Baja Sur Indian Tribes

As a result of their isolated location, the Baja California Indians were found to be among the most primitive in the Americas. The early Spanish conquerors encountered three tribal groups, the Pericues, the Guaycuras and the Cochimies. As the original Cape locals who roamed the region as nomadic hunter-gatherers, they were surprisingly able to fight off European diseases until the 17th century. These Indians of the peninsula had no written language and only the most elementary of religious beliefs. Shelter was created by holes which they dug in the ground and by whatever caves they would find, in the vicinity of fresh water. Many even slept within circles of stones, often without even a roof. They lived from hunting and fishing and did not cultivate much.

They had mastered the use of bow and arrow, boomerang and wooden lances. These tribes were in a continuous state of warfare with one another. They were strong, tall, and healthy people and were very adept at warfare. In general, these Indians were not hostile towards the Spaniards. The Spaniards did not have to conquer Baja California with force of arms as was necessary on the mainland. However, there were armed encounters and battlefield mortality. Consequently, there were considerably more women than men. So the surviving males acquired more than one wife. Thus a polygamous lifestyle was created and this caused considerable conflict with the missionaries endeavoring to enforce Christian morality.

Cave Paintings

There are many places along Baja’s highways where you will see signs reading “Pinturas Rupestres.” It is likely that this refers to prehistoric rock art or cave paintings. Baja is famous for its cave paintings, throughout the entire length of the Baja peninsula. Baja’s caves are similar to those hosting the “cliff dwellings” of the Pueblo Indians in the southwestern United States. Some are very spectacular and depict human figures and animals. Some are as big as 30 feet in height and hundreds of feet in length. The most famous are found at Bahia de Los Angeles, San Ignacio, Mulege, and San Francisco de La Sierra.

Conquistadors

In the 15th century, after 700 years of conflict with the Moors over conquest of the Iberian peninsula, Spain emerged as the most powerful nation in Europe. A succession of Spanish expeditions through the Caribbean region and into the Gulf of Mexico achieved the conquest of both Mexico and Central America. At first it was said that Spanish explorers concluded that Baja California was an enormous island and that the Sea of Cortez led to the Atlantic Ocean. There was extreme competition among the conquistadors.

Most famous of the conquistadors was Cortez, who himself directed four voyages from the mainland to the island of “La California.” Angered by the failure of the first two expeditions he had dispatched, due to the tyrannical and mutineering nature of his competition, Cortez chose to lead the next effort himself. This was to be the only serious attempt to conquer and colonize the new land until 162 years later. In May 1535 Cortez landed at Bahia de La Paz and named it Santa Cruz. There he found evidence of the Jimenez mutineers and the pearls they had reported to have found. After a year of failure to successfully colonize the area, making no effort to raise crops - sadly, many of the colonists died of starvation. Cortez returned to Mexico and shortly thereafter ordered the others to follow. The Baja peninsula was not to be settled by Europeans for more than 150 years after the era of Cortez.

Pirates

Thomas Cavendish was one of the early buccaneers to base his operations in the Cabo San Lucas area. In 1587 he attacked the Spanish galleon Santa Ana, which was loaded with silk and gold, right off the Cape. This infuriated the Spaniards who were fed up with the pirates who had been roaming the waters. At this point, King Philip of Spain decided to establish a small fortress at the very end of the Cape, also functioning as a strategic base. He hoped this would rid the seas of English pirates. This increased the Spanish interest in Baja and exploration of the entire area began to take place. Settlements were established all along the coast, and pearls were discovered in the Sea of Cortez. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, however, Cabo San Lucas remained pretty much undeveloped.

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