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Only 73 kilometers (about 43 miles)
north of Cabo San Lucas on the Pacific coast sits
Todos Santos, below the towering Sierra de la Laguna
mountains at the end of a beautiful and scenic drive
along the Pacific Ocean coast. On a mesa overlooking
a valley of orchards and gardens, a mile or so from
the Pacific, Todos Santos is verdant with groves
of Washingtonian palms, mangos, papayas, avocados
and other crops. As recently as 1990, it was a sleepier
place.
During the Mission Period, this oasis valley was
deemed the only area south and west of La Paz worth
settling, as it had the only reliable water supply.
Colonized in 1723 by Jesuit missionaries, an outpost
mission was established, followed by the full-fledged
Misión Santa Rosa de Las Palmas in 1733.
At the time, the town was known as Santa Rosa de
Todos Santos, in honor of its benefactor Doña
Rosa de La Peña. It was eventually shortened
to its current name, which translates to "All
Saints." Padre Taraval was sent up from San
José del Cabo to baptize and serve in the
mission. He later returned south, narrowly escaping
death from the Pericue Indian uprising of 1734.
By the end of the century, most of the natives were
dead from epidemics and in the early 1800’s,
the mission was almost abandoned. During the 1840's
by the Governor's decree, mission lands were redistributed
and the town went into a deep sleep until its rebirth
a decade later as a sugar cane center.
At its peak in 1850, there were eight sugar mills
driving a thriving agricultural economy. By the
turn of the 19th century, the economic prosperity
fueled a refined, vibrant culture that included
two theaters. Todos Santos became the home of artists
and sculptors and others involved in the arts. Most
of the beautiful colonial style buildings and private
homes were financed by sugar monies. The riches
of sugar production lasted nearly 100 years when
in the 1950’s, a geologic event caused the
water table to drop to nearly nothing. Suffering
from drought and falling sugar prices brought on
by the aftermath of World War II, the town was left
for dead once again and many of the fine buildings
fell into ruin. |
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1981 saw a miraculous
return of the water, however, the sugar cane industry
was not revived. Organic agriculture and farming
replaced the cane fields and ranching was reinstated
as a way of life in the fertile lands surrounding
the town. Paving of the highway in 1984 from La
Paz to Cabo San Lucas opened the town to tourism
and provided the stimulus for Todos Santos to
grow to a population of approximately 7,000 inhabitants.
Highway 19 intersects town ablock from an abandoned
red brick sugar mill stack on Calle Juárez,
the main street. Sugar mill ruins can also be
found at El Molino Trailer Park, behind the town's
central Pemex gas station. Crumbling chimneys
from destitute cane mills and vintage wrought
iron creations adorned with colorful sprays of
bougainvillea blossoms permeate the town with
the vivid colors of Mexico.
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