Set apart in a fertile ravine in The Sierra de la Gigante, around 240 mile-drive from Los Cabos, San José de Comondú was founded in the early 1700’s by Jessuit missionaries who also established a visit called San Miguel de Comondú, an authentic oasis with a large diversity of flora and wildlife which used to be an agricultural center surrounded by spring fed orchards and fields, and an ambitious cultivation project.

After the mission was abandoned, the two villages called The Comondús regained attention when a group of people from the mainland began planting again around mid-1800’s. The government’s designation as Pueblos Históricos has revitalized these villages and have attracted an increasing number of visitors from every corner of the globe.

Today, local people, or comonduenses, sell products made with dates, sugarcane oranges and figs, and mission wine from the local vineyards. The community’s craftsmen and women produce baskets, bags and hats made of date palm leaves, as well as stone and wood figures. The kindness and hospitality of San Miguel de Comondú’s people make the visit of this destination a wonderful experience.

Did you know?
Padre Juan de Ugarte had the Aranjuez Canyon filled with nearly 160,000 mule loads of soil to be used for planting sugarcane and vineyards. The vineyards were one of the earliest in all the Californias.

Visit the San José de Comondú Mission

Founded by Jesuit missionary Julián de Mayorga in 1708, Mission of San José is loacted 33 miles from the Loreto Mission, a privileged location with a small stream that runs through the Sierra de la Giganta.

When Father Mayorga passed away, the mission and everything it contained was relocated to the Mission of San Ignacio and from that moment on it was known as “Old Comondú”.

In the middle of the 18th century, the missionary Francisco Inamma continued with the construction of the church, which became the only one in the peninsula with three naves and therefore with three altars. By 1793, when the Jesuits were expelled, the Dominicans reported the assets of the mission, reporting that it had 25 religious paintings and 6 statues.

The mission closed in 1827 and only the sacristy and the house where the missionary fathers lived is preserved.

Basalt Prisms

At just 20 minutes away from San José de Comondú you will find the basaltic prisms, which are the result of magmatic material moving towards the surface due to volcanic activity millions of years ago.

Once in the surface the magma cooled creating amazing pentagonal, hexagonal and heptagonal designs. For thousands of years, these basaltic prisms located in the Sierra de la Giganta have been the cradle of an outbreak of water, which is a flow of underground currents that come out into the sunlight to maintain the balance of flora and fauna.

If you like adventure tourism, and are really aiming to put your physical endurance to test, this tour is for you. Ask locals for recommended guides to lead the way through beautiful landscapes.

At your back, there will be traditional dishes and missionary artisanal wine, which are an unmissable thing to do in Comondú. To close with a ribbon, try the local panocha de gajo, a typical sweet made with sugar cane juice.

Comondú the municipality

San Miguel and San José are part of the Comondú Municipality, so if you are planning to extend your visit to explore all the municipality has to offer, you will find some of the most surprising bays in Mexico like Magdalena Bay, just 45 minutes from San Miguel, is one of the connoisseur’s favorite places to spot the mythical gray whales and interact with them closely, while having fun with their little calve.

Activities vary from admiring sea turtles in their natural habitat, fishing, and the opportunity to photograph endless migratory birds.

Innumerable natural beauties are embraced in this privileged spot in Baja set between the waters of the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez, and the fertile valley of Santo Domingo, and the Sierra de la Giganta with its amazing oases.

Sierra de la Giganta is exceptional to practice mountain biking and trekking.

To keep inspiring your next visit to Baja California Sur, here some recommended articles from the complete series Baja California Sur: A New Experience in every corner:

1. Cabo Pulmo | 2. Todos Santos | 3. Miraflores | 4. Loreto | 5. Mulegé