Baja California

Baja (or Lower) California runs south into the Pacific Ocean for approximately 800 miles starting at the U.S. Alta (Upper) California border. A land of stark beauty, its rugged mountains, deserts, bays, lagoons, plant and animal life, and hospitable human inhabitants remain largely unknown to most of us. In fact, its remoteness, sheer size, and natural barriers have largely preserved what is today a treasure not only for Mexico, but for the whole world.

Many of us are familiar with the Gray whale migration between Alaska's food-rich summer waters to winter birthing lagoons on the Pacific coast of Baja California. Baja's bays and estuaries represent the side of the peninsula which is being tilted into the sea by the pressure of colliding plates of the earth's surface. The eastern side is being tilted up, forming mountains which you will see most dramatically above Loreto, and in the farther distance, in the Cape region.

Moving inland from the Pacific and before rising to its eastern heights, the land rises steadily in the northern portion of the peninsula. Clothed with primarily desert vegeation, this region is dissected by occasional canyons and arroyos. Low, relatively level plains cover much of the area to the west of the mountains in the central and south-central portions of the peninsula. In contrast, mountains meet the sea on much of Baja's eastern coast, or are separated from the Sea of Cortez by narrow plains or bands of lower mountains. The northeastern portion of Baja is distinctly different than the rest of Baja, containing the marsh delta of the Rio Colorado, rich farmlands, and the lowlands of the Laguna Salada.

A variety plants and land animials call Baja home. While desert vegetation dominates, oak and pine forests grace the higher mountains. Palm oases can surprise at lower elevations. A fair number of species are found nowhere else in the world owing to Baja's remoteness. Some plants take striking form, enhanced by the relative sparseness of the desert environment. An example is the giant cardon cactus (a most worthy relative of the saguaro) which you will see in the La Paz region. And depending on your inland expeditions, you may also see the surprising silhouette of the Elephant tree.

Bighorn sheep and Pronghorn antelope still roam some areas, though wildlife sightings on interior explorations will more likely include mule deer, coyotes, rabbits, bobcats, the occasional wild burro, and, yes, representatives of some 30 varieties each of lizards and snakes.

As you will probably spend the much of your time near and in coastal areas, you can rest assured there will be plenty of bird life. Baja's vast interior and its 3000 miles of shoreline, islands, bays, and wetlands, provide birds a good deal of habitat to choose from. Brown pelicans and cormorants, egrets, and terns are common visitors. A bit inland, you may see birds of prey such as hawks, falcons, and the sizable turkey vulture.

This harsh, yet starkly beautiful land, has also shaped its human inhabits. History's ethnographers tell us that Native Americans have populated the peninsula during at least the last 8000 years, carving out an independent life style in a challenging environment. Indeed, it took 134 years for the Spanish to establish their first lasting settlement in Baja (at Loreto) after arriving on Mexico's west coast. Over this span of time, several expeditions failed. The formula that worked involved Jesuit clergy gradually establishing a series of missions over 70 years, beginning with Loreto in 1697. This effort had mixed success, and unfortunately disastrous consequences for the natives whose population was reduced (largely through diseases) by more than 80 percent to only a few thousand from its 40,0000 to 50,000 pre-European level.

The new settlers learned to work with Baja's resources to sustain themselves. The war between Mexico and America in 1846 and 1848 brought American and other non-hispanic influence to Baja, through see-saw military campaigns. Eventually the American expeditionary forces overcame tenacious Mexican defenders, though the peninsula was given back to Mexico in the treaty that ended the war. For a great while thereafter, Baja all but disappeared from the radar screen, remaining accessible largely only by sea from the outside.

Significant road access from the north began during the second World War when GIs on holiday from bases in southern California discovered the beauty and serenity of Baja California's northern reaches. Baja remained a Mexican territory until the northern half was declared a state of Mexico in 1952. The southern half (Baja California Sur) became a state in 1974, one year after completion of Baja's Highway 1, which runs 1059 miles from the U.S. boarder to Cabo San Lucas at its southern-most tip.

Yet even with these recent developments, the vast majority of Baja California remains largely undeveloped, its beauty and gracious way of life intact. Indeed, your choice to explore this land with Seaquest comes at a propitious moment. Can the citizens of Baja protect their scenic treasures, their rich marine habitats, and their culture, while allowing for development? As guests in their land, you have the chance to meet the people who are confronting this challenge, and see for yourself the beauty and the lifestyle that you may wish to protect.

Unless otherwise noted, all website materials © 2005 Seaquest Seminars, and Health and Environment. You may use these materials to inform others about Seaquest Seminars and to make decisions regarding participation with Seaquest.