Between Oasis and Sea
A laid-back Magical Town overflowing with personality
Continua en la historia
Desliza a la izquierda para continuar
Todos Santos is great for walking. As you wander the streets past colorful façades, you will come upon art galleries, haute couture boutiques, cafés featuring organic products, handicraft shops, chefs from around the world and restaurants with the best the sea has to offer.
※ The Plaza de Armas or Central Square of Todos Santos is the meeting place par excellence for locals and tourists alike.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬༅
Sporting benches to stop and rest on beneath coconut and other palm trees, it is surrounded by shops, so it’s a great place to pick up souvenirs and enjoy a refreshing ice cream.
A further eye-catcher is the lovely bandstand, perched on a platform, with a small staircase leading up. Photography buffs are drawn to the big colored letters that spell Todos Santos, as well as the sculptures scattered around.
༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅
Just steps away is the Teatro General Manuel Márquez de León, a theater built in 1943 under the governor at the time, so that the town’s children would have a place to hold their festivals. Plays, concerts, dance performances and a range of cultural events are still held inside the Californian-style theater, which also boasts a Neoclassical façade.
※ Named a Magical Town in 2006, the history of Todos Santos goes back to 1723, the time of the Spanish missions in California.
That is when missionary priest Jaime Bravo had the “Visita” de Pericú chapel built, which was used when the missionaries traveled through these lands. Over time, the chapel was relocated, deserted and eventually renovated.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬༅
Today, Todos Santos Mission is dedicated to Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Todos Santos (Our Lady of the Pillar of Todos Santos) and continues to hold religious services. Located in the very heart of the Magical Town, the stunning colonial building stands out against the blue sky and palm trees in the square.
※※※※※※※
If you hire a guide, you will get to explore the construction, learn about the past and heritage of the region, and discover more about the Baja California Sur Mission Route.
※ Located in the vicinity of the Plaza de Armas is the iconic Hotel California, which has gained fame due to the speculation over the years as to whether it is the hotel The Eagles refer to in their song “Hotel California.”
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬༅
While the band itself clarified that issue in 2017, putting an end to the rumors, it’s still a must to visit the 1950 building. Besides eating in the restaurant and bar known for its excellent dishes, it’s fun to see the eclectic hotel décor, made up of all kinds of handicrafts and antique furniture brought in from all over the world.
༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅༅
The Néstor Agúndez Cultural Center is named for the main promoter of cultural expression in Todos Santos. Here, visitors will want to check out the Museo de Historia Regional (Regional History Museum) and pinacoteca (picture gallery) where historical pieces and pictorial artwork are displayed, in addition to handicrafts, photographs and documents related to the Magical Town.
※ It is also the perfect place to learn any of several artistic disciplines, given that it offers dance, music, theater and painting workshops. Outdoor cultural events are also organized. And be sure not to leave without seeing the ethnobotanical garden, the ranch house and the library.
