Todos Santos, Baja California Sur

Todos Santos
Top: Todos Santos main plaza
Middle: Misión Santa Rosa de las Palmas, Todos Santos Theater
Bottom: City letters, Hotel California
Todos Santos is located in Baja California Sur
Todos Santos
Todos Santos
Location in Baja California Sur
Todos Santos is located in Mexico
Todos Santos
Todos Santos
Location in Mexico
Coordinates: 23°26′55″N 110°13′24″W / 23.44861°N 110.22333°W / 23.44861; -110.22333
Country Mexico
StateBaja California Sur
MunicipalityLa Paz
Elevation
130 ft (40 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
7,185
Time zoneUTC-07:00 (MST)

Todos Santos (Spanish: [ˈtoðos ˈsantos] ; "All Saints") is a small coastal town in the foothills of Mexico's Sierra de la Laguna Mountains, on the Pacific coast side of the Baja California Peninsula, about an hour's drive north of Cabo San Lucas on Highway 19 and an hour's drive southwest from La Paz. Todos Santos is located at the Tropic of Cancer in the municipality of La Paz. The population was 7,185 at the census of 2020.[1] It is the second-largest town in the municipality. The town is known for its historical significance, surfing, a regionally pleasurable climate, and the arts.

History

The region that now includes Todos Santos was originally inhabited by the Guaycura people (Waicura, Waikuri, Guaycuri), a nomadic hunter-gatherer group whose range extended up to modern day Loreto. In the early days of Spanish settlement, a mission was established in what is now Todos Santos, Misión Santa Rosa de las Palmas, founded by father Jaime Bravo in 1723. In 1724, it was renamed Nuestra Señora del Pilar de La Paz. Located across the street to the southwest from the small town plaza, this mission contains the statue of the Virgin of Pilar, which is the focus of Todos Santos's main festival in November.

During the Mexican American War, the Skirmish of Todos Santos, the last battle of the war, was fought near the town on March 30, 1848.[2]

During the 19th century, following the secularization of the missions, Todos Santos thrived as the Baja sugarcane capital, supporting eight sugar mills at the end of the 19th century. Only one existed by the time the town's freshwater spring dried up in 1950, and that last mill closed in 1965.

Todos Santos faced a bleak future until the spring came back to life in 1981 and the Mexican Government paved Highway 19 in the mid-1980s. The highway brought tourists and the rich farmlands have been revived. The town now prospers from farming vegetables, chilies, avocados, papayas and mangoes, as well as from fishing and ranching.[3][4]

Contemporary Todos Santos

Hotel California

The Hotel California is a favorite[for whom?] stop[clarification needed] because of the name association with the song made famous by the Eagles, even though the song does not specifically reference this particular hotel, nor any other existing hotel. On May 1, 2017, the Eagles band filed a lawsuit against the Hotel California in the United States District Court for the District of Central California alleging Trademark Infringement in Violation of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1125 and Common Law Unfair Competition and Trademark Infringement. The Eagles were seeking relief[clarification needed] and damages.[5][6] The lawsuit was settled in 2018: the hotel continues to use the name, abandoned efforts to apply for a trademark in the United States,[7] and now deny any connection with the song or the band.[8]

Todos Santos is challenged by rapid population growth and overdevelopment, a problem possibly exacerbated by a controversial Urban Development Plan (LaPaz PDU).[9][10] The city's water distribution system is overtaxed, leading to reduction in delivery to homes. [11] The Todos Santos aquifer, the town's only water source, is facing over-extraction, saltwater intrusion, and invasion of arundo, a non-native grass that rapidly consumes groundwater.[12][13] The power to Todos Santos comes from a power plant in La Paz, whose line to Todos Santos is operating over capacity, causing regular blackouts and damage to electrical equipment from surges.[14] A coalition of residents, Protect Todos Santos, is working to address these issues through legal action and community organizing. [15]

Climate

Climate data for Todos Santos, Baja California Sur (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1939–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 39
(102)
36
(97)
39
(102)
38
(100)
40
(104)
39
(102)
39
(102)
42
(108)
39
(102)
44
(111)
43
(109)
36
(97)
44
(111)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 25.2
(77.4)
25.3
(77.5)
25.2
(77.4)
25.2
(77.4)
25.3
(77.5)
26.6
(79.9)
30.3
(86.5)
32.1
(89.8)
31.7
(89.1)
31.3
(88.3)
29.0
(84.2)
26.2
(79.2)
27.8
(82.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) 18.3
(64.9)
18.2
(64.8)
18.1
(64.6)
18.2
(64.8)
18.9
(66.0)
21.2
(70.2)
25.2
(77.4)
27.1
(80.8)
26.6
(79.9)
25.4
(77.7)
22.3
(72.1)
19.1
(66.4)
21.6
(70.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 11.3
(52.3)
11.1
(52.0)
11.1
(52.0)
11.2
(52.2)
12.6
(54.7)
15.8
(60.4)
20.1
(68.2)
22.1
(71.8)
21.6
(70.9)
19.5
(67.1)
15.6
(60.1)
12.1
(53.8)
15.3
(59.5)
Record low °C (°F) 2
(36)
0
(32)
2.5
(36.5)
3
(37)
0
(32)
6
(43)
7
(45)
9
(48)
10
(50)
9
(48)
2
(36)
3
(37)
0
(32)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 12.4
(0.49)
5.1
(0.20)
1.1
(0.04)
0.0
(0.0)
0.4
(0.02)
1.9
(0.07)
6.0
(0.24)
44.6
(1.76)
94.7
(3.73)
22.8
(0.90)
13.3
(0.52)
7.5
(0.30)
209.8
(8.26)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 1.4 0.5 0.4 0.0 0.2 0.2 1.0 3.3 3.7 1.3 1.2 0.6 13.8
Source: Servicio Meteorológico Nacional[16][17]

Notable residents

References

  1. ^ 2020 La Paz Census
  2. ^ "Richard W. Amero, The Mexican-American War in Baja California, The Journal of San Diego History, SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY QUARTERLY, Winter 1984, Volume 30, Number 1".
  3. ^ "Todos Santos History, from www.mexinsider.com accessed 4/05/2013".
  4. ^ "TODOS SANTOS History - Baja California Sur, Mexico". www.mexonline.com.
  5. ^ Blistein, Jon (3 May 2017). "Eagles Sue 'Hotel California' in Mexico for Trademark Infringement". Rolling Stone.
  6. ^ "Eagles v Hotel California - Complaint - Trademark". Scribd.
  7. ^ Jonathan Stempel (19 January 2018). "Mexican hotel keeping Hotel California name after Eagles settlement". Reuters. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  8. ^ "Hotel California History".
  9. ^ "Adoption of La Paz PDU for Todos Santos and other Areas of Baja Sur - Gringo Gazette". 2024-09-05. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  10. ^ Santisteban, Gilberto (2024-03-20). "Sin socialización del nuevo PDU de Todos Santos: habitantes luchan por ordenamiento real y justo". HOY BCS. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  11. ^ "What's Happening with the Todos Santos Real Estate - Gringo Gazette". 2024-12-08. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  12. ^ "Water – CSU Todos Santos". todossantos.csusystem.edu. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  13. ^ "Todos Santos Water Crisis". Protect Todos Santos. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  14. ^ "Todos Santos Lack of Infrastructure". Protect Todos Santos. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  15. ^ "Protect Todos Santos". Protect Todos Santos. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
  16. ^ "NORMAL CLIMATOLÓGICA 1991-2020" (TXT) (in Spanish). Servicio Meteorológico National. Archived from the original on December 1, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  17. ^ "VALORES EXTREMOS" (TXT) (in Spanish). Servicio Meteorológico National. Archived from the original on December 1, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  18. ^ "Fallece Félix Agramont Cota, ex gobernador del Territorio de BCS". Octavo día. 2013-05-10. Archived from the original on 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
  19. ^ "Peter Buck in Todos Santos" - YouTube, April 24, 2015

Sources