Todos Santos (; "All Saints") is a small coastal town in the foothills of

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Sierra de la Laguna The Sierra de la Laguna is a mountain range at the southern end of the Baja California peninsula in Mexico, and is the southernmost range of the Peninsular Ranges System. It is located in La Paz Municipality, Baja California Sur, La Paz Municipa ...

Mountains, on the

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coast side of the Baja California Peninsula, about an hour's drive north of

Cabo San Lucas Cabo San Lucas (, "Luke the Evangelist, Saint Luke Cape (geography), Cape"), also known simply as Cabo, is a Resort town, resort city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the Mexican Political divisions of Mexico, state of Baja ...

on Highway 19 and an hour's drive southwest from

La Paz La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...

. Todos Santos is located at the

Tropic of Cancer The Tropic of Cancer, also known as the Northern Tropic, is the Earth's northernmost circle of latitude where the Sun can be seen directly overhead. This occurs on the June solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun ...

in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

. The population was 7,185 at the census of 2020.2020 La Paz Census
/ref> It is the second-largest town in the municipality.

History

The mission at what is now Todos Santos, Misión Santa Rosa de las Palmas, was founded by father Jaime Bravo in 1723. In 1724, it was renamed Nuestra Señora del Pilar de La Paz. Located across the street to the southwest from the small town plaza, this mission contains the statue of the Virgin of Pilar, which is the focus of Todos Santos's main festival in November. During the

Mexican American War Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

, the Skirmish of Todos Santos, the last battle of the war, was fought near the town on March 30, 1848. During the 19th century, following the

secularization In sociology, secularization () is a multilayered concept that generally denotes "a transition from a religious to a more worldly level." There are many types of secularization and most do not lead to atheism or irreligion, nor are they automatica ...

of the missions, Todos Santos thrived as the Baja sugarcane capital, supporting eight sugar mills at the end of the 19th century. Only one existed by the time the town’s freshwater spring dried up in 1950, and that last mill closed in 1965. Todos Santos faced a bleak future until the spring came back to life in 1981 and the Mexican Government paved Highway 19 in the mid-1980s. The highway brought tourists and the rich farmlands have been revived. The town now prospers from farming vegetables, chilies, avocados, papayas and mangoes, as well as from fishing and ranching.

Contemporary Todos Santos

The Hotel California is a favorite stop because of the name association with the song made famous by the

Eagles Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

, even though the song does not specifically reference this particular hotel, nor any other existing hotel. On May 1, 2017, the Eagles band filed a lawsuit against the Hotel California in the United States District Court for the District of Central California alleging Trademark Infringement in Violation of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1125 and Common Law Unfair Competition and Trademark Infringement. The Eagles were seeking relief and damages. The lawsuit was settled in 2018: the hotel continues to use the name, abandoned efforts to apply for a trademark in the United States, and now deny any connection with the song or the band.

Problems

Todos Santos faces significant challenges including uncontrolled overdevelopment, water scarcity, power outages, dune destruction, and a proposed La Paz PDU that seeks to replace the current community developed PDU. The La Paz PDU threatens the community's character and sustainability by increasing the population from the 25,000 allowed under the current PDU to 150,000 without a plan or funding to add the required infrastructure.

Uncontrolled growth

The region has experienced rapid growth, leading to new homes and developments that don't adhere to the Community Development PDU, including illegal construction on dunes and condos and apartment buildings being built in single-family residential areas. The proposed new PDU, developed by La Paz, is drawing strong opposition from residents as it includes zoning changes that would allow for significantly more development, straining the already limited water and power resources. Fortunately, a federal court recently voided the La Paz PDU because it lacked the required community involvement in its development.

Water distribution

The water distribution system is overtaxed due to the recent growth, causing OMSAPA to reduce water delivery times to maintain pressure, resulting in a dramatic decrease in water delivered to homes. Some areas of Todos Santos north of town only receive water for an average of 4 hours per week requiring them to have their water trucked on a regular basis. The uncontrolled ongoing development will only add to the problem.

Aquifer over-extraction and arundo infestation

The Todos Santos aquifer, the town's only water source, is facing over-extraction, saltwater intrusion and Arundo, a fast-growing, water-intensive plant that covers the entire Todos Santos aquifer. According to CONAGUA the average annual recharge of the aquifer is 3.7 million cubic meters but the extraction in 2023 was 6.6 million cubic meters, as a result 80% more water is now being extracted than is recharged in an average year.

Degradation of the Todos Santos Oasis

Due to the over-extraction of groundwater and saltwater intrusion into the aquifer analysis with satellite imagery shows that the extension of the oasis decreased 51.2% in 17 years.

Power

The power to Todos Santos comes from the power plant in La Paz. The distribution line from the plant is over capacity causing an average of 3 blackouts per week and daily brownouts in the summer months when the electrical load increases due to air conditioning. This also causes voltage spikes and reductions, leading to overheating and damage to appliances like refrigerators, water pumps, washing machines, and air conditioners. It is estimated about $4 million worth of appliances are destroyed annually due to the uneven voltage.

Cerritos Beach

A significant portion of Cerritos Beach is considered illegal as it was zoned for single-family residences, but condo permits were issued in violation of the Todos Santos PDU, leading to unhappy homeowners and legal issues. Also, Cerritos Beach does not have a water distribution system or sewage system so all water must be trucked in and sewage trucked out.

Protect Todos Santos

A coalition of residents, Protect Todos Santos, is actively working to address these issues through legal action, community organizing, and environmental advocacy.

Climate

Notable residents

* Félix Agramont Cota, first

Governor of Baja California Sur The governor is the chief executive of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. The present governor is Víctor Manuel Castro Cosío of National Regeneration Movement , Morena, who took office on September 10, 2021. Governors of Baja Californi ...

Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.; he played the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his caree ...

, musician"Peter Buck in Todos Santos"
- YouTube, April 24, 2015

References

Sources

* Todos Santos' only English language magazine - full issues online.
2010 census tables: INEGI
Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática {{Authority control Populated places in Baja California Sur Pueblos Mágicos La Paz Municipality (Baja California Sur)