Getting to Know the Area: Cabo San Lucas vs. San Jose del Cabo

Los Cabos (“The Capes”) is a Tale of Two Cities.

There’s Cabo San Lucas, the deep-sea fishing mecca and nightlife capital at Land’s End; and, 20 miles away, San Jose del Cabo, a charming colonial town near a tidal estuary.

San Jose del Cabo has a rich history. In the early 1530s, Hernán Cortés organized the first expedition to explore the region. Treasure-laden Spanish galleons returning from the Far East watered in the estuary in the late 1500s. British privateers attacked them, plundering gold and booty.

Long before Cortes arrived, the region was inhabited by the Pericues, an ancient culture of hunters, gatherers and fishermen who cultivated pearl-bearing oysters in the coastal waters.

In 1730, Jesuits founded the Mission of San José del Cabo. This twin-spired church remains the heart of the town’s historic center. It adjoins Plaza Mijares, a large square shaded by century-old Indian laurel trees. Radiating out from the plaza are cobblestone streets lined by colonial-era buildings occupied by art galleries, restaurants, and shops carrying silver jewelry, hand-painted ceramics and other artisan-produced items.

The Art Walk, held on Thursday evenings from November through June, is one of the best ways to experience the cultural heritage of San Jose del Cabo. Interior streets are closed to vehicular traffic during Art Walk, transforming the town’s center into a festive pedestrian thoroughfare where live bands perform in the plaza and on rooftops.

More than a dozen Gallery District Association members invite passersby to meet artists, view exhibits and enjoy a complimentary glass of wine or tequila in a welcoming, convivial atmosphere. Genres range from painting and sculpture to folk art, ceramics, jewelry and photography by Mexican and international artists.

Cabo San Lucas is a different kettle of fish. When author John Steinbeck visited in 1940, the town had a tuna cannery, a couple of hundred people, and not much else. The sleepy hideaway came to life in the 1950s, when Hollywood celebrities, including John Wayne, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Errol Flynn, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower, arrived to fish and relax. (Trophy marlin were plentiful in those days). Jacques Cousteau, the French oceanographer, visited in the 1960s, describing the Sea of Cortes as the “Aquarium of the World.”  

After Hotel Hacienda was built on Medano Beach in 1966, a few more hotels popped up in the early ’70s: Mar de Cortez (1972), Finisterra (1972), and Solmar Suites (1977). At the time, Cabo’s marina didn’t exist. It was then a dry mudflat with a landing strip and a scattering of cannery worker homes. However, the debut of the Transpeninsular Highway (Federal Highway 1) in 1974 opened the way for road trippers in vans and RVs to visit the region. Three years later, Los Cabos International Airport opened north of San Jose del Cabo. Tourism was on the horizon.

Much has changed since. The deep-water harbor in Cabo San Lucas is now a magnet for cruise ships. Medano Beach is lined with outfitters, cantinas, and hotels, including Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos (Blanco) and Pueblo Bonito Rose. The marina, ringed by open-air restaurants and a large shopping plaza, is filled with mega-yachts, fishing charters, and glass-bottom boats.

Sammy Hagar, the Van Halen guitarist and vocalist, visited Cabo in the 1980s with the idea of creating a venue for live rock shows. Today, Cabo Wabo Cantina is a Cabo institution--and proof that rock ‘n roll never dies.

El Squid Roe, a venerable triple-decker party palace, welcomes guests to dance on top of the tables, especially during spring break week. The club comes alive after midnight, with reggae and Latin rhythms resounding long into the wee hours.

The Giggling Marlin, a downtown fixture since 1984, burned down last year, but dozens of nightclubs and restaurants continue to flourish in Cabo San Lucas, a lively Land’s End party town with a genuine frontier spirit.

Plan your next Los Cabos vacation today!