Todos Santos is an artsy alternative to Cabo
Published August 27, 2008 Star-Telegram.com
By LAUREN VIERA  Chicago Tribune

TODOS SANTOS, Mexico — Happening upon a cluster of palm trees in the middle of the Mexican desert is something of a novelty. After driving many miles across the barren, dusty terrain of Baja California Sur, void of any signs of people or plant life (there are animals — cows and goats — that take their time crossing the road), Highway 19 suddenly rambles its way across the Tropic of Cancer and into a small town, where there are people and a few desert-dwelling plants. And, refreshingly, there are palm trees. A whole grove of them, in fact. Sprouting near them, as if they were dependent on one another, there is culture. And it’s thriving.
Todos Santos is home to dozens of galleries, restaurants and little shops, seemingly displaced in the middle of the desert. There is music and night life. There are fliers tacked on stucco walls advertising a film festival taking place over the weekend, and tattered posters remain from an art festival a few weeks back. There are locals and tourists mixing and mingling at a lazy, relaxed pace, pausing to make pleasantries with each other and admire the historic streets and sites around them.
All this lies about an hour’s drive northwest of Cabo San Lucas, Baja Sur’s premier party town, where a Hard Rock Cafe anchors a neon landscape lined with chain resorts, overpriced restaurants catering to cruise ships and American amenities transplanted for comfort. Needless to say, in this skinny sliver of Mexico, Todos Santos is an unexpected oasis of culture. Kind of like a palm tree in the middle of the desert.
Like many Mexican villages during the mid-18th century, Todos Santos was established by Jesuits spreading Christianity to the natives. It was a farming community that raised a lot of cane — sugar cane — and for decades the sugar industry thrived. The aquifers eventually dried up, and the industry died, leaving a legacy of poverty. But when the aquifers were revitalized three decades later, so was Todos Santos, and it began attracting artists. Studios, galleries and collectives were established. Commerce and tourism followed, almost in tandem. An artists’ colony was born.
Today, there are more than two dozen galleries in this town of 4,500, a significant number of whom are expatriates who came here to visit and never left. There are painting and drawing studios; there are craftsmen and women specializing in ceramics and tile. There are gallery walks, open houses and a huge eponymous arts festival that has taken place here every February for the past 11 years.
Todos Santos’ population surges during its Festival del Arte, and the little inns here get their fill. They run the gamut from historic and traditional to modern and stylish. Jenny Armit, a Londoner who settled in Todos Santos several years ago, runs The Hotelito on an unmarked dirt road in the hills behind town — the same road that leads to Playa La Cachora and los ballenas (the whales).
It’s easy to lose track of time there: The center and related museo are grouped in a former elementary school whose concrete-floored classrooms are littered with random artifacts and documents. Unidentified paintings hang crookedly next to unmarked, tattered black-and-white photographs above antique contraptions strewn on dusty bookshelves. Skulls and teeth of anonymous humans are haphazardly encased in ancient glass museum boxes void of any indication as to where they came from or why they were brought here. A few items are labeled; most are not.
In the courtyard, re-creations of historic dwellings. Some of this town’s history is more recent. Hotel California sits on Benito Juarez around the corner from the mission, and a pan flute rendition of the Eagles’ hit song is piped through the gift shop all day, every day. It is one of the most popular attractions here.
And after spending a Saturday night dodging Boomers Gone Wild sashaying around the outdoor patio with (very strong) margaritas in hand, you’d better pray you can check out any time you like — and leave. Explore anywhere else in this oasis of a town, though, and you’re going to want to stick around as long as that palm grove.

Getting there: Todos Santos is in the foothills of the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains, a few miles inland from the western coast of Mexico’s Baja California Sur. There are two airports serving Baja Sur: Aeropuerto Internacional Los Cabos (SJD), just outside of San Jose del Cabo, 68 miles southeast; and Aeropuerto General Manuel Marquez de Leon (LAP), serving La Paz, 48 miles northeast.
Getting around: Todos Santos and vicinity comprise about 12 square miles; nearly all of its shops and restaurants are clustered within a half-dozen blocks along the main drag, Benito Juarez. Walking around the entire town takes less than a half-hour, but galleries and cafes encourage lingering.
Where to stay: Todos Santos Inn (from $125; is housed in a beautifully restored 19th-century hacienda just off Benito Juarez. Tucked away on a dirt road just northwest of town toward the beach, The Hotelito (from $85, marries modern Mexican style with British hospitality, courtesy of its expatriate hostess.
Where to eat: While the margaritas at Los Adobes are top-notch, for meals go to Buena Vida (average entree $11) for wood-fired pizza. The menu at Italian restaurant Cafe Santa Fe (average entree $35) are expensive, but it’s justified by great service and a large spread. Caffe Todos Santos (average entree $12) is great for breakfast and lunch, and the portions are huge. For cheap lunch fare, hit the fish-taco stands along the side streets perpendicular to Benito Juarez.

For more info: go to www.todossantos.cc or www.elcalendariodetodossantos.com the town’s monthly bilingual magazine.