History

Recent History

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. Some luxury developments have been controversial, particularly Pedregal, a gated hill-top community catering to the filthy rich. With over 3000 private vacation homes, dozens of hotels, several golf courses and other infrastructure, Cabo San Lucas has firmly established itself as a major Mexican holiday resort.

Modern Day History

By the 1930s Cabo's population was still only 400 people strong; many of them worked in the town's rather successful cannery. After WWII, word that the waters off Los Cabos were teeming with billfish reached sportfishers in North America, among them Hollywood royalty. The town's popularity with anglers and luxury boaters swelled the population to about 1500, especially after the completion of the Carretera Transpeninsular, which rolled into the area in 1974. The next big boost to accessibility was the construction of an international airport north of nearby San José del Cabo in 1986.

Pre 20th Century History

The original Cape locals were the Guaycura, who roamed the region as nomadic hunter-gatherers and survived contact with the occasional European explorer until the 17th century. Few records of their civilization survive, though evidence suggests they practised polygamy, possibly because tribal warfare had created a shortage of men. In the 16th century, the myth of an all-woman land of warriors rich in gold reached Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, who promptly dispatched four expeditions but, after finding only hostile land and locals, eventually beat a retreat.

Meanwhile, the Los Cabos area became an important stopover for the so-called Manila galleons - boats loaded with silk, perfumes and other treasure traveling from Acapulco to the Philippines. Their presence attracted numerous English pirates, most famously Thomas Cavendish, who sacked the prized Spanish galleon Santa Ana in 1587.

In the 17th century, the Spanish crown decided to take another stab at settling Baja California and this time they brought out the army of God; Jesuit missionaries established a string of missions throughout Baja, although not in Cabo proper. The town remained a sleepy fishing village, far removed from civilization, until well into the 20th century.