Mexico is rich with culture and tradition.  The custom of putting up a Christmas tree is popular but the real Mexican tradition is setting up a nativity scene.  The scenes are set up throughout the month but the figure of Baby Jesus is not put in the manger until December 24.  The three kings traditionally, are added on January 5.

Here is the nativity currently on display at the town square in San Jose del Cabo and please note Baby Jesus is not there!

Christmas is in the air in San Jose del Cabo!

 

 

 

Federation in downtown San Jose del Cabo

 

 

Christmas Village at the Town Square in San Jose del Cabo

 

 

Storefront and Christmas Village  in downtown San Jose del Cabo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Casa Portobello is just one of the Cabo Vacation Rentals we offer that is located in San Jose del Cabo.

For more information click on the link below.

http://www.bajasurvacationrentals.com/rentals/view/casa-portobello/

 

Since moving to Cabo in 1998 I have seen a vast improvement in our options for groceries.  It’s not always one stop shopping but there is more variety and a number of options for everyone.  Organic markets are  available in the Pedregal in Cabo San Lucas and in San Jose del Cabo weekly.  Here is a selection of where I like to shop and comments about each.

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mega Store located in San Jose del Cabo is conveniently located, has a variety of both Mexican and American product good produce and comparable prices.

 

 

Sams Club, just like in the US.  This store offers both Mexican and American product but not always all of the options that are found in the US.

 

 

 

 

 

One of my favorite places to purchase spirits!  Great variety and good prices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a super Wal Mart with loads of product.  Not as much American product is available but there is good variety, produce is usually good and prices are right!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tutto Bene is a specialty store for wines, cheeses and snacks located in downtown Cabo San Lucas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Costco just like in the USA with loads of product in large quantities.  Produce is always good, conveniently located about 10 minutes from downtown Cabo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supermercado Aramburo is conveniently located in the heart of downtown Cabo. This store has a variety of American product, produce is not always the best.  Great for a quick trip for something last minute.

 

 

 

 

 

Chedraui, one of my favorite Mexican chain markets.  Located on the road to Todos Santos it is about 10 minutes from the heart of downtown Cabo.  Good selection of Mexican and American product, produce is usually good and prices are comparable.

 

 

 

One of these stores is located near each of our Cabo condos, homes and villas.

 

 

 

 

 

Independence Day is celebrated in all of Mexico and by people of Mexican origin throughout the world on September 16. This day commemorates the 16th September 1810 in the small town of Dolores, in the province of Guanajuato in Mexico, when a small group of people were summoned by a parish priest to take up arms against the Spanish colonial government – the Viceroyalty of New Spain. This fight for independence  ended 350 years of Spanish rule.

Even today, the church bell that was used to call people to revolt hangs in the National Palace in Mexico City and is rung on the eve of 16th September each year by the President of Mexico.  The celebration includes parades and fairs and the festivities always involve traditional antojitos, best described as finger foods, Mexican candis and punch.  Punch, or Ponche is a drink made from fruits that are in season such as guayabas, sugarcane, raisins and apples.  Mariachi bands are also part of the celebration.
To learn more about this holiday click here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grito_de_Dolores

This beautiful body of water is known as the world’s youngest sea.  The Baja Peninsula is the world’s third longest peninsula with over 2000 miles of coastline.  The cool waters of the Pacific Ocean are found off the west coast and the much warmer Sea of Cortez is on the east.  The Sea of Cortez is a thousand-mile ocean trench between the Baja on the west and the Sierra de la Madre Mountains of mainland Mexico on the east.

It is recorded that about 4-6 million years ago, a segment of the East Pacific Rise split, separating Baja from mainland Mexico   shifting the Baja and much of southern California in a northwesterly direction.  Organisms flourished in the sea created and the Sea of Cortez is now home to at least 3,000 species of marine creatures. It is known to have the richest abundance of sea life of anywhere on the planet.

The Sea of Cortez was discovered by Spaniard Francisco Ulloa in 1540.  He named it for Hernan Cortes and although its official name is the Gulf of California, it’s widely known as the Sea of Cortes, the original name given.

The Colorado River empties into the northern end of the Sea  of Cortes.  At this point the area is flat and shallow with tides that vary by almost a mile between highs and lows and a heavily silted bottom.

The lower portion of the Sea of Cortes is a deep trough between the continental blocks that comprise the American continent and the Pacific shelf.  The initial drop is about 2500 feet but just south of Cabo the depth increases to about 4,000 feet.  The waters are warm ranging from 65 degrees in the winter to 88 degrees in the summer.

Most of the shoreline of the Baja is inaccessible by road and largely uninhabited.  There are rugged islands surrounded by pristine bays that dot the Sea of Cortez.  Jacques Cousteau, how explored the region, referred to the sea as the “world’s aquarium.”   The Sea is renowned for its sport fishing, diving, snorkeling, boating and windsurfing.  The amazing bounty includes shrimp, yellow fin tuna, dorado, red snapper, squid, black and striped marlin, sailfish and a huge variety of tropical reef fish.

Catch and release has become more common than not and the Mexican government has made efforts to prevent this rich sea from being fished dry.  Cabo Pulmo, located on the East Cape has been designated as an underwater national park.  Divers and snorkelers are welcome but no one may fish in this area.

A variety of water activities are offered in Cabo and there are several weeklong adventure and wildlife cruises that depart from Cabo, going as far north as Loreto. Whether you enjoy the Sea of Cortez in Los Cabos or take a longer cruise, this body of water is worth the adventure.

****Photo:  Punta Chivato near Mulege on the Sea of Cortez