9781422286944

The States of Mexico

The desert stretches across Baja California Sur, the least densely populated Mexican state.

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largest. It produces over 6 million tons of salt a year. But one of the most fascinating events that takes place in Guerrero Negro has to do with whales rather than salt. Each year, between 10,000 and 20,000 gray whales come here, migrating as many as 6,000 miles from Alaska in the north. The whales come here to play and give birth to their young in Guerrero Negro’s calm, warm lagoons. Closer to the tip of Baja California’s peninsula is the city of La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur. Although the city’s name means “the peace,” the city has a long history of struggles. Its isolation made life hard for the settlers who tried to live there in the 1700s and 1800s. In the 18th century, disease wiped out much of the human population—and then in the 19th century other diseases attacked the oyster population in the neighboring bay, destroying the pearl industry that had once thrived there. Today, though, many tourists come to this city to enjoy the beautiful beaches and sport fishing. La Paz has found its peace at last.