Mulegé

Mulegé is a city of 3,800 people (2010) in Baja California. Visitors come for the area's deep sea fishing, kayaking, cave tours, and bird watching. Fishing, with or without charters, to catch a big game fish is a popular attraction.

Understand
Mulegé lies 61 km (38 miles) south of Santa Rosalia, one of the prettiest towns in Baja California Sur. The village is situated between two hills, in a valley provided with life by a stream that runs till it joins the estuary which flows to the sea; edged by huge palm trees, orchards and fences where bougainvilleas of all colors tangle.

History
This privileged place was discovered by the Jesuit father Juan María de Salvatierra on his return from a trip to Sonora. Salvatierra made his first exploration trip in 1702. In August 1703 the fathers Francisco María Piccolo and Juan María Basaldúa arrived. The last one, father Juan de Ugarte - a Honduran Missionary who left a deep mark on these lands - founded in 1705 the mission called Santa Rosalía de Mulege. The origin of the name Mulegé drifts from the Cochimíes voices "Carmaañc galexá", that means "Large Ravine of the White Mouth". On September 14, 1719, the first vessel built in the Californias was launched in the Bay of Santa Inés, with woods from the mountainous region of Mulege. The author of this feat was father Juan de Ugarte who called the ship "Triunto de la Santa Cruz". It is said that this ship served the colony for 54 years.

In 1754 father Francisco Escalante began the formal construction of the church's mission, which was completed in 1766. Built with stone, it's characterized by its "L" form, by its tower erected several meters behind its main facade, and by its own suggested simplicity of the California missions. Abandoned in 1828, it has been restored several times. Actually it conserves the original appearance and in the interior a statue of Santa Rosalia and a bell, both from the 17th century.

On October 2, 1847, a heroic armed action took place here against the North American invaders. The Mexican forces formed by a military group and a numerous group of volunteers, Comundeños and natives and under the command of Capitán Manuel Pineda defeated the enemy.

Climate
The entire peninsula of Baja California is an area with one of the lowest precipitation rates in the world. Rain is rare but usually occurs between December and March, and hurricanes are occasionally a major threat to the Mulegé area.

Get in
Mulegé is on Mexican Highway 1 about 1050 km (650 miles) south of the border of California.

It is approximately 50 km south of the city of Santa Rosalía.

Regional flights are available at the Palo Verde Airport (to the north of town), and international flights are available at Loreto Airport  (123 km to the south).

See


In Mulege you'll find the old state penitentiary, finished in 1907. Novel because it was the only jail without bars. The prisoners could go out to work during the day, they just had to be back at night. Escape attempts were rare, and when someone did, the other prisoners pursued the escapees to bring them back to jail. The Mulegé population lived together with all social classes to whom they offered respect and a fondness, maybe that's why they are the best hosts in Baja California Sur.

From the original groups that inhabited the area, there are known to be extraordinary samples of rupestrian art, that exist in the surroundings of this paradise called Mulegé, such as the cave paintings in the Sierra de San Borjita, the most well-known, photographed and investigated. Also the paintings and petroglyphs of La Trinidad.

In a tour through the town, a visit to the mission church; the regional museum (located in the old state penitentiary building); the banks of the river estuary and the beach at El Sombrerito are all recommended.

Mulege has been a favorite traditional destination of the tourist that look for rest and contemplation of nature; to the sport fishing lover, the history student and ecologist; the lover of the beautiful bay; Bahía de Concepción, a few kilometers from Mulegé with awesome landscapes and a multitude of beaches with soft, white sand: Santispac, Concepción, Los Cocos, El Burro, El Coyote, Buenaventura, El Requesón and Armenta.

Do
Sport fishing and scuba diving agencies, and tours combining cave paintings and ecology.

Eat

 * Rice and Beans is off the main highway, right when you come in to town. The name of the place is written on the roof. It is also a hotel.

Stay safe
The area is usually considered safe.

Go next

 * Loreto
 * El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve
 * San Carlos