The thrill of adventure, the rush of adrenaline, the rapt contemplation of the unknown spectacle, reaching the unreachable, and the pursuit of fame and fortune, are, and always have been, the trigger of unforgettable expeditions.
Most people can’t believe our paradise at the southernmost tip of the peninsula, which was once believed to be an island, is where the name California originated. Fortun Jimenez Bertandoña commanded the Spanish vessel Conception to these shores and became the first European to leave his footprint in the sand. The rebel sailor had led a mutiny and murdered his captain. After leaving the priests and the crew loyal to the dead captain to their fate on the coast, he set sail and stumbled onto this strip of land.
In those days, reading chivalrous adventure books was the main source of information for gentlemen. Accurate data was knit with fantastic tales, much like novels do today. Amongst the written lines arises the Isle of California located on the right hand of the Indies and somewhere near to the Earthly Paradise. California was on the far side of the world and inhabited by tall, dark and unclad Amazons. They were armed and bejeweled in gold, and lead by Queen Calafia in a kingdom without males, according to Esplandian’s Sergas by Garci Rodriguez de Montalvo (Zaragoza 1508). Because of this, Fortun and his sex-deprived minions sought to identify Calafia’s Amazons in the tall, naked damsels they encountered on the beach. Without clergy’s supervision, the sailors released their most vicious instincts while stripping the women of their ornaments made of pearls and shells. To the explorer’s surprise, the Pericu warriors came to defend their territory and women. Fortun, astonished at the inaccuracy of the book, paid for his boldness with his life. Few sailors made it back to the ship alive. Those that did reported on the discovery, the treasures and the tragic end of the expedition.
The greed of the European empires sparked a fierce competition to find an alternate sea route to the East Indies, specifically to the Molucca Islands located in what is now Indonesia. The main route belonged to the Portuguese and was established by Vasco da Gama. He sailed around Africa and along the coasts of the Middle East and India to reach the desired destination. This desperate search ignited the most incredible adventures in maritime exploration. The reference to the Anian Strait offers an idea of the geographical ignorance of the time. It appears in The Travels of Marco Polo as a way to reach the East by an alternate seaway. It was believed that the strait could be located north of the Island of California.
The English crown sponsored one of the most famous voyages through the North Atlantic. The expedition was led by the Genoese navigator Giovanni Caboto who sailed in pursuit of the same secret passage to the East. His journey ended in Newfoundland (now Canada) but he believed he had reached the coast of Zipangu (Japan). The possibility exists that he set foot on the new continent years before Christopher Columbus. Imagine, we all could have been Cabotians!
Meantime, funded by Catholic kings with the same purpose, Christopher Columbus headed four expeditions that never achieved their ultimate goal. They did, however, endow the Spanish Empire with its main overseas colonies.
Years later, the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan proposed a different plan to find a passage to the Moluccas. This time it was to the south of the new continent. Due to the restrictions of the Treaty of Tordesillas, the expedition was in partnership with King Charles I of Spain. Magellan, after discovering the strait that bears his name, lost his life fighting natives in the Philippines. The survivors made it to the Moluccas under the command of the Spaniard Juan Sebastian Elcano, who decided to sail back home by taking the Portuguese route. With only 18 survivors aboard the Victoria out of an original crew of 234, the first accidental circumnavigation of the globe ended with a cargo of cloves and cinnamon.
A myriad of adventure stories of chivalry fueled the imagination of hundreds of young noblemen who dreamed of discovering the secret sea route. Along the way, they imagined they would find the treasures of the seven golden cities of Cibola and Quivira, the riches of El Dorado, the Fountain of Youth and innumerable mythical kingdoms located across the boundless sea. There were also excruciating dangers and inconceivable mysteries, but when facing the unknown, everything seemed possible.
Today, you can plan and adjust your adventure to Los Cabos according to the preferences and interests of your family. A memorable and fun vacation is almost a certainty. However, there are those few, the daring, who will set sail along the coast of the peninsula in search of a beach or the magical place that captures their dreams.
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