Loreto, the former capital of the Californias and first permanent mission founded by Jesuit Father Juan Maria de Salvatierra on October 25, 1697, is framed by a wonderful landscape where attend the Sierra de la Giganta, the desert and the sea of Cortez.
Located on the east coast of the central part of the peninsula of Baja California, 138 km from Ciudad Constitucion, 350 km from La Paz and 135 km south of Mulege, the city looks Among its cobbled streets, a beautiful colonial architecture and conservative in which they stand out for their historical and cultural interest, the Mission of San Javier and Museum of the Missions.
Loreto Bay, including the Coronado Islands, Del Carmen, Danzante, Montserrat and Santa Catalina is protected as a National Marine Park since June 7, 2000 and there pearl oysters, starfish, snails hermits, fan corals, orcas are , blue whales, dolphins and sea lions.
Moreover, all these islands are ideal for those who like fishing, diving, sailing, ecotourism or for those who simply want to enjoy the tranquility of the beaches in the region.
Loreto is a place that calls the contact with nature, maritime sports, and adventure to take the route of Baja 1000 to go to meet the whales, cave paintings and colonial missions. Also, climate, infrastructure and relative isolation is ideal to relax and forget some of the pressures of everyday life. Yesterday Loreto was the first capital of a territory stretching from the California to Texas, including Sonora, Sinaloa and Coahuila; Today is the heart of this natural paradise: the Sea of Cortez.
Discovered by accident in 1533 related, Baja California melts in its history ambition, scientific curiosity, evangelizing vocation and challenge of nature.
For more than 150 years it was considered an island and several expeditions came here looking for pearls from the outset made it famous.
All failed because of the difficulties of supply, the resistance of the Indians and the harassment of pirates. But the October 25, 1697, Juan Maria Salvatierra established the first permanent settlement in founding the mission of Our Lady of Loreto, advanced colonization and territorial capital until 1829, when an earthquake destroyed the city and the capital moved to La Paz .
However, they would be required another 150 years to fully integrate Loreto the country's development, when its airport was built and the trans-peninsular highway was paved.
MexicGo beach in Baja California Sur, Mexico by Location: Loreto
Loreto, Mexico
Information
Must Know
The English-speaking tourist office (Mon–Fri 8am–8pm) is located in the Palacio de Gobierno at Madero and Salvatierra, on the west side of the pedestrian Plaza Cívica.
The town is shaped roughly like a triangle pointing west from the malecón; all points of interest are near the wide end closest to the shore. Salvatierra turns into a tree-lined pedestrian mall at Independencia and the few buildings of note are along this six-block-long promenade to the sea, including the mission church, the Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó.
Misión San Francisco Xavier de Viggé-Biaundó: If you have a car (preferably a 4WD), make time for the detour to the Misión San Francisco Javier de Viggé-Biaundó, 36km southwest of Loreto in the heart of the mountains. Established in 1699, it became the base of Father Juan de Ugarte two years later, one of the leading Jesuit pioneers in Baja. The current church, completed in 1758, is one of the most isolated and evocative on the peninsula.
Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto: Loreto’s greatest asset is the giant body of protected waters along its eastern shore – you’ll get an entrancing view of the islands from the breezy malecón. The Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto was established in 1996 to protect over 2000 square kilometres of the Sea of Cortés from overfishing, and it’s become another superb place for diving and kayaking.
The town is shaped roughly like a triangle pointing west from the malecón; all points of interest are near the wide end closest to the shore. Salvatierra turns into a tree-lined pedestrian mall at Independencia and the few buildings of note are along this six-block-long promenade to the sea, including the mission church, the Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto Conchó.
Misión San Francisco Xavier de Viggé-Biaundó: If you have a car (preferably a 4WD), make time for the detour to the Misión San Francisco Javier de Viggé-Biaundó, 36km southwest of Loreto in the heart of the mountains. Established in 1699, it became the base of Father Juan de Ugarte two years later, one of the leading Jesuit pioneers in Baja. The current church, completed in 1758, is one of the most isolated and evocative on the peninsula.
Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto: Loreto’s greatest asset is the giant body of protected waters along its eastern shore – you’ll get an entrancing view of the islands from the breezy malecón. The Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto was established in 1996 to protect over 2000 square kilometres of the Sea of Cortés from overfishing, and it’s become another superb place for diving and kayaking.
Get There
Tourists can easily access to Loreto through its International Airport, located a few miles of the city, and which are regular flights AeroMexico and AeroCalifornia as well as AlaskaAirlines from San Diego, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tucson City Mexico and Hermosillo, among other destinations. Similarly Lines and Holland America Cruise West arrive at the Port of Loreto.
By land, with the desert as a backdrop, you can get through the trans-peninsular highway that runs from Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas. From the border with the United States they are 700 miles to reach Loreto, taking away about 18 hours.
And by sea, the beautiful Puerto Escondido in the Sea of Cortez, just eight minutes south of Loreto, is the perfect place to anchor his yacht and then visit other nearby marinas: Santa Rosalia, Don Jose, Palmira, La Paz and Cabo San Lucas.
Although Loreto does not have a very large marina, itself has a small port in tourism and fishing and the waters of the Sea of Cortez are ideal to navigate them, also visiting the large number of islands off the coast appear.
In Puerto Escondido, 25 km south of Loreto, you are a marine receiving sailboats, yachts and cruisers medium format and has the services of fueling and drinking water.
The mulle is located in a bay d nine meters deep, it is available in a "T", 83 meters long, 10.5 meters wide and three meters high on its platform.
Birth of a Integrally Planned Center is started in the eighties. It is a corridor formed by the traditional village of Loreto, Nopoló the tourist area and the marina of Puerto Escondido. Its natural market is the United States, Canada and Europe.
These days, Loreto, Nopoló and Puerto Escondido are part of an ambitious project that FONATUR plans to develop to become the most important tourist region Sea of Cortez.
His master plan considered a polygon 10, 693 hectares (ha) divided enter areas. The first is Loreto, consisting of 743 ha, of which 18.2% comprise the urban tourist area, 25.5%, 7.7% the conservation and 48.4% was allocated to other uses.
The second section is Nopoló, with 4.6 km of beaches and a natural oasis called First Water. Has 3, 528 ha, of which 4.9% related to the tourist area, 4.9% urban, 59.2% are set for ecological conservation, and 30.9% for other uses.
The third extension is Puerto Escondido, with its well protected natural marina that will operate in the framework of the Sea of Cortez. It has 6,421 ha, of which 48.8% corresponds to the tourist area, 46.8% and 4.4% for conservation is defined for other uses.
By land, with the desert as a backdrop, you can get through the trans-peninsular highway that runs from Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas. From the border with the United States they are 700 miles to reach Loreto, taking away about 18 hours.
And by sea, the beautiful Puerto Escondido in the Sea of Cortez, just eight minutes south of Loreto, is the perfect place to anchor his yacht and then visit other nearby marinas: Santa Rosalia, Don Jose, Palmira, La Paz and Cabo San Lucas.
Although Loreto does not have a very large marina, itself has a small port in tourism and fishing and the waters of the Sea of Cortez are ideal to navigate them, also visiting the large number of islands off the coast appear.
In Puerto Escondido, 25 km south of Loreto, you are a marine receiving sailboats, yachts and cruisers medium format and has the services of fueling and drinking water.
The mulle is located in a bay d nine meters deep, it is available in a "T", 83 meters long, 10.5 meters wide and three meters high on its platform.
Birth of a Integrally Planned Center is started in the eighties. It is a corridor formed by the traditional village of Loreto, Nopoló the tourist area and the marina of Puerto Escondido. Its natural market is the United States, Canada and Europe.
These days, Loreto, Nopoló and Puerto Escondido are part of an ambitious project that FONATUR plans to develop to become the most important tourist region Sea of Cortez.
His master plan considered a polygon 10, 693 hectares (ha) divided enter areas. The first is Loreto, consisting of 743 ha, of which 18.2% comprise the urban tourist area, 25.5%, 7.7% the conservation and 48.4% was allocated to other uses.
The second section is Nopoló, with 4.6 km of beaches and a natural oasis called First Water. Has 3, 528 ha, of which 4.9% related to the tourist area, 4.9% urban, 59.2% are set for ecological conservation, and 30.9% for other uses.
The third extension is Puerto Escondido, with its well protected natural marina that will operate in the framework of the Sea of Cortez. It has 6,421 ha, of which 48.8% corresponds to the tourist area, 46.8% and 4.4% for conservation is defined for other uses.
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