South of San Ignacio, the highway emerges on the east coast at SANTA ROSALÍA, the largest town in central Baja (with a population of around 14,000), and one of the most intriguing places to explore on the peninsula. Established by French miners in the 1880s, it has something of a transient air, and many of its buildings look strikingly un-Mexican. The streets are narrow and crowded, with the workers’ houses in the valley, which feature low, angled roofs and hibiscus flanked porches, resembling French Caribbean dwellings, and grander colonial residences for the managers lining the hill to the north.

Wedged in the narrow river valley of the Arroyo de Santa Rosalía, today the town serves as the terminal for ferries to Guaymas, but it was once a busy port used to ship copper from the nearby French-run mines of the Compagnie du Boléo. The French left in 1954 and the mines were finally closed thirty years later, though much of the equipment still lies around town, including parts of a rusting narrow-gauge railway. Canadian-listed Baja Mining is currently developing a copper-cobalt-zinc-manganese project at the old Boleo workings, and if it opens as expected in 2011, will dramatically transform the town – the company has promised to work with local authorities to develop housing, infrastructure and utilities, as well as hire locals for the expected 650 to 700 mine workforce.

Spend some time wandering the streets of Santa Rosalía, as the town has retained much of its original wood-frame housing and the odd piece of mining equipment. The premier sight is the Iglesia de Santa Bárbara at Obregón and Pedro Altamirano, three blocks from Parque Morelos, a prefabricated iron church said to have been designed by Gustave Eiffel and exhibited in Paris before it was shipped here in 1895. The rather austere interior is softened somewhat by vivid stained-glass windows reflecting its Art Nouveau style, though some experts now believe Eiffel was not the designer – just don’t say that to the locals.

Follow Progreso up the hill from here and you’ll see more leftovers from the mining period, culminating with the Museo El Boleo (Mon–Fri 8am–2pm & 5–7pm) at the top, housed in the old mining offices. The museum outlines the history of the mine and the town through old photos and mining curios. The area around the museum is known as the Mesa Francés, and contains the grandest examples of the town’s French architectural legacy.

The ferry from Santa Rosalía to Guaymas, across the Sea of Cortés in the state of Sonora, departs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 9am, and Fridays and Sundays at 8pm, arriving 7hr later. Always call in advance, though, as schedules often change.

Hwy-1 enters Santa Rosalía in both directions from along the coast, passing the harbor and the eastern border of the triangle-shaped Parque Morelos. Four Avenues – the main commercial drag Obregón, along with Constitución, Carranza and Montoya – run inland from here, crossing the numbered streets that intersect at right angles. The ferry terminal lies two minutes’ walk south of Parque Morelos. The terminal also serves as the town’s transport hub: taxis wait here and buses use the parking lot to drop off and take on passengers, making it one of the few centrally located stations on the entire peninsula. If you can’t wait for a bus, you should be able to negotiate a taxi to San Ignacio, and Mulegé.