Early Los Cabos

Despite Baja's prehistoric geographical history, Los Cabos' record of human life dates back just 550 years. Los Cabos' first inhabitants were the Pericues, Indians of Polynesian decent, who lived in small tribes and made grass shelters by the fresh water estuary in present-day San José. They lived simple lives as hunter-gatherers wearing little or no clothing until Jesuit missionaries arrived to build the Misión Estero de las Palmas de San José del Cabo Añuití in 1730.

As with many such conquests throughout North america, the missionaries were not welcome among the Pericues, and history reveals the brutal killing of at least one of the Spanish missionaries. It's no surprise the Pericues were unfriendly to visitors, considering that generations of the tribe were frequented by visits from pirates returning from their Atlantic crossings. Legend says that Cabo San Lucas Bay was a haven for pirates, namely Thomas Cavendish, centuries ago. According to the legend, the pirate sused th Arch as alookout for passing ships, and those who stayed behind became fisherman.