Cabo San Lucas History, Mexico

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, popularly called ‘Los Cabos’, is situated at the south end of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. From a village of 2 houses in the 1820 to 1840s, the city had grown to a population of around 57,000 in 2005. Today, Los Cabos is a high-end vacation destination. Several timeshare clubs and resorts had sprung up along the coast between San Jose del Cabo and San Lucas. 

History of Cabo San Lucas 

Historians claim that the first inhabitants arrived at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula about 14,000 years ago. When the Europeans arrived in the area, they found the nomadic groups of Pericu eking out a miserable living. These tribes were leading a Neolithic life, without using any metals and surviving on a diet of fruit, roots, seeds, shellfish, and other food obtained from hunting and fishing. Henry Edwards and Ross Browne, American authors had written that the founder of Cabo San Lucas was Thomas Ritchie, an Englishman. According to them, Ritchie came to Cabo in 1828 and he died in October 1874. However, Hatsutaro had narrated in his book, ‘Kaigai Ibun’, that he arrived in May 1842 to Cabo and there were only 20 inhabitants there in 2 houses. It is not clear whether Ritchie was one of the inhabitants. 

Development of Cabo San Lucas 

In the beginning of the 20th century, a fishing village developed in this area, when an American firm built a floating platform for tuna fish catching in 1917. The firm found the company ‘Compania de Productos Marinos, S.A.’ in 1927 and the village began to develop. The abundance of sport fish, the beauty of the beaches and warm climate of Cabo San Lucas lured large number of Mexican and foreign vacationers to choose the area as an enchanting tourist spot. In 1974, the Mexican government initiated a drive with the necessary infrastructure to turn Cabo into one of the largest tourist centers in Mexico. The construction of large number of timeshares and resorts had turned the city and surrounding areas into major vacation and spa destinations.

Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo have the Los Cabos International Airport constructed to augment the arrival of tourists and visitors. The port of Cabo San Lucas had also developed, over the years, from a small fishing harbor and is visited by several cruise ships. 

Celebrity visits to Cabo San Lucas 

In 1990, the rock star Sammy Hagar of Van Halen fame opened a restaurant and a nightclub in Cabo San Lucas, named The Cabo Wabo Cantina. On his birthday, 13 October, he plays live at the club every year. In 2002, Asia-Pacific Economic Conference was conducted in Cabo San Lucas, when several world leaders including the U.S. President visited the city. The city witnessed a celebrity marriage in November 2008, when Kevin Youkilis of the famous Boston Red Sox got married to Enza Sambataro here. Several Red Sox teammates of Youkilis attended the marriage. Another celebrity marriage in Cabo San Lucas was that of Brett Hull, professional hockey player, with Darcie Schollmeyer. Many other celebrities like Britney Spears, Jessica Alba, Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Simpson, O.J. Simpson, Katherine Heigl, and Reese Witherspoon vacationed regularly in Cabo San Lucas over the years.

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