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| Santa Rosalia |
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| Mining equipment |
Jay's
Post: We left Bahia Conception and traveled 23 miles north
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| Punta Chivato |
to Punta Chivato where we anchored for the night. We went ashore to
explore an abandoned luxury resort built by Lou Federico in 1966.
Keep in mind that the Transpeninsular Highway was not completed until
1974. Thus, the brown-ocher decorative stone used at Punta Chivato
was ferried by barge from the hills behind Mulegé to this remote
location, which had no roads, electricity or running water.
Reportedly, John Wayne, Jayne Mansfield and Earle Stanley Gardner all
stayed here at one time. Federico eventually lost his financial
interests in the hotel, and it appears to have been abandoned near
the end of 2013. When we explored it, we found locked rooms with
furniture inside, a restaurant complete with kitchen utensils and in
the office, computer equipment. With an appearance of disrepair, the
place had a spooky, ghost-like feel to it. As if everyone had
unexpectedly disappeared.
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| Mining Locomotive |
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| Old Mining Records |
After
motor-sailing another 27 miles northward, we arrived the next day at
Santa Rosalia on March 24, 2015. Santa Rosalia is a unique Baja town
with a personality completely different from any other seaside towns
we have visited thus far. It boasts a French rather than Mexican
influence, particularly in its architecture. The French copper mining
company El Boleo founded the town in 1884 after buying the mineral
rights. They drilled hundreds of miles of tunnels, built a smelting
foundry, a railroad to haul the ore and the pier from which they
shipped the smelted ore to Washington state to be refined. The ships
would return from Washington with loads of lumber and other supplies
for the town. Thus, most of the buildings in the downtown area are
constructed of wood, while cement block is the preferred construction
material in most of the rest of Baja. Unlike many other mining
sites, the industrial facilities are located in the very middle of
the town. The mining and smelting equipment was never dismantled when
El Boleo abandoned the mine in 1954. Of particular interest are the
reverberatory furnace and the metallurgical converter, although they
are currently unaccessible to the public due to safety concerns. Old
locomotives, mining equipment and machinery are visible everywhere
throughout the town. The main mining company offices (La Dirección)
have been converted into a museum, which we had the opportunity to
tour. It is filled with old pictures, books and artifacts. To
prevent the economic collapse of Santa Rosalia and surrounding
communities, a Mexican state-owned company (CMSRSA) eventually
assumed control of the mine and reopened the works using basically
the same (rather archaic) equipment and process used by the French.
The government funded operation was never profitable, and the mine
was again closed in 1980 when the low-grade ore and old style
technology made continued operations uneconomical.
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| Marina Fonatura Dock Party |
We have stayed
two weeks in Santa Roslia at the 20-slip marina Fonatur. Here we met
many old friends and made many new ones. While here attended dock
parties, ate in restaurants, visited the cemetery, and bought ice
cream – lots of ice cream!
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| Yaqui Indian dance |
Peggy's
Post: We
had heard there would be several events going on in
Santa Rosalia leading
up to Easter. On Wednesday while we were in the ice cream shop we
heard drumming in the street so we hurried out to see what the
commotion was. It was a parade like we've never seen before. Thirty
or so young men were dressed up as different animals with animal head
masks. They were wearing belts covered with small bells and bells
around their ankles. As they walked and danced down the street they
were playing drums and beating sticks. We aren't sure what the
significance of the costumes were or
why this is a tradition here. We think it dates back to the Yaqui
Indian
tribe who lived in this area.
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| "Stations of the Cross" re-enactment |
Yesterday,
we joined the local townspeople of
Santa Rosalia in
their re-enactment of the "Stations
of the Cross".
There
were
people dressed up as Jewish villagers, Roman soldiers, Pontius
Pilate,
Jesus
Christ
and the two
thieves. The
procession wandered
through
the streets
of the town
periodically
stopping
to act out the events
leading up to
Christ's crucifixion.
We,
with the townspeople followed the actors as they made each stop.
There were prayers and music and a large group of teenagers all
wearing matching T-shirts who helped with crowd control. Everyone
hiked
up
the
hill
to the cemetery overlooking
the town where
they tied the man portraying Christ and also the two
thieves onto crosses and lifted them up. Even though I
didn't understand all of the dialogue (since
my Spanish
is still pretty limited)
it
was very moving.
I
was amazed at the quality of the event for such a small town. We
love getting know, see, and be part of the holidays and traditions of
Mexico. And, of course to develop a bond with the wonderful people we have met here.
One of the main reasons we stayed in Santa Rosalia was to be able to listen to The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints worldwide General Conference which is broadcast over the internet each April and October. This conference concludes tomorrow, so Monday we cross over to the mainland. Until then, we wish you all fair winds and calm sea.
