Baja California Sur is the smallest Mexican state by population and the 31st admitted state of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state on October 8, 1974, the area was known as the South Territory of Baja California. It has an area of 73,475 km2
As of 2010, the population was 637,026. The state is home to the tourist resorts of Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo. Its largest city and capital is La Paz, a tourist resort and historic landmark. It includes Loreto, the historic first capital of all three Californias (Baja California Sur, Baja California, and California), the town of Santa Rosalía which is the site of a historic church designed by Gustave
he first inhabitants are thought to have arrived to the peninsula at least 11,000 years ago, to judge by the archaeological discovery of several Clovis points in the northern part of the state. The possibility of an even earlier occupation has been raised by radiocarbondates from a site on Isla Espíritu Santo, but this interpretation still remains controversial.
Before phases of the state's prehistory are manifested in several archaeological complexes:
- The Las Palmas Complex in the Cape Region and on nearby islands in the Gulf of California is primarily a mortuary pattern. Hallmarks include caves or rock shelters containing secondary burials of human bones painted with red ochre.
- The Comondú Complex represents late prehistoric occupation throughout the central portion of the peninsula, perhaps dating between about A.D. 500 and 1700. It is recognized, in particular, by small, triangular projectile points that attest to the introduction of the bow and arrow into the region.
- The Great Mural Rock Art is the best-known archaeological phenomenon in northern Baja California Sur. In the Sierra de Guadalupeand Sierra de San Francisco, many rockshelters contain larger-than-life paintings of humans, deer and other animals.
Four distinct ethnolinguistic groups were encountered in Baja California Sur by the early explorers and missionaries: the Pericú in the south, between Cabo San Lucas and La Paz, and on several of the islands in the Gulf; the Guaycura from La Paz to south of Loreto; the Monqui, in the area around Loreto; and the Cochimí, in extensive areas throughout the middle of the peninsula.
Geography and ecology.
Baja california Sur is characterized by deserts, mountains and coastal flatlands. The climate is desert-like in most parts of the state. Plants such as cardon, mezquite and wild-lettuce; animals including mountain lions; and other plants and wildlife characteristic of this ecosystem are found in the Central and Vizcaino Deserts of Baja California Sur.
Parallel to the coast lies the Sierra de la Giganta, with pine and oak forests. To the west, the coastline flatlands form beautiful plains like the Llanos Santa Clara, Magdalena and Hiray, just to name a few.
The Biosphere Natural Reserve of El Vizcaíno, with its 2,500,000 hectares (6,177,635 acres), is the largest natural reserve in Latin America. It is located in the Mulegé municipality and extends from the west end of the Vizcaíno Peninsula and the San Ignacio and Ojo de Liebre lagoons, passing over theSan Francisco Sierra, to the shores of the Gulf of California and the islands in the Gulf of California.
Los cabos
The state is known for its natural features. The Vizcaíno Desert and small coastal lakes San Ignacio and Ojo de Liebre in the north are protected by the federal government. The state includes the Pacific islands of Natividad, Magdalena, and Santa Margarita, as well as the islands of San Marcos, Coronados, Carmen, Montserrat, Santa Catalina, Santa Cruz, San Diego, San José, San Francisco, Partida, Espíritu Santo, and Cerralvo, which are located in the Gulf of California. Rocas Alijos are a group of tiny, steep and barren volcanic islets found offshore.
Numerous flora and fauna are found in Baja California Sur. Notable among the tree species is the Elephant tree, Bursera microphylla, which species exhibits a contorted multi-furcate architecture.
Video of Turism in Baja California Sur
