What do you think?
Rate this book
LORETO, BAJA CALIFORNIA: First Mission and Capital of Spanish California
A comprehensive yet easy-to-read history about the colorful 300-year-old town that was California’s first Capital. "Loreto, Baja California" contains a wealth of historical information, and, skillfully woven into the narrative, authentic voices from the past century, taken from interviews with those who lived through the town’s growth from tiny pueblo to popular tourist destination. Dozens of rare photographs and illustrations enliven the text, and a thorough Baja California bibliography and index complete this indispensable reference.
286 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2001
4 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 20, 2020
We visited Loreto briefly in early January 2010 as part of an exploration of the Gulf of California. This is the book which our city guide used as a reference. It includes much Mexican and contemporary history. It was clearly a work of love by the authors. I am currently learning a lot about the Missionary period as it affected Loreto and the peninsula.
The stories about the indigenous people were fascinating. They had to put up with one of the most difficult environments imaginable. Their day was mostly spent in finding food in the arid climate. They ate whatever they found or hunted. They largely did not grow their own food as water sources were rare and unpredictable. Women limited themselves to one baby at a time as they knew they could not feed more than one at a time. If they inadvertently had another child, they treated it as ancient Romans treated their unwanted children: they put them out in the wilderness to die. In the case of the native people, there was simply not enough food.
Food was abundant only one time a year when the pitaya (or pitahaya) cactus fruit became available. Then the indigenous people would congregate to celebrate the harvest. As a measure of their extreme environment, during the celebration all the participants were required to defecate in an area with many flat rocks. Later, when the strong desert heat had done its work, women from the tribe would blow on the desiccated offal to reveal the small black seeds from the pitaya. Collected and cleaned, then ground into a flour, small cakes were made and consumed. The natives referred to this cactus as the twice-eaten plant.
Though the early history of the indigenous people and the early Spaniard influences were absorbing, the latter half of the book drew upon the lives of families and individuals who made significant contributions to the development of Loreto, a name chosen by the Jesuit monks that came to "save the souls" and otherwise benefit the "barbarian" natives. Loreto is an Italian town that the Jesuits hoped would help support their efforts.
The stories about the indigenous people were fascinating. They had to put up with one of the most difficult environments imaginable. Their day was mostly spent in finding food in the arid climate. They ate whatever they found or hunted. They largely did not grow their own food as water sources were rare and unpredictable. Women limited themselves to one baby at a time as they knew they could not feed more than one at a time. If they inadvertently had another child, they treated it as ancient Romans treated their unwanted children: they put them out in the wilderness to die. In the case of the native people, there was simply not enough food.
Food was abundant only one time a year when the pitaya (or pitahaya) cactus fruit became available. Then the indigenous people would congregate to celebrate the harvest. As a measure of their extreme environment, during the celebration all the participants were required to defecate in an area with many flat rocks. Later, when the strong desert heat had done its work, women from the tribe would blow on the desiccated offal to reveal the small black seeds from the pitaya. Collected and cleaned, then ground into a flour, small cakes were made and consumed. The natives referred to this cactus as the twice-eaten plant.
Though the early history of the indigenous people and the early Spaniard influences were absorbing, the latter half of the book drew upon the lives of families and individuals who made significant contributions to the development of Loreto, a name chosen by the Jesuit monks that came to "save the souls" and otherwise benefit the "barbarian" natives. Loreto is an Italian town that the Jesuits hoped would help support their efforts.
March 1, 2009
Had a wonderful vacation in Loreto and reading the history of the area and significance of the Mission certainly added to the trip. This book is written by a couple of expats who are passionate about Loreto and it's history and this makes the book easy and enjoyable reading.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews