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Overlooked beauty on the Baja
By LYNN Y. FORD © St. Petersburg Times, published May 20, 2001
Then suddenly we were around the last hill and headed south with the brilliant, sparkling waters of the Sea of Cortez on our left. Straight ahead, the bustling little city of Santa Rosalia appeared, on the edge of the water. Tourists usually drive right through Santa Rosalia, headed south for the more familiar resorts of Los Cabos and Cabo San Lucas. But this unusual seaport town, designated a national historic monument, has a most unusual attraction. Santa Rosalia is a growing community of 14,000. The central section of town curves around a busy seaport protected by a stonework malecon (breakwater). Once the destination for sailing ships from around the world, the harbor now holds commercial trawlers, charter boats for sport fishing and private yachts. Just south of the marina is a modern terminal for the ferry service that crosses the Sea of Cortez to mainland Mexico at Guaymas two times each week. Back in 1885, the Mexican government issued a mining "concession" to a French syndicate owned in part by the Rothschild family of financiers. The syndicate built this town. The mining company was called El Boleo Copper Co., and the hills on which Santa Rosalia sat were rich in copper and manganese, with a natural harbor close at hand. Buildings were constructed of imported, milled lumber instead of the more accessible adobe. They were painted green and white. Most remain in use today, the weathered colors softly visible. Eventually many of the streets were paved, but they are still lined with the gnarled ficus benjamina trees transported from France more than 100 years ago. Santa Rosalia is between two plateaus, and the one on the north side is called French Mesa. The cobbled streets and French Colonial-style houses, once home to the elite, offer fascinating explorations for today's traveler. A special churchThe early French landlords and the Mexican workers shared a common faith and needed a place of worship. A request for a church was sent via the Rothschild family to Paris. Designed by the renowned Gustave Eiffel, a beautifully detailed, prefabricated, galvanized iron church, in sections, was shipped around the Horn and reassembled in Santa Rosalia in 1896. Today, a stunning richness of light filters into this little iron church, Iglesia Santa Barbara de Santa Rosalia, through the 12 original stained glass windows crafted in Eiffel's workshop. We were told that somewhere under the concrete floor is hidden a modest treasure in solid gold and silver altar appointments. It seems that years after the church was erected and richly furnished, a priest hid the wealth under the old wooden floor to keep it safe from bandits. He was transferred back to France the next year and forgot to tell his replacement where the items were buried. The new priest decided that the church needed a concrete floor. The concrete was poured on top of the original floor, and the treasure remains hidden to this day. A walk down the main street, Avenida Obregon, will take you past the sinfully delicious aroma wafting from a 100-year-old bakery, El Boleo Panaderia. This is an obligatory stop for traditional French-style and Mexican baked goods. Close by are the Morelos Gardens, a park and open-air museum featuring machinery from the old mines, including original locomotives from 1886. History, high and lowAnother point of interest, up on the ridge beyond the ferry terminal, are the cemeteries. Salt air blows across ornate tombstones, with names in French, German and Spanish. With a little imagination, they tell of Santa Rosalia's rich heritage. For a more tangible review of history, visit the elegant Hotel Frances, situated at the edge of the north plateau overlooking the brick towers, iron framework and wooden buildings of the deserted ore smelter. This stately two-story building with graceful, wide verandas and tall, wooden casement windows is constructed entirely of Honduran mahogany. The carved exterior balustrade leading down the double staircase from the second-story veranda would be elegant in any hotel. The Hotel Frances is about 120 years old and recently underwent extensive restoration. The spacious lobby contains many museum-quality exhibits from the early years of Santa Rosalia. On the walls are enlarged lithographs of the sailing ships that long ago brought coke from Germany for smelting the copper ore. In the early evening, with none of the usual urban distractions of snarled traffic or noisy jets, it is pleasant to sit in one of Santa Rosalia's parks and hear the church bells and the sounds of children playing. A friendly, safe town, Santa Rosalia offers an unusual view of its colorful past.
-- Lynn Y. Ford is a freelance writer who lives in San Diego. If you go
The ferry between Santa Rosalia and Guaymas on the Mexican mainland operates on Wednesday and Sunday. Sailing time is about eight hours. Each vessel is equipped with a cafeteria, although passengers may want to bring their own food and water. You will need a vehicle importation permit if traveling on the ferry by car. It is probably best to get this permit at the U.S./Mexican border. Reservations on the ferry are necessary; call (115) 20013 or (115) 20014. Fares for two people plus one car run about $50. STAYING THERE: We stayed at the historic Hotel Frances, which cost about $34 for two per night; call (115) 22052. The El Morro is also quite nice and has a swimming pool. Cost for two people per night is about $31; call (115) 20414. There are a number of less expensive accommodations listed on the Web site http://www.bajalife.com. There are two good RV parks here. Las Palmas RV Park in Santa Rosalia has 30 sites for about $6 a night; some sites have full hookups. Call (115) 20109. San Lucas RV Park, 9 miles south of Santa Rosalia on Highway 1, is adjacent to the beach. No hookups, but it has a boat ramp. EATING THERE: Meals in Santa Rosalia cost between $2 and $10 per person. We found the classic Baja dinner of superb margaritas and fresh lobster at El Moro, overlooking the Sea of Cortez, to be at the higher end. Cenaduria Gaby's served a great fresh fish taco lunch, at the lower end. Sport fishing is very popular here. For up-to-date information and prices, call the Mexico Tourism Board toll-free 1-800-446-3942; its Web site is http://www.visitmexico.com.
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From the Times Travel page
From the AP |
GETTING THERE: Santa Rosalia is 563 miles south of the border at San Diego on Mexico Highway 1, which runs the length of the Baja Peninsula. If you have flown into Cabo San Lucas and rented a car, the drive north is 466 easy miles. The drive from La Paz is 335 miles.
