In 1587, Thomas of Cavendish, a British pirate, sacked the "invincible" galleon Santa Ana and put 190 survivors ashore at the estuary. That prompted King Phillip II of Spain to protect Spanish shipping by sending soldiers and Jesuit missionaries to colonize Baja California.
Despite the abundance of fresh water, Pericú warriors prevented establishment of a mission at San Jose until 1730. A few years later, the mission's founder, Jesuit padre Nicolás Tamaral, was slaughtered along with his party by the Pericú. The event is commemorated in a mural above the church entrance.
The settlement was named for St. Joseph, the namesake of one of the colony's early benefactors. Boulevard Mijares, the town's main street, is named for a military leader who died while bravely holding off U. S. troops, during the war against Mexico in 1847.
Today, San Jose is the Los Cabos "county seat", a busy center for commerce, agriculture, government, fishing and tourism. The influx of foreign (and Mexican) tourists, retirees and investors in recent years has resulted in an economic boom and rapid growth that continues today.
Click to begin a short "walking tour" of downtown San Jose del Cabo. Each picture on the tour is captioned with a brief text, and includes "buttons" for navigation. Use your browser's "BACK" to return to the tour from "hi-res" views.
Use the Thumbnail Index to browse and preview the pictures if you prefer not to "take the tour" in sequence.
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Los Cabos Photo Tours
