History of Los Cabos

Looking Back

The towns neighboring Los Cabos are quickly developing, with imminent future growth to the East, toward Buenavista, on the Sea of Cortez. Los Cabos has a long and fascinating history of explorers, pirates, and natives. The original inhabitants were Pericue Indians of Polynesian descent.

From the 16th century onward, pirates laid in wait to pillage the Manila Galleons returning from the Philippines. Cabo San Lucas was a key navigational point for the Pacific pirates, including the notorious Thomas Cavendish, who sunk the famous Santa Ana in the Cabo San Lucas Bay.

In 1730, Jesuit Padre Tamaral founded the mission at San Jose del Cabo, only to be murdered in a Pericue uprising in 1734; and in 1848, Lieutenant Antonio Mijares was martyred defending San Jose against invading American troops during the Spanish American war.

The pirates' descendants became fishermen, and until the 1960s and 1970s, Cabo San Lucas was a little fishing village with a tuna cannery. The 1980s brought hotels, and a bustling tourist resort grew from the seashells up.

Infrastructure & Growth Benefits

As the Los Cabos area continues to grow, major improvements to the infrastructure are underway to enhance and reconfirm it as a major tourism arena.

During 2008, we saw improvements to the commercial areas of Los Cabos International Airport, the 6th most vital airport in Mexico and the most important airport in all of Baja. During 2009, we will witness the commencement of a new fixed base operation (FBO) for private aircraft, the new mega Terminal 4, and we look forward to hosting over 3 million passengers as they pass through its terminals during the coming year.

Par Vial, the name given to the major road construction in Cabo San Lucas, is also scheduled to be finalized in 2009. It will include the improvement of the potable water and sewage systems, the electricity and telephone lines will be going underground, new pavement of the streets and enhanced sidewalks. This urban facelift will not only make the downtown area safer for drivers and pedestrians, but also more beautiful through the installation of green districts, plazas and garden areas.

In addition to the Cabo San Lucas downtown revamp, other areas are growing as well. There's a new, fully functional marina at Puerto Los Cabos, and another one on the drawing board in La Ribera, as part of the Cabo Riviera project.

While the Los Cabos business community expands, more and more professional services are available throughout Los Cabos including American hospitals, air evacuation services and a broad range of English speaking healthcare practitioners. In addition, Los Cabos is home to major department stores and supermarkets such as Costco, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Home Depot, Office Depot, and much more.

With championship golf courses, world-class fishing and an ever growing infrastructure, Los Cabos provides unsurpassed investment opportunities and is simply a great place for your vacation in Mexico.