pirates, particularly English and Dutch privateers, who were sanctioned by their governments to, in essence, harry the competition.<\/p>\n

By the 1570s\u2014the Baja California Peninsula has been claimed by Spain at this point but had yet to be settled by anyone but Peric\u00faes (Native Americans)\u2014legendary privateers like Sir Francis Drake and Sir Thomas Cavendish were patrolling the local waters, attacking treasure laden prey. Cavendish took the ultimate prize in 1578, sacking the supposedly invincible\u00a0galleon Santa Ana and seizing a fortune in gold and silver. To this day local legends still exist about the final resting places for much of this haul, as well as other ill-gotten Spanish booty.<\/p>\n

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Comfort food favorites and pirate-themed memorabilia are highlights at Jack’s Bar and Grill, located in the Marina Golden Zone.<\/p><\/div>\n

For history buffs interested in Los Cabos<\/a>\u2019 golden age of piracy\u2014the Manila \u2013 Acapulco galleon trade officially ended in 1815, but piracy declined once Spain began to settle the area during the first half of the 18th<\/sup> century\u2014the local museum of natural history, Museo Cabo San Lucas<\/strong> (624-105-0661), is a great place to visit. It\u2019s located on the town square, and in addition to exhibitions about local geography and marine life, it features historical accounts of marauding and buccaneering up and down the coast.<\/p>\n

For those less interested in factual narratives than the swashbuckling spirit of the age, however, there are many more activities<\/a> available. Local businesses often revel in the region\u2019s piratical past, and several area boats, clubs and restaurants<\/a> that offer themed pleasures premised on the eye-patch and peg-leg wearing lifestyle. Here are a few of the top options:<\/p>\n

Buccaneer Queen<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Los Cabos has long been home to pirate-themed boats like Sunderland and Cabo Legend, but the black-flag-flying Buccaneer Queen takes the fantasy to another level: This 98-foot replica ship actually looks as if it could have sailed the Spanish Main. Afternoon tours are perfect for both children and adults. Kids will appreciate the sword fights between costumed crew members. Adults can get their fill of grog from the foredeck bar, and walk the plank before snorkeling in the fish-rich waters of Chileno Bay. Luau and sunset cruises also provide a suitably salty introduction to sailing the Sea of Cort\u00e9s.<\/p>\n

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Nikki Beach Club specializes in sexy themed parties, like its\u00a0recent Pirates of the Caribbean event.<\/p><\/div>\n

Jack\u2019s Bar and Grill<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Named for the most famous character in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise, this scurvy stronghold in the midst of the Marina Golden Zone is filled with nautical memorabilia, from statues and skulls to ship models and a ceiling that doubles as a giant treasure map. It\u2019s the perfect place to sip rum and watch the latest sporting events\u2014 hopefully, the Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Raiders, or Tampa Bay Buccaneers are playing\u2014or to replenish your own ship\u2019s stores with comfort food favorites like chicken wings and the Jack\u2019s Burger topped with bacon, cheese, and caramelized onions. The menu is noticeably short on hardtack, but that\u2019s probably a good thing.<\/p>\n

Theme Parties<\/strong><\/p>\n

Costume parties and other themed entertainments are a staple of the local social scene. Nikki Beach, a hip poolside club at the boutique ME Cabo Hotel<\/a> on M\u00e9dano Beach, occasionally hosts Pirates of the Caribbean events\u2014the latest was last weekend, August 16\u2014with all the paraphernalia and idioms one might expect, as well as the sort of thumping house beats and bikini fashions not normally associated with coastal freebooting. For information about upcoming events, pirate-themed and otherwise, visit\u00a0www.nikkibeachcabo.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cabo San Lucas has a long history of piracy, dating back to early days of the Manila\u2013Acapulco Galleon Trade. This immensely lucrative trade route was the means by which Spain funneled valuable resources\u2014including gold, silver, silks, and spices\u2014from its far-flung colonial holdings, which by the late 16th century included the Philippines and much of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":4860,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[740,1001,1002,1004,993,21,995,1007,42,1005,1000,999,1006,559,112,1003],"class_list":["post-4856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","tag-activities-2","tag-baja-calfifornia-sur","tag-boats","tag-booty","tag-buccaneer-queen","tag-cabo-san-lucas","tag-cruises","tag-jacks-bar-and-grill","tag-los-cabos","tag-manila-acapulco-galleon-trade","tag-piracy","tag-pirates","tag-pirates-of-the-caribbean","tag-restaurants-2","tag-san-jose-del-cabo","tag-treasure-hunt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4856"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4894,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4856\/revisions\/4894"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}