Mulegé Baja California Sur
Mulegé lies 38 miles south of Santa Rosalia, one of the prettiest and laid
back towns in Baja California Sur. The village is situated between two hills
covered with date palms. The Mulegé river flows through the valley and
into an estuary which flows to the sea; edged by huge palm trees, orchards and
fences where bougainvilleas of all colors tangle. Several full serviced RV
parks line the course of the river just south of the entrance to the town.
Just click on the
photographs to view in larger format.
This wonderful place was first discovered by European, the Jesuit father Juan
María de Salvatierra on his return from a trip to Sonora. Salvatierra made his
first exploration trip in 1702. In August 1703 the fathers Francisco María
Piccolo and Juan María Basaldúa arrived. The last one, father Juan de Ugarte, a
Honduran Missionary, founded in 1705 the mission called Santa Rosalía de Mulegé.
The origin of the name Mulegé drifts from the Cochimíes (the local Indians)
voices "Carmaañc galexá", that means "Large Ravine of the White Mouth".
In 1754 father Francisco Escalante began the formal construction of the church's
mission, which was completed in 1766. Built with stone, it's characterized by
it's "L" form, by it's tower erected several meters behind its main facade, and
by it's own suggested simplicity of the California missions. Abandoned in 1828,
it has been restored several times. In the interior is a statue of Santa Rosalia
and a bell, both from the XVII century. It is not always open.
An interesting story of American and Mexican relations occurred on October the
2nd of 1847. On that date a heroic armed action took place here against
the American invaders. The Mexican forces formed by a military group and a
numerous group of volunteers, Comundeños and natives and under the command of
Capitán Manuel Pineda defeated the American invaders who had demanded that
Mulegé surrender.
In Mulegé you'll find the old state penitentiary, finished in 1907. Novel
because it was the only jail without bars. The prisoners could go out to work
during the day, they just had to be back at night. Escape attempts were rare,
and when someone did, the other prisoners pursued the escapees to bring them
back to jail. The Mulegé prison population lived together with all social
classes to whom they offered respect.
The original groups that inhabited the area, provide extraordinary samples of
rupestrian art, that exist in the surroundings of Mulegé, such as the cave
paintings in the Sierra de San Borjita. Also the paintings and petroglyphs
of La Trinidad.
Mulegé has been a favorite traditional destination of the driving tourist who
look for a quiet place to enjoy nature; to the sport fishing enthusiast, the
lover of tranquil bay; Bahía de
Concepción, a few kilometers from Mulegé with grand landscapes and a multitude
of beaches with soft, white sand: Santispac, Concepción, Los Cocos, El Burro, El
Coyote, Buenaventura, El Requesón and Armenta.
Walk through the town, visit to the mission church; the regional museum
(located in the old state penitentiary building); the banks of the river estuary
and the beach at El Sombrerito are all recommended.
Mulegé, of course, provides quality services for the visitor. Different hotel
classes, R.V. parks, restaurants, bus depot, a national airport (Loreto) and
airstrip; sport fishing and scuba diving agencies and tours combining cave
paintings and ecology.
Where to Stay
Hotels
RV
parks
Hotel Cuesta Real
and RV Park -
Mulegé, Baja California Sur
Villa Maria Isabel
Hotel Serendad
Bahia Concepción
El Coyote Beach Camping
Playa Armenta
El Requesón
Los Naranjos Beach Camping
Playa Ensenada el Burro
Playa Escondida
Playa La Perla
Playa Los Cocos
Playa Santispac
Posada Concepción
Buenaventura
Punta Arena
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