Trip on Over Todos Santos - Summer 2009 - Los Cabos Magazine

Trip on Over Todos Santos

By David Mandich
Los Cabos Magazine - Issue #20 - Summer 2009 - Cabo San Lucas, Los Cabos, Mexico

Take time to escape Cabo to see another side of Baja. Start by renting a car (a Jeep or SUV is even better) for a day trip to the near-mythical town of Todos Santos, an hour north of Cabo.

Get a Hummer from Dollar—they’re unstoppable in the face of hurricanes, washouts, and angry toros (bulls).

Jeeps and Suburbans are plentiful at Alamo and Payless and have ample space for packing in family, friends, gear and beer, or just rent a sedan from Budget or National and promise not to go off-roading with it. Heh, heh.

Todos Santos is a village of about 3,000 souls that has been around since the Spanish colonization of Baja more than two centuries ago.

On the north side of the village, a year-round spring-fed river feeds into a natural lagoon on the dunes above the Pacific Ocean. In the lush river valley filled with palm groves, farms, cattle, and horses, one gets an impression of a life that is rich with diversity and slow to change. Yoga and artist retreats, bed-and-breakfasts, a cantina turned furniture showroom, mango-growing huertas (orchards), bamboo jungles, acres of green pasture, and a cement block plant share this slice of paradise. The town was designated a Pueblo Mágico by the Mexican Government in 2006 for having retained its colonial architecture and special arts-centric ambience.

Once prosperous from sugar-cane growing and refining, Todos Santos languished for more than half a century due to a 30-year drought and a drop in sugar prices. Then, artists, musicians, and writers seeking solace from “civilization” began arriving in the 1980s. Now, in the town that sugar built, you’ll find galleries, gourmet restaurants, a stage theater, cultural center, museum, boutiques, and artisan shops tucked amid the colonial-style buildings of generations gone by. The venerable Hotel California—made famous by the Eagles song of the same name—features boutique hotel rooms, an art gallery, bar, gourmet dining, and one of the most interesting import stores this side of a Pier 1 Imports.

The road to Todos Santos is one of the most scenic in Baja. You’ll drive coastal hills, cross arroyos, high bridges spanning seasonal rivers, and enjoy spectacular vistas of the unspoiled Pacific Ocean coastline.

The trip to Todos Santos takes less than an hour. If you don’t get lost searching for the rustic village of Candelaria, located somewhere up the Migriño arroyo about 30 minutes north of Cabo, or spend too much time indulging in the seafood-filled beer concoctions at Art & Beer farther up Highway 19. Stop at the new Cerritos Beach Club. Make a left around km 65 and trundle down the washboard dirt road about 1.5 miles to the beach. Surfboard rentals, lessons, kayaks, snorkel gear, and one of the most perfect family beaches in all Baja are located here. The terrific surf break boasts a rideable rip along the rocky point. After a few hours enjoying the sport of Aztec kings, head for the beach club, sit back on a comfy chair under a shady umbrella, and order a delicious tropical drink to go with your meal. Bathroom facilities are inside past the red vintage Harley.

Once back on the highway, you’ll soon enter the sleepy village of Pescadero, known for chile, mango and organic vegetable farms and the Pescadero surf break. The old Pescadero trailer park and beachfront motel is being developed to include luxury homes in the planned community. Ten more minutes, and you’ve reached Todos Santos. If you’ve made it this far, you must not be a surfer!

Todos Santos’ central historic district can be walked and sport-shopped in about an hour or so, depending on your credit card limit. Radiating out in all directions from the central plaza facing Marquez de Leon street are boutiques, talavera, silver, and jewelry shops, galleries, and restaurants. Dominating the plaza is the Misión de Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Todos Santos. From the church’s northwest patio, you can view the verdant river arroyo and join the crowd to view the glorious sunset at day’s end.

Todos Santos’ rich history can best be appreciated in the cultural center located uphill from the church on the east end of the main street Benito Juárez. Housed in a brick former grade school, the cultural center features colorful murals depicting Mexican history, century-old photos of pretty señoritas in layered dresses, General Eisenhower’s dove-hunting visits, colonial artifacts, and Indian relics. Noteworthy art galleries include John Stewart’s studio on Centenario and eccentric artist Gabo’s cathedral-like gallery, built for the personal worship—of himself. There are several very good restaurants in town. Some reviewed in the New York Times. A talented Canadian chef runs Hotel California’s kitchen, while Los Adobes de Todos Santos has gourmet Mexican fare—(try the Pollo in Jamaica sauce). Italian immigrant-owned Tres Gallines and the Santa Fe Café are excellent for northern Italian. Whether you came by Hummer, Harley, bus, or burro, Shut-up-Franks is a good bet for a cold beer and for viewing sports action on the monitors. I always tie up my burro next to the motorcycles out front.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico - Last Revision - June 1, 2009 - MKS