Baja California Sur
Encyclopedia
Baja California Sur (ˈbaxa kaliˈfornja sur, officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California Sur (Free and Sovereign State of Baja California Sur), (literally: South Lower California), is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District
, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico
. Before becoming a state on October 8, 1974, the area was known as the South Territory of Baja California. It has an area of 73475 km² (28,369 sq mi), or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises the southern half of the Baja California peninsula
, south of the 28th parallel
. It is bordered to the north by the state of Baja California
, to the west by the Pacific Ocean
, and to the east by the Gulf of California
, also known as the "Sea of Cortés." Also, the state has maritime borders with Sonora
and Sinaloa
to the east across the Gulf of California
.
As of 2005, the population was 512,170. The state is home to the tourist resorts of Cabo San Lucas
and San José del Cabo
. Its largest city and capital is La Paz
, a tourist resort and historic landmark. It includes Loreto
, the historic first capital of all three Californias
(Baja California Sur, Baja California
, and California
), the town of Santa Rosalía
which is the site of a historic church designed by Gustave Eiffel
.
It is the smoke stack of the silver smelters in El Triunfo, Baja California Sur that was designed by Gustave Eiffel. Eiffel never visited Baja California Sur, rather his works as an early architect were sold as a 'cookie cutter' design and can be seen in hundreds of locations around the world. Although the silver industry ended full scale production in the 1950's the stack and ruins of the silver industry remain as a significant landmark today.
s in the northern part of the state. The possibility of an even earlier occupation has been raised by radiocarbon dates from a site on Isla Espíritu Santo, but this interpretation still remains controversial.
Before phases of the state's prehistory are manifested in several archaeological complexes:
Four distinct ethnolinguistic groups were encountered in Baja California Sur by the early explorers and missionaries: the Pericú
in the south, between Cabo San Lucas
and La Paz
, and on several of the islands in the Gulf; the Guaycura
from La Paz to south of Loreto
; the Monqui
, in the area around Loreto; and the Cochimí
, in extensive areas throughout the middle of the peninsula.
, a mutineer on an expedition dispatched by the conqueror of central Mexico, Hernán Cortés
in early 1533. Cortés himself led an expedition to the "Island of California
" 1535, but he soon abandoned the fruitless enterprise. In 1539–1542, both coasts of Baja California Sur were reconnoitered by Francisco de Ulloa
and Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo
. Over the next century and a half, a variety of explorers and pearl hunters (including Sebastián Vizcaíno
) visited the peninsula's shores but seem to have had little lasting impact.
The Jesuits
began their involvement in 1683–1685 when Eusebio Francisco Kino
, along with the admiral Isidro de Atondo y Antillón
, made two major but ultimately unsuccessful efforts at colonization, at La Paz
and then at San Bruno
, north of Loreto
. In 1697 the Jesuit missionary Juan María de Salvatierra
established Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó
, the first permanent mission in Baja California Sur. Jesuit control over the peninsula was gradually extended, first in the region around Loreto, then to the south in the Cape region, and finally toward the north across the northern boundary of Baja California Sur.
The Jesuits were expelled from the peninsula in 1768 and replaced by the Franciscans under Junípero Serra
. In 1773, the Franciscans in turn ceded control of the Baja California missions to the Dominicans
. The native population of Baja California Sur steadily diminished during the colonial period, primarily under the impacts of Old World diseases but also in occasional violent conflicts. While the Jesuits had striven to limit lay Spanish or Mexican settlement on the peninsula, fearful of corrupting influences and competing power centers, the missions under the Franciscans and Dominicans had to accept a growing lay presence and increased control from central New Spain.
The peninsula was divided into two separate entities in 1804, with the southern one having the seat of government established in the port of Loreto.
, President Guadalupe Victoria
named Lt. Col. José María Echeandía governor of Baja California Sur and divided it in four municipios (municipalities). In 1830, the capital was moved to La Paz
after Loreto was partially destroyed by heavy rains.
On October 2, 1847 the army of the United States was defeated near the town of Mulegé by Captain Manuel Pineda, as part of the Mexican-American War. As a consequence of this battle, the U.S. army was forced to withdraw from the peninsula and could not lay claim to it as part of the new territories acquired through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
of 1848.
In 1853, a group of 45, led by journalist William Walker, without the authorization of the United States Government, captured the city of La Paz, before the Mexican Army forced the 45 to retreat back to the United States.
The Territory of Baja California was created in 1888 under the government of President Porfirio Díaz
. In 1930, Baja California was again divided into North and South parties, renamed later as North and South districts, then, into North and South territories.
In 1952, the North Territory of Baja California became the 29th state of Mexico, Baja California
. The southern portion, below 28°N, remained a federally administered territory until 1974, when the South Territory of Baja California became the 31st state, Baja California Sur, along with the state of Quintana Roo
.
Parallel to the coast lies the Sierra de la Giganta
, with pine and oak forests. To the west, the coastline flatlands form beautiful plains like the Llanos Santa Clara, Magdalena and Hiray, just to name a few.
The Biosphere Natural Reserve of El Vizcaíno, with its 2500000 hectares (6,177,629 acre), is the largest natural reserve in Latin America. It is located in the Mulegé municipality and extends from the west end of the Vizcaíno Peninsula and the San Ignacio and Ojo de Liebre
lakes, passing over the San Francisco Sierra, to the shores of the Sea of Cortez and the islands in the Gulf of California
.
The state is known for its natural features. The Vizcaíno Desert and small coastal lakes San Ignacio and Ojo de Liebre in the north are protected by the federal government. The state includes the Pacific islands of Natividad, Magdalena, and Santa Margarita, as well as the islands of San Marcos, Coronados, Carmen, Montserrat, Santa Catalina, Santa Cruz, San Diego, San José, San Francisco, Partida, Espíritu Santo, and Cerralvo, which are located in the Gulf of California. Rocas Alijos
are a group of tiny, steep and barren volcanic islets found offshore.
Numerous flora and fauna are found in Baja California Sur. Notable among the tree species is the Elephant tree, Bursera microphylla
, which species exhibits a contorted multi-furcate architecture.
The state population is young - more than half under 29 years of age. Only 2% of the population speaks an indigenous language, mixteco, náhuatl
and zapoteco being the main ones.
Institutions of higher education includes:
(municipios). See
municipalities of Baja California Sur
.
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Before becoming a state on October 8, 1974, the area was known as the South Territory of Baja California. It has an area of 73475 km² (28,369 sq mi), or 3.57% of the land mass of Mexico and comprises the southern half of the Baja California peninsula
Baja California Peninsula
The Baja California peninsula , is a peninsula in northwestern Mexico. Its land mass separates the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California. The Peninsula extends from Mexicali, Baja California in the north to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur in the south.The total area of the Baja California...
, south of the 28th parallel
28th parallel north
The 28th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 28 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America and the Atlantic Ocean....
. It is bordered to the north by the state of Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, to the west by the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, and to the east by the Gulf of California
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
, also known as the "Sea of Cortés." Also, the state has maritime borders with Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
and Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
to the east across the Gulf of California
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
.
As of 2005, the population was 512,170. The state is home to the tourist resorts of Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas , commonly called Cabo, is a city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the municipality of Los Cabos in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,463 people...
and San José del Cabo
San José del Cabo
The city of San José del Cabo is located in Baja California Sur Mexico and is the seat of the municipality of Los Cabos at the south end of the Baja California peninsula. In the 2010 census it had a population of 69,788. Together with neighboring Cabo San Lucas it forms a major tourist destination...
. Its largest city and capital is La Paz
La Paz, Baja California Sur
La Paz is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur and an important regional commercial center. The city had a 2010 census population of 215,178 persons, but its metropolitan population is somewhat larger because of surrounding towns like el Centenario, el Zacatal and San Pedro...
, a tourist resort and historic landmark. It includes Loreto
Loreto, Baja California Sur
Loreto was the first Spanish settlement on the Baja California Peninsula. It served as the capital of Las Californias from 1697 to 1777, and is the current seat of the municipality of Loreto in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur...
, the historic first capital of all three Californias
Las Californias
The Californias, or in — - was the name given by the Spanish to their northwestern territory of New Spain, comprising the present day states of Baja California and Baja California Sur on the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico; and the present day U.S. state of California in the United States of...
(Baja California Sur, Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
), the town of Santa Rosalía
Santa Rosalía, Baja California Sur
Santa Rosalía is a city located on the Baja California peninsula, in the northern part of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. It was named after Saint Rosalia, although the reason for the name is not quite clear since the Misión de Santa Rosalía is not located by the town, but rather in...
which is the site of a historic church designed by Gustave Eiffel
Gustave Eiffel
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel was a French structural engineer from the École Centrale Paris, an architect, an entrepreneur and a specialist of metallic structures...
.
It is the smoke stack of the silver smelters in El Triunfo, Baja California Sur that was designed by Gustave Eiffel. Eiffel never visited Baja California Sur, rather his works as an early architect were sold as a 'cookie cutter' design and can be seen in hundreds of locations around the world. Although the silver industry ended full scale production in the 1950's the stack and ruins of the silver industry remain as a significant landmark today.
Pre-Columbian period
The first inhabitants are thought to have arrived to the peninsula at least 11,000 years ago, to judge by the archaeological discovery of several Clovis pointClovis point
Clovis points are the characteristically-fluted projectile points associated with the North American Clovis culture. They date to the Paleoindian period around 13,500 years ago. Clovis fluted points are named after the city of Clovis, New Mexico, where examples were first found in 1929.At the right...
s in the northern part of the state. The possibility of an even earlier occupation has been raised by radiocarbon dates from a site on Isla Espíritu Santo, but this interpretation still remains controversial.
Before phases of the state's prehistory are manifested in several archaeological complexes:
- The Las Palmas ComplexLas Palmas ComplexThe Las Palmas Complex is an archaeological pattern recognized primarily on the basis of mortuary customs in the Cape region of Baja California Sur, Mexico....
in the Cape Region and on nearby islands in the Gulf of California is primarily a mortuary pattern. Hallmarks include caves or rock shelters containing secondary burials of human bones painted with red ochreOchreOchre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
. - The Comondú ComplexComondú ComplexThe Comondú Complex is an archaeological pattern dating from the late prehistoric period in northern Baja California Sur and southern Baja California. It is associated with the historic Cochimí people of the peninsula....
represents late prehistoric occupation throughout the central portion of the peninsula, perhaps dating between about A.D. 500 and 1700. It is recognized, in particular, by small, triangular projectile points that attest to the introduction of the bow and arrow into the region. - The Great Mural Rock ArtGreat Mural Rock Art, Baja CaliforniaGreat Mural Rock Art consists of prehistoric paintings of humans and animals, often larger than life-size, on the walls and ceilings of natural rock shelters in the mountains of northern Baja California Sur and southern Baja California, Mexico...
is the best-known archaeological phenomenon in northern Baja California Sur. In the Sierra de GuadalupeSierra de Guadalupe cave paintingsThe Sierra de Guadalupe cave paintings are a series of prehistoric rock art pictographs near Rancho La Trinidad, Mulegé in Baja California, Mexico....
and Sierra de San Francisco, many rockshelters contain larger-than-life paintings of humans, deer and other animals.
Four distinct ethnolinguistic groups were encountered in Baja California Sur by the early explorers and missionaries: the Pericú
Pericúes
The Pericú were the aboriginal inhabitants of the Cape Region, the southernmost portion of Baja California Sur, Mexico...
in the south, between Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas , commonly called Cabo, is a city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the municipality of Los Cabos in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,463 people...
and La Paz
La Paz, Baja California Sur
La Paz is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur and an important regional commercial center. The city had a 2010 census population of 215,178 persons, but its metropolitan population is somewhat larger because of surrounding towns like el Centenario, el Zacatal and San Pedro...
, and on several of the islands in the Gulf; the Guaycura
Guaycura
The Guaycura were a native people of Baja California Sur, Mexico, occupying an area extending south from south of Loreto to Todos Santos. They contested the area around La Paz with the Pericú....
from La Paz to south of Loreto
Loreto, Baja California Sur
Loreto was the first Spanish settlement on the Baja California Peninsula. It served as the capital of Las Californias from 1697 to 1777, and is the current seat of the municipality of Loreto in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur...
; the Monqui
Monqui
The Monquis were the Native American inhabitants of the vicinity of Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico, at the time of Spanish contact. Probably first encountered by explorers traveling up the Gulf of California during the sixteenth century, they were subjected to some of the peninsula's earliest...
, in the area around Loreto; and the Cochimí
Cochimi
The Cochimí are the aboriginal inhabitants of the central part of the Baja California peninsula, from El Rosario in the north to San Javier in the south....
, in extensive areas throughout the middle of the peninsula.
Colonial period
The European discovery of Baja California Sur is credited to Fortún XiménezFortún Ximénez
Fortún Ximénez was Spanish sailor who led a mutiny during an early expedition along the coast of Mexico and is the first European known to have landed in Baja California....
, a mutineer on an expedition dispatched by the conqueror of central Mexico, Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
in early 1533. Cortés himself led an expedition to the "Island of California
Island of California
The Island of California refers to a long-held European misconception, dating from the 16th century, that California was not part of mainland North America but rather a large island separated from the continent by a strait now known instead as the Gulf of California.One of the most famous...
" 1535, but he soon abandoned the fruitless enterprise. In 1539–1542, both coasts of Baja California Sur were reconnoitered by Francisco de Ulloa
Francisco de Ulloa
Francisco de Ulloa was a Spanish explorer who explored the west coast of present-day Mexico under the commission of Hernán Cortés...
and Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was a Portuguese explorer noted for his exploration of the west coast of North America on behalf of Spain. Cabrillo was the first European explorer to navigate the coast of present day California in the United States...
. Over the next century and a half, a variety of explorers and pearl hunters (including Sebastián Vizcaíno
Sebastián Vizcaíno
Sebastián Vizcaíno was a Spanish soldier, entrepreneur, explorer, and diplomat whose varied roles took him to New Spain, the Philippines, the Baja California peninsula, the California coast and Japan.-Early career:...
) visited the peninsula's shores but seem to have had little lasting impact.
The Jesuits
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
began their involvement in 1683–1685 when Eusebio Francisco Kino
Eusebio Kino
Eusebio Francisco Kino S.J. was an Italian Roman Catholic priest who became famous in what is now northwestern Mexico and the southwestern United States in the region then known as the Pimaria Alta...
, along with the admiral Isidro de Atondo y Antillón
Isidoro de Atondo y Antillon
The Spanish admiral Isidro de Atondo y Antillón is best known for his role in unsuccessful attempts to establish colonies on the Baja California peninsula in 1683–1865....
, made two major but ultimately unsuccessful efforts at colonization, at La Paz
La Paz, Baja California Sur
La Paz is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur and an important regional commercial center. The city had a 2010 census population of 215,178 persons, but its metropolitan population is somewhat larger because of surrounding towns like el Centenario, el Zacatal and San Pedro...
and then at San Bruno
Misión San Bruno
The short-lived Jesuit mission of San Bruno was established in 1683 on the Gulf of California of Baja California Sur, about 20 kilometers north of the later site of the town of Loreto....
, north of Loreto
Loreto, Baja California Sur
Loreto was the first Spanish settlement on the Baja California Peninsula. It served as the capital of Las Californias from 1697 to 1777, and is the current seat of the municipality of Loreto in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur...
. In 1697 the Jesuit missionary Juan María de Salvatierra
Juan María de Salvatierra
Juan María de Salvatierra was a Catholic missionary to the Americas.His family was of Spanish origin, the name being written originally Salva-Tierra. Born in Milan, Italy, he studied in the Jesuit college of Parma. It was there that he accidentally came across a book upon the "Indian missions,"...
established Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó
Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó
Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó, or Mission Loreto, was founded on October 25, 1697 at the Monqui settlement of Conchó in the present city of Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico...
, the first permanent mission in Baja California Sur. Jesuit control over the peninsula was gradually extended, first in the region around Loreto, then to the south in the Cape region, and finally toward the north across the northern boundary of Baja California Sur.
The Jesuits were expelled from the peninsula in 1768 and replaced by the Franciscans under Junípero Serra
Junípero Serra
Blessed Junípero Serra, O.F.M., , known as Fra Juníper Serra in Catalan, his mother tongue was a Majorcan Franciscan friar who founded the mission chain in Alta California of the Las Californias Province in New Spain—present day California, United States. Fr...
. In 1773, the Franciscans in turn ceded control of the Baja California missions to the Dominicans
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
. The native population of Baja California Sur steadily diminished during the colonial period, primarily under the impacts of Old World diseases but also in occasional violent conflicts. While the Jesuits had striven to limit lay Spanish or Mexican settlement on the peninsula, fearful of corrupting influences and competing power centers, the missions under the Franciscans and Dominicans had to accept a growing lay presence and increased control from central New Spain.
The peninsula was divided into two separate entities in 1804, with the southern one having the seat of government established in the port of Loreto.
- The colonial governors were:
- 1804–1805 Claytoné de Allín (s.a.)
- 1806–1814 Ritchié de Níko
- 1814 - 11 April 1822 José Darío ArgüelloJosé Darío ArgüelloJosé Darío Argüello was a Spanish soldier and California pioneer, and twice governor of California.-Biography:José Darío Argüello was born in Santiago de Querétaro, New Spain ....
Post-independence period
After the Mexican War of IndependenceMexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...
, President Guadalupe Victoria
Guadalupe Victoria
Guadalupe Victoria born José Miguel Ramón Adaucto Fernández y Félix, was a Mexican politician and military man who fought for independence against the Spanish Empire in the Mexican War of Independence. He was a deputy for Durango and a member of the Supreme Executive Power...
named Lt. Col. José María Echeandía governor of Baja California Sur and divided it in four municipios (municipalities). In 1830, the capital was moved to La Paz
La Paz, Baja California Sur
La Paz is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur and an important regional commercial center. The city had a 2010 census population of 215,178 persons, but its metropolitan population is somewhat larger because of surrounding towns like el Centenario, el Zacatal and San Pedro...
after Loreto was partially destroyed by heavy rains.
On October 2, 1847 the army of the United States was defeated near the town of Mulegé by Captain Manuel Pineda, as part of the Mexican-American War. As a consequence of this battle, the U.S. army was forced to withdraw from the peninsula and could not lay claim to it as part of the new territories acquired through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to the interim government of a militarily occupied Mexico City, that ended the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848...
of 1848.
In 1853, a group of 45, led by journalist William Walker, without the authorization of the United States Government, captured the city of La Paz, before the Mexican Army forced the 45 to retreat back to the United States.
The Territory of Baja California was created in 1888 under the government of President Porfirio Díaz
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
. In 1930, Baja California was again divided into North and South parties, renamed later as North and South districts, then, into North and South territories.
In 1952, the North Territory of Baja California became the 29th state of Mexico, Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
. The southern portion, below 28°N, remained a federally administered territory until 1974, when the South Territory of Baja California became the 31st state, Baja California Sur, along with the state of Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....
.
Geography and ecology
Baja California Sur is characterized by deserts, mountains and coastal flatlands. The climate is desert-like in most parts of the state. Plants such as cardon, mezquite and wild-lettuce, mountain lions, and other plants and wildlife characteristic of this ecosystem, are found in the Central and Vizcaino Deserts of Baja California Sur.Parallel to the coast lies the Sierra de la Giganta
Sierra de la Giganta
The Sierra de la Giganta is a mountain range of Baja California Sur state in northwestern Mexico. The range extends parallel to the coast of the Gulf of California, west of the town of Loreto. The Sierra de la Giganta is one of the landforms in the Peninsular Ranges, which extend from Southern...
, with pine and oak forests. To the west, the coastline flatlands form beautiful plains like the Llanos Santa Clara, Magdalena and Hiray, just to name a few.
The Biosphere Natural Reserve of El Vizcaíno, with its 2500000 hectares (6,177,629 acre), is the largest natural reserve in Latin America. It is located in the Mulegé municipality and extends from the west end of the Vizcaíno Peninsula and the San Ignacio and Ojo de Liebre
Laguna Ojo de Liebre
Laguna Ojo de Liebre , translated into English as "Hare's Eye Lagoon", is a coastal lagoon located in Mulegé Municipality near the town of Guerrero Negro in the northwestern part of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur...
lakes, passing over the San Francisco Sierra, to the shores of the Sea of Cortez and the islands in the Gulf of California
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
.
The state is known for its natural features. The Vizcaíno Desert and small coastal lakes San Ignacio and Ojo de Liebre in the north are protected by the federal government. The state includes the Pacific islands of Natividad, Magdalena, and Santa Margarita, as well as the islands of San Marcos, Coronados, Carmen, Montserrat, Santa Catalina, Santa Cruz, San Diego, San José, San Francisco, Partida, Espíritu Santo, and Cerralvo, which are located in the Gulf of California. Rocas Alijos
Rocas Alijos
Rocas Alijos are a group of tiny, steep and barren volcanic islets or above-water rocks in the Pacific Ocean at . They are part of Comondú municipality of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur, and situated about 300 km west of the mainland. The total surface area is less than...
are a group of tiny, steep and barren volcanic islets found offshore.
Numerous flora and fauna are found in Baja California Sur. Notable among the tree species is the Elephant tree, Bursera microphylla
Bursera microphylla
Bursera microphylla, known by the common name Elephant Tree, is a tree in genus Bursera. It grows into a distinctive sculptural form, with a trunk resembling that of an elephant. The Elephant Tree is quite rare...
, which species exhibits a contorted multi-furcate architecture.
Demography
The 2005 Population and Housing Census registered 512,170 inhabitants. According to the number of inhabitants per state, Baja California South ranks last in the country at 32nd place. It also has the lowest population density: only 6 persons per km2.The state population is young - more than half under 29 years of age. Only 2% of the population speaks an indigenous language, mixteco, náhuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
and zapoteco being the main ones.
Education
Baja California Sur has the lowest illiteracy levels in the country (3.6%).Institutions of higher education includes:
- Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur (UABCS)
- Instituto Tecnologico de La Paz (ITLP)
- Centro de investigaciones biologicas del noroeste (CIBNOR)
- Centro Interdiciplinario de Ciencias Marinas (CICIMAR)
- Universidad Pedagógica Nacional (UPN)
- Universidad Internacional de la Paz (UNIPAZ)
- Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Ciudad Constitución (ITSCC)
Municipalities
Baja California Sur is subdivided into five municipalitiesMunicipalities of Mexico
Municipalities are the second-level administrative division in Mexico . There are 2,438 municipalities in Mexico, making the average municipality population 45,616...
(municipios). See
municipalities of Baja California Sur
Municipalities of Baja California Sur
The Mexican state of Baja California Sur is divided into five municipalities :...
.
Major communities
- Cabo San Lucas
- Ciudad ConstituciónCiudad ConstituciónCiudad Constitución is a city in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. It is the seat of the municipality of Comondú and is located 210 kilometers north of La Paz, Baja California Sur, and 147 kilometers south of Loreto, Baja California Sur. Ciudad Constitución's population was 40,935...
- Ciudad Insurgentes
- Guerrero NegroGuerrero NegroGuerrero Negro is the largest town located in the municipality of Mulegé in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur . It had a population of 13,054 in the 2010 census. Guerrero Negro is served by Guerrero Negro Airport.- Whale Festival :...
- La PazLa Paz, Baja California SurLa Paz is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur and an important regional commercial center. The city had a 2010 census population of 215,178 persons, but its metropolitan population is somewhat larger because of surrounding towns like el Centenario, el Zacatal and San Pedro...
- LoretoLoreto, Baja California SurLoreto was the first Spanish settlement on the Baja California Peninsula. It served as the capital of Las Californias from 1697 to 1777, and is the current seat of the municipality of Loreto in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur...
- El PescaderoEl Pescadero, Baja California SurPescadero is a small village in the municipality of La Paz in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur.It is located at km 64 on Federal Highway 19 on the Pacific Ocean about 8 kilometers South of Todos Santos which is about a one hour drive north of Cabo San Lucas...
- San José del Cabo
- Santa RosalíaSanta Rosalía, Baja California SurSanta Rosalía is a city located on the Baja California peninsula, in the northern part of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. It was named after Saint Rosalia, although the reason for the name is not quite clear since the Misión de Santa Rosalía is not located by the town, but rather in...
See also
- Las CaliforniasLas CaliforniasThe Californias, or in — - was the name given by the Spanish to their northwestern territory of New Spain, comprising the present day states of Baja California and Baja California Sur on the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico; and the present day U.S. state of California in the United States of...
- Isla Espíritu SantoIsla Espíritu SantoIsla Espíritu Santo is an island in the Gulf of California, off the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. It is connected to Isla Partida by a narrow isthmus....
island lying off La Paz in the Sea of Cortez - Spanish missions in present–day Baja California
External links
- www.AllAboutBaja.com Learn all about Baja California Sur and the entire Baja peninsula.
- Baja California Sur: Cabo Pulmo Coral Reef in Danger
- Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense Baja California Sur State Government Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México Entry on Baja California Sur