Everything around us has its own history; vestiges of the years that have passed remain. The places we visit bear the traces of countless stories, and the rocks have been canvases that reflect part of the history of those who once walked these South Californian soils.
Perhaps it isn’t the origin, but it does represent the beginning of the identity of what is now recognized as one of the most sought-after destinations, thanks to the immensity of its natural beauty.
The first inhabitants of these regions were divided into three groups: the Pericú or Edu, who occupied the southern part of the peninsula, approximately from Cabo San Lucas to the port of La Paz. The Guaycúra, who grouped the Uchití, the Cora, the Monquis, and the Aripe, occupied the central region, and the Cochimí occupied the rest of the peninsula.
For the most part, they lived outdoors, using caves in cold weather and trees and streams in warm weather to protect themselves from the elements; some built small huts.
It is said that their organizational structure was based on respect for geographical spaces; this allowed them to define their hunting and fruit-gathering boundaries. This organizational structure required extensive knowledge of California territories.
The constant need to search for food prevented them from settling permanently, so they moved with their belongings to different hunting and gathering areas. Women typically carried everything to the subsequent settlement, while men provided the necessary food.
Many questions remain about the lives of these early indigenous settlers. Very little is known about them, but thanks to archaeological, ethnographic, and other research, it has been established that a large part of this peninsula began to be occupied around 9500 BC.
There is no absolute certainty regarding their dialect, so it is estimated that it could be linked to the Guaycura language, which was the most widely used after Cochimí.
According to the State Monograph of the Baja California Sur School of Public Education (SEP) (1991), they had a dietary calendar that consisted of eating mezcal buds year-round: guiguil from March to April, agigandu in May and June, pitaya (the sacred fruit of the pitaya) in June and August, and biznaga (the biznaga), teddá (the teddá) in October, and the fruits of The Pitaya agria (the bitter pitaya) from September to December, and cardón (the cardón) seeds from November to February. They also drank mezcal, in the form we now call tatemado.
Much of the information we know today comes from written accounts, chronicles, and travel books written by 18th-century navigators, as did the Jesuits who came into contact with them during their first attempts at evangelization. Thanks to these writings, it was known that the Pericú were skilled navigators, very cunning at capturing fish, shellfish, and even marine mammals. Although their rafts were built of wood, their oars were double-bladed; they made fishing tools such as harpoons, darts, bows, and arrows.
Their social organization, according to the writings, consisted of groups of between twenty and fifty families, with water as the main point of reference; the social life of these Californios revolved around it. Regarding marriage, the Pericú practiced polygamy. This was not permitted further north; only the chiefs could practice it.
Their political organization was based on the roles assigned to both the chief and the witch doctor. Both chiefs were generally present at the ceremonies, although the witch doctor usually held supreme command. The sharing of the catch and the distribution of furs were among the most important meetings, held in the presence of all the leaders.
The chief could be the head of an extended family or of a larger settlement where all members belonged to the same family. However, the sorcerers held economic power, as they were the ones who received all the tributes and/or the best offerings. Their most significant power was believed to be religious, as they were thought to be the mediators between gods and humans. In turn, they were the ones with the most excellent knowledge of primitive medicines.
While the chief was responsible for guiding his people to the mountains and coasts in search of food and sustenance, he received messages from neighboring tribes and was the one who led them if there were any clashes between neighboring villages.
The first contacts between the Spanish and the Pericú people occurred around 1530, on an expedition sent by Hernán Cortés to the peninsula. Later, Hernán Cortés himself decided to explore these lands, delving into them, leaving much of the knowledge we have today thanks to his travels and chronicles of his voyages.
After many more scattered encounters with explorers, missionaries, pearl divers, and sailors, they occurred between the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Jesuits began to establish the first evangelizing missions only in 1697. It took them more than two decades to reach Los Cabos, where they began to learn various trades and agriculture, gradually erasing all indigenous wisdom and thus imposing the evangelizing religion.
Leading the entire indigenous population to a massive rebellion, both the Pericú and the other peoples of the peninsula rebelled against the Spanish and expeditionaries due to the abuses, theft of their lands, and the exploitation committed by all the foreigners who came to take over their lives.
These wars led to the disappearance of the entire primitive population of these lands.
By 1767, the few remaining Pericú had been trained and tamed by the Jesuits, permanently erasing all the original traits and knowledge of the indigenous community.
We must remember that these lands were first inhabited by people who had their own organized lives, with their own customs, beliefs, and knowledge of the world around them. They were and will be part of the timeline that unites all human beings.
To remember them is to recognize and pay tribute to everything they accomplished in these lands. It’s our responsibility to leave messages in nature itself, which today reveals to us what the period they lived here was like.
With LIFESTYLE – Cabo San Lucas Vacation Villa Rentals, you’ll have the opportunity to discover those places that connect us to the past, taking nature walks where you can observe cave paintings and learn more about how our ancestors lived and ate.
Planning a trip to Los Cabos? You can book a villa with Lifestyle Villa – Vacation Rentals Villas in Los Cabos and enjoy comfort, privacy, and world-class service.
We are always ready to offer you unique and fascinating experiences.
Written by Laura Valdemoros