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Baja is one of my favorite places on Earth. It's mysterious, magical, and mystical! It's a place of incredible beauty!
Baja is a peninsula comprised of two of the thirty-two states of Mexico. Baja California (also known as Baja Norte) is the northern half of the peninsula, and Baja California Sur (sometimes simply known as Baja Sur) is the southern half. The 28th parallel separates the two states, close to the middle of the 800 mile long peninsula. Baja is approximately twice the length of Florida, while its 55,000 square miles ae only about one third the size of California itself. The Baja peninsula lies directly south of California. Baja also includes several islands off of both coasts. The western coast of Baja is bordered by the Pacific Ocean, while the eastern coast is bordered by the Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of Cortez). |
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The Baja peninsula has a very diverse geography with mountain ranges, deserts, and coastal plains. There is also an abundant variety of flora and fauna.
The variety of plant live includes pine trees, palm trees, a wide variety of cacti, manzanita, succulents, and more. It also has some of the strangest plants including the Boojum tree or cirio, a member of the ocotillo family (pictured to the left).
The wildlife of Baja includes large mammals (e.g., cougars, bobcats, coyotes, bighorn sheep), small mammals (e.g., rabbits, squirrels, bats), birds (e.g., eagles, falcons, vultures, woodpeckers, ducks). Sea life includes several species of whales, sharks, dolphins, and many types of game and other fish types.
The variety of plant live includes pine trees, palm trees, a wide variety of cacti, manzanita, succulents, and more. It also has some of the strangest plants including the Boojum tree or cirio, a member of the ocotillo family (pictured to the left).
The wildlife of Baja includes large mammals (e.g., cougars, bobcats, coyotes, bighorn sheep), small mammals (e.g., rabbits, squirrels, bats), birds (e.g., eagles, falcons, vultures, woodpeckers, ducks). Sea life includes several species of whales, sharks, dolphins, and many types of game and other fish types.
The First Natives of Baja
It is believed that the first indigenous peoples settled Baja approximately 20,000 to 10,000 years ago. Several indigenous tribes have been identified. In northern Baja, the Kiliwa, Paipai, Kumuyaay, Cocopa, and Quechan existed. The Kiliwa, Paipai, and Kumeyaay were hunter-gatherers in the northwestern portion of the peninsula. While the Cocopa and Quechan are thought to have practice rudimentary agriculture in the northeast part of Baja, part of which is a floodplain formed from the lower Colorado River.
The Cochimi in the vast central area of the peninsula were nomadic hunter-gatherers. It is believed that they did not practice agriculture but may have made pottery. Similar groups of hunter-gathers existed further south on the peninsula - the Monquis, Guaycuaras, and the Pericues. All groups appeared to fish and ate shellfish, although only the Pericues are believed to have used wooden rafts.
The indigenous tribes appeared to live a very meager existence, with the days probably consumed for the most part by the search for food. At least for those in most of the peninsula and much of their time in Baja, there appears to be no evidence of permanent dwellings, temples, or monuments of any kind. By the time that the Spanish arrived, some small settlements existed. There are cave paintings and petroglyphs in many areas of Baja, and in particular in the central region of the Cochimi.
It is believed that the first indigenous peoples settled Baja approximately 20,000 to 10,000 years ago. Several indigenous tribes have been identified. In northern Baja, the Kiliwa, Paipai, Kumuyaay, Cocopa, and Quechan existed. The Kiliwa, Paipai, and Kumeyaay were hunter-gatherers in the northwestern portion of the peninsula. While the Cocopa and Quechan are thought to have practice rudimentary agriculture in the northeast part of Baja, part of which is a floodplain formed from the lower Colorado River.
The Cochimi in the vast central area of the peninsula were nomadic hunter-gatherers. It is believed that they did not practice agriculture but may have made pottery. Similar groups of hunter-gathers existed further south on the peninsula - the Monquis, Guaycuaras, and the Pericues. All groups appeared to fish and ate shellfish, although only the Pericues are believed to have used wooden rafts.
The indigenous tribes appeared to live a very meager existence, with the days probably consumed for the most part by the search for food. At least for those in most of the peninsula and much of their time in Baja, there appears to be no evidence of permanent dwellings, temples, or monuments of any kind. By the time that the Spanish arrived, some small settlements existed. There are cave paintings and petroglyphs in many areas of Baja, and in particular in the central region of the Cochimi.
Many of the cave art sites are very difficult to reach, and often the paintings are very high on walls or on the ceilings of caves. Animals are often depicted, and the art may have been related to hunting. It is not believed that the caves were used as any form of permanent shelters or housing, although they may have been used as hunting blinds.
The indigenous tribes of Baja were far less sophisticated than those of mainland Mexico. Their lives were shaped by the sparse environment in which they lived. For the most part, they lived a very meager, day-to-day existence. They were not accumulators of wealth, they did not build permanent structures or organize into large-scale villages, and did not develop any sense of community culture.
The indigenous tribes of Baja were far less sophisticated than those of mainland Mexico. Their lives were shaped by the sparse environment in which they lived. For the most part, they lived a very meager, day-to-day existence. They were not accumulators of wealth, they did not build permanent structures or organize into large-scale villages, and did not develop any sense of community culture.
The Spanish Arrive
The first Spaniard to arrive in Baja is believed to be Fortun Jimenez Bertandona. During a voyage in 1533 to search for two Spanish ships that had disappeared the year before, Jimenez led a revolt in which the ship's captain was killed. The mutineers landed near present-day La Paz, which they believed might be the fabled island of California described in a 1510 romantic novel, Las Sergas de Esplandian (The Exploits of Esplandian). The novel describes the adventures of a prince who gathers an army from various nations to defend Constantinople from Persia. One contingent of troops gathered by Esplandian is a group of black women warriors (mythical Amazons) with weapons of gold and led by a Queen named Califia. In the book, California was an island of untold wealth! The women warriors kept griffins (imaginary lion-eagle hybrids) as pets, which were fed with male babies or prisoners. Thus, the Baja peninsula was named California with a misconception that it was an island of potentially unimaginable riches.
Jimenez and many of his landing party were killed by the native Indians (likely from the Guaycura), the surviving mutineers returned to mainland Mexico and told stories of pearls and other riches to be found in "California." Word of the new land was sure to have reached Hernan Cortes (Cortez), who had first landed in mainland Mexico in 1519 and had conquered the Aztec empire.
In 1535, Cortes sailed into the Gulf of California (which he named the Sea of Cortes) and landed in the Bay of La Paz, calling it Santa Cruz. Cortes attempted to start a colony; however, it only lasted two years. In 1539, Cortes did send a navigator, Francisco de Ulloa, to explore the Pacific and Gulf coasts of the Baja peninsula. At the north of the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortes), Ulloa reached the floodplain of the Colorado River proving that Baja was a peninsula and not an island.
The first Spaniard to arrive in Baja is believed to be Fortun Jimenez Bertandona. During a voyage in 1533 to search for two Spanish ships that had disappeared the year before, Jimenez led a revolt in which the ship's captain was killed. The mutineers landed near present-day La Paz, which they believed might be the fabled island of California described in a 1510 romantic novel, Las Sergas de Esplandian (The Exploits of Esplandian). The novel describes the adventures of a prince who gathers an army from various nations to defend Constantinople from Persia. One contingent of troops gathered by Esplandian is a group of black women warriors (mythical Amazons) with weapons of gold and led by a Queen named Califia. In the book, California was an island of untold wealth! The women warriors kept griffins (imaginary lion-eagle hybrids) as pets, which were fed with male babies or prisoners. Thus, the Baja peninsula was named California with a misconception that it was an island of potentially unimaginable riches.
Jimenez and many of his landing party were killed by the native Indians (likely from the Guaycura), the surviving mutineers returned to mainland Mexico and told stories of pearls and other riches to be found in "California." Word of the new land was sure to have reached Hernan Cortes (Cortez), who had first landed in mainland Mexico in 1519 and had conquered the Aztec empire.
In 1535, Cortes sailed into the Gulf of California (which he named the Sea of Cortes) and landed in the Bay of La Paz, calling it Santa Cruz. Cortes attempted to start a colony; however, it only lasted two years. In 1539, Cortes did send a navigator, Francisco de Ulloa, to explore the Pacific and Gulf coasts of the Baja peninsula. At the north of the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortes), Ulloa reached the floodplain of the Colorado River proving that Baja was a peninsula and not an island.
Over the next 160 years, various explorations of the Baja peninsula would take place but no colonies were established on the harsh and desolate land. That changed in 1697.
Juan Maria Salvatierra ( pictured to the left) was a Jesuit priest devoted to the conversion of the indigenous people of Mexico. After founding several Catholic missions on the mainland of Mexico, Father Salvatierra wanted to evangelize the people of the Baja peninsula. In October 1697, Father Salvatierra landed at a place that the Indians called Coruncho (red-colored mangrove). Within the first few days, Salvatierra with his crew and a few soldiers constructed a rustic chapel. This was the beginning of Mission Nuestra Senora de Loreto (Our Lady of Loreto), the first mission and long-lasting Spanish settlement on the Baja peninsula.
Juan Maria Salvatierra ( pictured to the left) was a Jesuit priest devoted to the conversion of the indigenous people of Mexico. After founding several Catholic missions on the mainland of Mexico, Father Salvatierra wanted to evangelize the people of the Baja peninsula. In October 1697, Father Salvatierra landed at a place that the Indians called Coruncho (red-colored mangrove). Within the first few days, Salvatierra with his crew and a few soldiers constructed a rustic chapel. This was the beginning of Mission Nuestra Senora de Loreto (Our Lady of Loreto), the first mission and long-lasting Spanish settlement on the Baja peninsula.
The first mission in Loreto, aided by access to a spring of fresh water, grew as Salvatierra learned the native language, began to convert some of the local Indians, and was able to grow and offer food to the Indians to attract more potential converts. Loreto would serve as the capital of Los Californias - the Baja peninsula and Alta California (now the State of California) - from 1697 to 1777
Between 1697 and 1766, the Jesuits constructed 17 missions on the Baja peninsula, converting tens of thousands of the indigenous Indians to Catholicism. The Jesuits exercised strict control over the peninsula during this time. However, the popular belief remained that Baja was a land of riches and wealth. Critics of the Jesuits spread rumors that the mission padres were hoarding wealth for themselves and the Roman Church. Other opponents disliked that the Jesuits had such total and strict control over the people of Baja.
In 1767, the Jesuits were expelled from Baja and all other Spanish holdings by Spanish King Carlos III. The Franciscan Order of the Roman Catholic Church was given control of the all missions and charged with further exploration and colonization of the peninsula. Captain Gaspar de Portola was selected by the King as the Governor of the region. All missions were inventoried so that the property could be formally transferred to the Crown. Portola was shocked to find that the Jesuits had not been hoarding wealth, and that the missions were barely self-sufficient. The Baja peninsula was not filled with gold or other treasures.
Also, by this time, the Indian population supported by the missions had fell to approximately 7,000 from a high of about 40,000. The diseases brought by the Europeans were decimating the native populations. The Franciscans remained in control of the Baja peninsula for only five years, and constructed only one new mission. The Franciscans had their eyes, instead, on the more promising lands of Alta (present-day) California.
In 1772, the Dominican Order arrived in Baja to administer the mission system. Between 1774 and 1834, the Dominicans built nine new missions in Baja.
In 1804, Los Californias was formally split into Alta (Upper) California and Baja (Lower) California. This split the Franciscan missions in the north from the now Dominican administered missions in the south. At the time Baja California covered the entire Baja peninsula. Baja California was divided into four municipalities - Loreto, San José del Cabo, San Pedro Mártir and Santa Gertrudis. Loreto would remain the capital of the peninsula until 1830, when heavy rains and flooding forced the relocation of the capital to La Paz.
Over the later 1700s and 1800s, more colonists would arrive from Spain and the Mexican mainland. Many ranches were established, and villages and even cities began to grow.
The movement for Mexican independence from Spain started in 1810, but the Baja Peninsula had minimal involvement. Upon gaining its independence in 1821, Baja California (the entire peninsula) was established as a federal territory of Mexico. With the end of Spanish rule, the missions were no longer administered by Spain. By 1832, all missions were converted to parish churches. Jurisdiction of the mission buildings and native Indians was transferred from the Dominican padres to agents of the Mexican government. The converted Indians that supported the missions lost their homes, orchards, vineyards, and flocks of animals. Most, highly disheartened, would leave the missions and return to the mountains and other areas. Many would move from ranch to ranch seeking work. Without the protection of the Dominican padres, and without effective governmental control, many of the Indians were abused by the ranchers. This policy, known as secularization was based on a belief that the native Indians were capable of becoming, in a single generation, self-supporting and civilized citizens. The policy completely failed, and this was basically the end of the mission system in Baja. Many of the missions were sold, and others became ranches (or rancherias).
The Mexican-American War (from 1846 to 1848) began after Mexico refused the United States offer to buy Los Californias, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming. In the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the war, Mexico agreed to cede these territories to the United States in exchange for $15 million. The draft treaty had included the Baja peninsula, but the United States eventually agreed to omit the peninsula, and Baja remained a territory of Baja.
Liberal army general Porfirio Diaz became President of Mexico in 1876, and embarked on a program to develop and modernize Mexico. This included reaching out to foreign enterprises to assist. In Baja, this resulted in development of the El Boleo mine (copper, cobalt, manganese, and zinc) in Santa Rosalia on the gulf coast of Baja by the French company, Comapgnie du Boleo. Started in 1885, within fifteen years the mine was known as Mexican capital of copper, producing about half of Mexico's total copper production. In 1888, Diaz informally divided the Baja peninsula into north and south districts, each governed independently.
In 1910, the Mexican Revolution began after President Diaz jailed wealthy landowner Francisco Madero, who challenged Madero in the 1910 election. Rebellions broke out, and Diaz resigned in 1911 and went in to exile. Madero was elected President in 1911; however a decade of further protests, rebellions, and civil war would occur. Being distant from Mexico City and much of mainland Mexico, Baja was relatively insulated from the Mexican Revolution.
In 1930, the division of Baja into Northern and Southern territories was formalized. In 1952, the North Territory of Baja California became the 29th state of Mexico, Baja California, with the capital of Mexicali; and in 1974, the South Territory of Baja California was admitted as the 31st state of Mexico, Baja California Sur, with the capital city La Paz.
Between 1697 and 1766, the Jesuits constructed 17 missions on the Baja peninsula, converting tens of thousands of the indigenous Indians to Catholicism. The Jesuits exercised strict control over the peninsula during this time. However, the popular belief remained that Baja was a land of riches and wealth. Critics of the Jesuits spread rumors that the mission padres were hoarding wealth for themselves and the Roman Church. Other opponents disliked that the Jesuits had such total and strict control over the people of Baja.
In 1767, the Jesuits were expelled from Baja and all other Spanish holdings by Spanish King Carlos III. The Franciscan Order of the Roman Catholic Church was given control of the all missions and charged with further exploration and colonization of the peninsula. Captain Gaspar de Portola was selected by the King as the Governor of the region. All missions were inventoried so that the property could be formally transferred to the Crown. Portola was shocked to find that the Jesuits had not been hoarding wealth, and that the missions were barely self-sufficient. The Baja peninsula was not filled with gold or other treasures.
Also, by this time, the Indian population supported by the missions had fell to approximately 7,000 from a high of about 40,000. The diseases brought by the Europeans were decimating the native populations. The Franciscans remained in control of the Baja peninsula for only five years, and constructed only one new mission. The Franciscans had their eyes, instead, on the more promising lands of Alta (present-day) California.
In 1772, the Dominican Order arrived in Baja to administer the mission system. Between 1774 and 1834, the Dominicans built nine new missions in Baja.
In 1804, Los Californias was formally split into Alta (Upper) California and Baja (Lower) California. This split the Franciscan missions in the north from the now Dominican administered missions in the south. At the time Baja California covered the entire Baja peninsula. Baja California was divided into four municipalities - Loreto, San José del Cabo, San Pedro Mártir and Santa Gertrudis. Loreto would remain the capital of the peninsula until 1830, when heavy rains and flooding forced the relocation of the capital to La Paz.
Over the later 1700s and 1800s, more colonists would arrive from Spain and the Mexican mainland. Many ranches were established, and villages and even cities began to grow.
The movement for Mexican independence from Spain started in 1810, but the Baja Peninsula had minimal involvement. Upon gaining its independence in 1821, Baja California (the entire peninsula) was established as a federal territory of Mexico. With the end of Spanish rule, the missions were no longer administered by Spain. By 1832, all missions were converted to parish churches. Jurisdiction of the mission buildings and native Indians was transferred from the Dominican padres to agents of the Mexican government. The converted Indians that supported the missions lost their homes, orchards, vineyards, and flocks of animals. Most, highly disheartened, would leave the missions and return to the mountains and other areas. Many would move from ranch to ranch seeking work. Without the protection of the Dominican padres, and without effective governmental control, many of the Indians were abused by the ranchers. This policy, known as secularization was based on a belief that the native Indians were capable of becoming, in a single generation, self-supporting and civilized citizens. The policy completely failed, and this was basically the end of the mission system in Baja. Many of the missions were sold, and others became ranches (or rancherias).
The Mexican-American War (from 1846 to 1848) began after Mexico refused the United States offer to buy Los Californias, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming. In the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the war, Mexico agreed to cede these territories to the United States in exchange for $15 million. The draft treaty had included the Baja peninsula, but the United States eventually agreed to omit the peninsula, and Baja remained a territory of Baja.
Liberal army general Porfirio Diaz became President of Mexico in 1876, and embarked on a program to develop and modernize Mexico. This included reaching out to foreign enterprises to assist. In Baja, this resulted in development of the El Boleo mine (copper, cobalt, manganese, and zinc) in Santa Rosalia on the gulf coast of Baja by the French company, Comapgnie du Boleo. Started in 1885, within fifteen years the mine was known as Mexican capital of copper, producing about half of Mexico's total copper production. In 1888, Diaz informally divided the Baja peninsula into north and south districts, each governed independently.
In 1910, the Mexican Revolution began after President Diaz jailed wealthy landowner Francisco Madero, who challenged Madero in the 1910 election. Rebellions broke out, and Diaz resigned in 1911 and went in to exile. Madero was elected President in 1911; however a decade of further protests, rebellions, and civil war would occur. Being distant from Mexico City and much of mainland Mexico, Baja was relatively insulated from the Mexican Revolution.
In 1930, the division of Baja into Northern and Southern territories was formalized. In 1952, the North Territory of Baja California became the 29th state of Mexico, Baja California, with the capital of Mexicali; and in 1974, the South Territory of Baja California was admitted as the 31st state of Mexico, Baja California Sur, with the capital city La Paz.
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