Conquistadors, Black Pearls and Movie Stars
Just a pleasant drive from Cabo San Lucas, on the eastern tip of the Baja Peninsula, sheltered by La Paz Bay on the shores of the Sea of Cortez (a.k.a. the Gulf of California), lies the Mexican port city La Paz. Now the state capital, it once was the center of the Western world’s black pearl industry. It was these black pearls (actually metallic grey) that attracted the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés to the Baja Peninsula in 1535. Sadly, his colony of Spanish settlers did not survive.
In 1941, American author John Steinbeck visited La Paz and drew on local folk history for his book The Pearl.
Today, The Pearl of La Paz lives on, and not just in Steinbeck’s book title, or as royal jewelry, but in the form of Hotel Perla, the first modern hotel in the State of Baja. Built in the Art Deco style of the time, it has hosted celebrities like Bing Crosby and John Wayne, as well as royalty, who enjoyed cocktails and fresh lobster with views of the Malecon and the tranquil bay beyond.
With the construction of the Transpeninsular Highway from the US/Mexican border and the opening of an international airport, La Paz is no longer accessible only by an arduous journey down the peninsula, but is now flooded with tourists, seeking golden sand beaches, water- sports and Mexican art, while the wealthier fishermen seek to catch that giant fish to grace their office wall.
The Hotel Perla (now Perla La Paz, Hilton) still overlooks the three-mile Malecón, which runs from Marina de La Paz in the south to a series of northern beaches, like Pichilingue. From there, a ferry service operates to the Mexican mainland, Balandra, with its curious rock formations, and Tecolote, which is the gateway to the island Espíritu Santo. The waters in La Paz Bay were famously dubbed “the World’s Aquarium” by legendary marine explorer Jacques Cousteau, and you can snorkel here with sea lions, swim with whale sharks, or scuba dive in the deep turquoise waters.
In the evening, around the city’s Velasco Gardens, many local artists display their work under the shadow of the Nuestra Señora de La Paz Cathedral. The shady street sur- rounding it contains many fine restaurants and bars. So, deciding where to eat in La Paz won’t be easy, but it will be an adventure, whatever you choose.
¡Buen provecho! — El Capitán
