Los Barriles is a small town (pop. 1,174 in 2010 census) off the Transpeninsular Highway (KM 105) between La Paz and San José del Cabo. We
drove by on a trip to Baja Sur in 2011, went back for two weeks in 2012 and for
three months in 2013. Los Barriles translates as “the barrels”; according to
legend, conquistadors buried gold in barrels in the hills overlooking Bahia de
las Palmas (link).
The town grew up around sportfishing, which caught on in the
1950s and 1960s (link) when small fishing resorts hosted Hollywood stars like Errol Flynn, John Wayne
and Bing Crosby (link).
The area has some of the best fishing in the world (link, link, link) and fishing
tournaments with significant prizes (link).
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| Entrance to Los Barriles from the Transpeninsular Highway |
Today, snowbirds, part-time residents, retired gringos and
tourists mingle with the local Mexican community. Cows and goats wander the
roads and ATVs (known as “quads”) are a primary form of transportation. The main street through town is paved, but everything else is
dirt. With only a few tourist hotels, Los Barriles is still a bit sleepy and
dusty. It’s the anti-Cabo San Lucas – no cruise ships call here and the town is
quiet after midnight.
