Diving and Snorkeling Baja California’s Sea of Cortez

Chapter I    ABOUT BAJA CALIFORNIA

A Baja reality reminder… ‘Life is a journey, not a destination’

 HISTORY    

            Baja California is by far one of Mexico’s last frontiers. Emerging from its past of over twenty millions years ago, this great peninsula has gone through major geological changes. Massive uplifting and collapses of the ocean floor gradually separated a land mass from Mexico’s mainland. Presently, the Baja peninsula continues northwestward, the sea cutting and growing in length. The San Andreas Fault is to be thanked for this relatively new sea. Swinging several inches out per year, someday we may be able to even drive halfway to Hawaii! Going through the ice age and then meltdowns, the Sea of Cortez is now at the highest level it has ever been.

Once a scene of steamy erupting volcanoes and torrential downpours, it was a land of palm jungles, ferns, lush vegetation and some species of dinosaur. Camels and mastodons roamed freely as did the 50ft (15m) 23-ton duckbill hadrosaur.

            The earliest evidence of human habitation is of the San Dieguito Indians dating back to over 9000 years ago. Early tools and cave paintings have documented their presence. In pre-Hispanic times, nomadic Indian tribes lived along the Pacific coast of Baja, living off the land by fishing and clamming. Even today, Indians come annually from Mexico’s mainland to continue an age old heritage of clamming.

            In 1535, the Spanish arrived under Hernan Cortez after reports of fabulous pearls to be found. They tried to form a colony near La Paz but were eventually driven out due to lack of supplies and hostile natives. In 1697, the first California mission, Nuestra Senora de Loreto, was founded in Loreto. This was the start of the Jesuit missionary period which lasted until 1767 and produced twenty missions. From 1774 to 1834 eight more missions were built by the Dominican Order. Spanish land grants were given in the early 1800’s and small farms and ranches were started. Sadly, by mid-century, the native Indian population had been decimated by European diseases and the Baja missions were abandoned for points north.

            The Mexican-American war ended in 1848 with a treaty that divided California between the two countries. Later at the turn of the century, a big boom of gold, silver, copper and gypsum hit and Santa Rosalita became the largest copper mining and smelting operation in Mexico.

            Northern Baja became Mexico’s 29^th state, Baja California Norte in 1952 after it reached the 80,000 population mark needed for statehood. Before 1973, when Highway 1, the Transpeninsular Highway was completed, only rugged dirt roads could get you to your next destination. Driving from Tijuana to La Paz took about two weeks. The now paved highway has contributed to the modernization of this great frontier. Southern Baja reached its 80,000 population mark in less than a year after the highway was completed, which then turned this southern territory into Mexico’s 30^th state, Baja California Sur.

BAJA TODAY

Today, Highway 1 winds serpentinely for 1,000 miles (1,613 km) from the US border to California