{"id":8217,"date":"2015-08-08T13:17:14","date_gmt":"2015-08-08T19:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/?p=8217"},"modified":"2016-08-31T09:02:32","modified_gmt":"2016-08-31T15:02:32","slug":"a-brief-history-of-los-cabos-30-million-years-at-lands-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/2015\/08\/a-brief-history-of-los-cabos-30-million-years-at-lands-end\/","title":{"rendered":"A Brief History of Los Cabos: 30 Million Years at Land\u2019s End"},"content":{"rendered":"

The granite rock formations that extend to Land End in Cabo San Lucas<\/a> have, over time, become much more than mere boundary markers or evocatively shaped oddities. The jutting promontory is a living symbol of the city, a sort of cinematic shorthand; and to see so much as a silhouette is to know exactly where you are in the world.<\/p>\n

El Arco<\/a>, in particular, is now as symbolically synonymous with Cabo San Lucas as White Cliffs with Dover or the Rock with Gibraltar. The naturally formed Arch bounded by two immense bodies of water\u2013the Sea of Cort\u00e9s and Pacific Ocean\u2013is a staple image on postcards and photographs, on souvenir T-shirts, shot glasses, and tequila bottles. It\u2019s co-opted for packaging and advertising campaigns and splashed across the front of travel brochures and local lifestyle magazines.<\/p>\n

\"LE1\"<\/a>

An aerial view of Land\u2019s End and the Cabo San Lucas Marina. Image courtesy of Joe Tyson Photography<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Hotels and luxurious resorts vie for the best vantages of El Arco, and the romantic attractions of area restaurants are often judged by the quality of their sunset views of Land\u2019s End. Boat tours, even those dedicated to whale watching or snorkeling in neighboring bays, always include up-close looks at the headland\u2019s signature landmarks, from Lover\u2019s Beach<\/a> to La Lobera.<\/p>\n

In addition to its geographic and symbolic importance, Land\u2019s End is also immensely important historically, and a thriving habitat for native flora and fauna, both above and below the waterline. Sea birds roost on craggy perches. Sea lions bask and bark. Marine life teems in the nutrient rich waters that hug the shore.<\/p>\n

\"LE2\"<\/a>

El Arco, or The Arch, is the natural landmark most closely associated with Cabo San Lucas. El Cerro Blanco is at the far left. Image courtesy of Joe Tyson Photography.<\/p><\/div>\n

At dawn atop El Vig\u00eda (The Watcher), the large, humplike hill whose crest marks the high-point (500 feet) of the Land\u2019s End headland, the rising sun covers land and sea with a blanket of red-gold light, before slowly unveiling the slow-rolling waves of the Pacific that stretch to the western horizon. It\u2019s a scene that has been repeated innumerable times, and witnessed by innumerable generations of inhabitants, human and otherwise.<\/p>\n

Although hikers and divers are constantly discovering new finds\u2013the latest was a shipwreck uncovered again following Hurricane Odile<\/a>\u2013the rock formations at Land\u2019s End are almost unfathomably old. They existed long before the Sea of Cort\u00e9s was formed, and long before the Baja Peninsula separated itself from the Mexican mainland.<\/p>\n

According to Oscar Ort\u00edz, owner of adventure activities specialist Cabo Expeditions<\/a>\u00a0and one of the most knowledgeable local history guides, Land\u2019s End dates to 30 million years ago, at approximately the point when the first natural processes were setting in motion the inconceivably slow-moving chain reaction that eventually resulted in the headland\u2019s present formation and location.<\/p>\n

\"LE3\"<\/a>

An aerial view of Land\u2019s End. Image courtesy of Joe Tyson Photography.<\/p><\/div>\n

For some perspective, the Sea of Cort\u00e9s was born about 5.3 million years ago. So for more than 25 million years\u2013a vast expanse of time\u2013tectonic plate shifting and other geological processes were inexorably moving the Baja California peninsula towards its present position.<\/p>\n

Fascinatingly enough, as Ort\u00edz points out, the Baja Peninsula broke away from the mainland from the top down\u2013at the terminus of the Colorado River\u2013and during the course of its lengthy evolution underwent a surprising number of transformations. The Sierra de la Laguna, the mountain chain that forms the spine of present day Baja California Sur, for instance, was so named because the area was once surrounded by a vast lagoon. In fact, most of the state south of La Paz was once an island, before the inevitable march of time slowly knitted the land back together again.<\/p>\n

\"LE4\"<\/a>

An aerial view of Cabo San Lucas. Image courtesy of Joe Tyson Photography.<\/p><\/div>\n

Any tour of Land\u2019s End<\/a> and its many unique landmarks and underwater points of interest necessarily begins near the old tuna cannery, which for many years\u2013before the age of tourism\u2013was the center of commerce in Cabo San Lucas. Hills dotted with cholla (the cactus for whom native residents, or choyeros<\/em>, are named) and fuzzy viejito (little old man) cactus, among other low-lying vegetation, climb upwards toward the peak of Cerro del Vig\u00eda from behind the cannery. A sign on the first hill reads No Vende<\/em> (not for sale), and atop El Vig\u00eda is a small white cross that was presumably planted to seek protection for local inhabitants, although it is also rumored that this was once a traditional Peric\u00fa\u00a0burial ground.<\/p>\n

\"LE6\"<\/a>

View of the Cabo San Lucas Marina and Playa El M\u00e9dano from a bluff on Cerro del Vig\u00eda. Image courtesy of Chris Sands.<\/p><\/div>\n

The beach that fronts the cannery, Playa Coral Negro<\/a>, is the first of the three so-called Cannery Beaches that look out from Land\u2019s End upon the calm waters of Bah\u00eda Cabo San Lucas (Cabo San Lucas Bay). El Balc\u00f3n (The Balcony), and Playa Escondida (Hidden Beach) follow, and are the last sandy stretches before the beautiful and oft-visited Playa del Amor (Lover\u2019s Beach).<\/p>\n

Granite pinnacles extend out of the water near land, the first notable one being Pelican Rock. Much of the abundant marine life for which the area is famed is due to upwelling, a phenomenon that pushes cooler, nutrient rich waters towards the surface. Coral polyps on the underside of Pelican Rock create oxygen, further enhancing the nutrient rich environment, and drawing a profusion of colorful feeders, including king angelfish, pufferfish, parrotfish, surgeon fish and guitarfish. As a consequence of its tropical color, and proximity to nearby sandfalls, this is one of the best dive sites in the bay, and a particularly popular spot for night dives.<\/p>\n

\"LE5\"<\/a>

A map showing landmarks and underwater dive sites at Land\u2019s End.<\/p><\/div>\n

Play del Amor, or Lover\u2019s Beach, is a perennially popular spot for sun-seekers, picnickers, resting kayakers, and those that just want to enjoy the gorgeous views of the coastline, from Cabo San Lucas to Punta Ballena (Whale Point, so named because its shape approximates the head of a whale). Water taxis are the preferred mode of transportation to Lover\u2019 Beach, and rides can be arranged around the Marina, or from Playa El M\u00e9dano<\/a> (Medano Beach). The swimming and snorkeling are excellent here, although those that walk through the rock bounded passage to Playa del Divorcio (Divorce Beach) should avoid swimming on that side, due to strong Pacific Ocean rip currents.<\/p>\n

During days gone by, Playa del Amor was often referred to as Do\u00f1a Chepa, or Do\u00f1a Chepita, after, as legend has it, a prostitute who had appropriated the area for business purposes. In fact, her activities may have suggested the beach\u2019s current moniker, which, if true, somewhat lessens the romance factor. Nonetheless, this lovely golden sand beach and its gently sloping underwater shelf are among Land\u2019s End\u2019s greatest treasures.<\/p>\n

\"LE7\"<\/a>

An aerial view of Lover\u2019s and Divorce Beaches. Image courtesy of Joe Tyson Photography.<\/p><\/div>\n

Just beyond Lover\u2019s Beach is Neptune\u2019s Finger, another granite pinnacle, this one in the shape, as the name suggests, of a slightly bent finger rising from the deep. Corals, sponges and sea fans are among the most common sights for visiting divers. And beyond that, the Window to the Pacific, a vertical keyhole crack in the rocks at Land\u2019s End that allows boaters on the Sea of Cort\u00e9s side to see through to the Pacific. Boobies and cormorants nest nearby, oblivious to the fuss of photo snapping tourists.<\/p>\n

El Arco, the great arch itself, is also the boundary marker non pareil<\/em>. It divides land from sea\u2013it is the last stretch of uninterrupted land reaching down from Alaska to the southern tip of the 800 mile long Baja California peninsula\u2013sea from sky, and the Sea of Cort\u00e9s from the Pacific Ocean. Beyond it is the passage of water that weaves in between what Steinbeck once called the Friars, the large rocky sentinels that guard the bay. The largest of these is called Cerro Blanco by local fishermen, and is in effect Land\u2019s End, although that designation is given to the entire promontory.<\/p>\n

In front of Cerro Blanco is a large flat rock that hosts the sea lion colony, or La Lobera (The Rookery), and behind it a small pinnacle upon which is invariably a single solitary sea lion, posed as if on the prow of a ship.\u00a0This small pinnacle is known as The Point, and is perhaps the premier dive site at Land\u2019s End, offering up-close looks at sea turtles, sea lions, moray eels, whale sharks, and even the occasional octopus.<\/p>\n

Back in the watery passageway between evocatively shaped granitic formations one sees what is often called Scooby Doo Rock, because of its similarity to a certain cartoon canine. Seen from a different angle, this rock can also resemble a witch. And there is another large rock that looks like a smaller twin of Cerro Blanco. It has no memorable name, so Steinbeck\u2019s dubbing of it and its bigger brother as The Friars (Los Frailes) will have to suffice.<\/p>\n

\"LE9\"<\/a>

Neptune’s Finger, as seen from Lover’s Beach.<\/p><\/div>\n

And there is, of course, the shipwreck, the remains of a cargo ship transporting gypsum plaster from San Marcos Island near Santa Rosal\u00eda that sank off the coast in 1956. Local legend has it that the first mate on the Nuremberg, as it was called, had been gambling heavily en route<\/em>, and had a lost a good deal of his personal fortune. These losses so affected him, it is said, that he knowingly steered the ship to her doom. The Nuremberg had long been covered, until Hurricane Odile, the Category 4 storm that devastated Los Cabos in September 2014, exposed her\u2013or at least her top half\u2013once again. The shipwreck has since formed an artificial reef, and has sparked a great deal of interest as Land\u2019s End newest dive site.<\/p>\n

And, now firmly on the Pacific Ocean side of Land\u2019s End, there is The Pirates Cave, a spade-shaped opening that like many local inlets, coves and caves is reputed to hide long-buried pirate treasures. The area does have a rich pirate history. During the heyday of the lucrative Manila \u2013 Acapulco Galleon Trade<\/a>, English and Dutch privateers waited in ambush behind the protective cover of Land\u2019s End, hoping to sack that treasure laden ships that arrived yearly from Manila, stopping at Aguada Segura<\/em>\u2013San Jose del Cabo\u2019s estuary\u2013to take on fresh water. English captain Thomas Cavendish earned a fortune in gold and goods when he and his men sacked the Santa Ana in 1587, and many others, including Sir Francis Drake and Dutch freebooters\u2013called Pichilingues by the Spaniards\u2013sought to do the same.<\/p>\n

Once clear of The Pirate\u2019s Cave, the rocks open upon beautiful Divorce Beach. Rogue waves and rip currents make it a bit more perilous than neighboring Lover\u2019s Beach, but for pure beauty, this is the premier ground level vantage at Land\u2019s End. Lay upon a large flat rock showing eons of erosion, and polished to incredible smoothness, and watch as the waves roll in across the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, finally crashing upon the shores just below your feet. It\u2019s a sight both meditative and majestic, not least because the sound of waves hitting the beach has been heard from time immemorial. Despite the changes in people and places around it, Land\u2019s End remains the same as it has for 30 million years, and will probably remain for millions more.<\/p>\n

\"LE8\"<\/a>

The Grand Solmar resort at Land\u2019s End. Image courtesy of Joe Tyson Photography.<\/p><\/div>\n

The last stop on the tour, Grand Solmar<\/a>, speaks to the changes. The resort is protected by the first hills at Land\u2019s End on the Pacific Ocean side, a fact which seems fitting because of the building on the other side of the hill: the old cannery. One-time cannery manager Don Luis Bulnes Molleda was the founder of the Solmar Group of resorts, restaurants, and fishing boats, and one of the most important figures in the transition of Cabo San Lucas from tuna packing town to premier tourist destination.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The granite rock formations that extend to Land End in Cabo San Lucas have, over time, become much more than mere boundary markers or evocatively shaped oddities. The jutting promontory is a living symbol of the city, a sort of cinematic shorthand; and to see so much as a silhouette is to know exactly where […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":8220,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[848,1140,21,1327,1328,1329,1337,1325,1324,643,1338,1335,849,1322,42,1334,852,1336,1326,1339,1330,1331,851,1333,997,1323,1332,385],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8217"}],"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=8217"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9959,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8217\/revisions\/9959"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loscabosguide.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}