Cabo San Lucas

The original Cape locals were the Guaycura, who roamed the region as nomadic hunter-gatherers and seem to have survived contact with European diseases until the 17th century. Few records of their civilization survive, though evidence suggests they practiced polygamy because tribal warfare had created a shortage of men. The myth of an all-female society of warriors is derived from the exaggerated stories of visitors to this and other regions in South America. One such early visitor was the buccaneer and sometime explorer Thomas Cavendish, who often weighed anchor at the site of present-day Cabo San Lucas and used the area as a base for his operations.

When Cavendish cheekily attacked the Spanish galleon Santa Ana, loaded with gold and silk off Cabo San Lucas in 1587, the Spanish decided they'd had enough of the area being a playground for pirates. They established a small fortress at this prime piece of real estate at the end of the Cape, though in the 16th century it was more valuable as a strategic base. King Philip II of Spain reckoned this would rid the seas of English pirates and other undesirables.

While the pirates may still have been running riot in the area, the fortress did increase Spanish interest in Baja, and exploration of the area began. Pearls were discovered in the Sea of Cortez, and settlements were hastily established along the coast. Without a stable water source, sleepy Cabo San Lucas remained relatively undeveloped throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, a time in which large Catholic missions were established throughout the Baja.

By the 1930s the town's population was a tiny 400, though it was renowned as a fishing village with its own cannery. In the postwar period the area was the destination for sportfishers, who came for the billfish and dubbed the waters 'Marlin Alley' for their prodigious supply. The town's popularity with anglers and luxury boaters swelled the population to about 1500, and meant it was included in the route of the Carretera Transpeninsular, which rolled into the area in 1973. The next big boost to accessibility was the construction of an international airport in nearby Cabo José del Cabo, which brought even more tourists.

Today, Cabo San Lucas is in the throes of development, with a gaggle of developers and hustlers offering time shares and condos. Seasonal visitors see the population soar to more than 50,000, though the permanent population is around half this. Recent luxury developments have been controversial, particularly the gated community on the hill, Pedregal, which caters to the über-rich.   Information taken from:   Lonely Planet

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Amber Waves