Santa Rosalia
Cruising Map History & Tourism

Santa Rosalia, also known as the City of Wood (Ciudad De Madera), is about 19 Miles north of Punta Chivato. At a distance of about 12 miles, it is the best place to stop and get supplies if you are planning to dive or snorkel at the north end of San Marcos Island. The southern entrance to the man made harbor at Santa Rosalia is fairly easy. At night, the entrance to the harbor has two lights, green to port, and red to starboard. Due to the amount of commercial vessels in the harbor, the lights can be difficult to distinguish from the others at night. It is possible to anchor in the harbor if all of the slips are full, but we wouldn't recommend it. There is a large Pemex barge in the harbor, shrimp boats, as well as other commercial vessels, which enter and exit the harbor at all hours of the day and night, not to mention the oil and muck your anchor will draw from the floor of the harbor. Even if you stay in a slip, keep your shades drawn if lights shining in your eyes make it at all difficult to sleep.

The french flavor of Santa Rosalia

The small marina at Santa Rosalia has only 10 slips, but it is clean and modern. They have showers, a washer and dryer, and a security guard on duty at night. There is water and power, and the harbormaster can arrange for gas and diesel. The docks are at an industrial part of town, near the old copper smelter (which is closed). One block from the dock is a Catholic School, so there probably isn't any real danger, but one should use caution late at night, particularly since this area is not very well lit at night. Paperwork at the Capitania de Puerto's office can be a nightmare. It is located about 2 blocks south of the marina, and the paperwork needs to be done in two separate buildings. Make certain you have dispatchos from every port you have been, as well as to every port you intend to visit. They want extra copies for their office, so be certain you have at least three copies of everything. If the paperwork is not precisely done, be prepared for it to take a long time. There was a man by the name of Henry in the office, who spoke near-perfect English, and was quite helpful.

Ruins of the old copper refinery

Santa Rosalia will seem like a booming metropolis after you've been to Mulege. The streets are crowded with people day and night. This is not a tourist town, but a true working city. There are excellent reasons for the tourist to visit Santa Rosalia. The town is very quaint, with a somewhat different history than the rest of Baja. The town was originally founded in 1885 due to the discovery of copper. A French company, El Boleo, obtained the rights to the mining concession from the Mexican government for 99 years, 50 of which was tax exempt, as well as over 1 million acres of land. In exchange, they had to build a town, provide employment, and were to be responsible for the establishment of a maritime route between Santa Rosalia and Guaymas. They imported wood from France with which to build, as well as coal from Newcastle. In 1897 they also imported a rather unique church. It had been designed and built out of steel by Gustave Eiffel (yes, the Eiffel tower Eiffel) for the World Exposition of Paris in 1889. It was then sold, disassembled and shipped to Santa Rosalia where it was reassembled as the Iglesia Santa Barbara. The church is still in operation today, and is quite a beautiful sight. Despite all of this, the conditions under which the Mexican people worked were deplorable. In one year alone, over 1400 workers died. Many died of lung disease, but there was also an abundance of unexplained accidents. There were many labor strikes, all of which were put down with extreme force. El Boleo established several other mining centers, and eventually most of the copper was depleted. In 1954 the mines were closed until the Federal government took over. Finally, on the 100th anniversary of Santa Rosalia, the mines were closed permanently.

Today Santa Rosalia's economy is based in gypsum (there is a mine on San Marcos Island), manganese, fishing, as well as tourism, although it is rumored that the government is going to resume copper mining. Santa Rosalia has much to see. The Hotel Frances, as well as many other buildings, displays wonderful photographs depicting the town's history. The architecture is charming, and there are restaurants, shops, hotels, libraries, and my favorite, the El Boleo Bakery!

GPS Waypoints
Santa Rosalia Harbor	N 27°20.270'	W 112°15.539'