Loreto

Loreto (or Conchó) was the first Spanish settlement on the Baja California Peninsula. It served as the capital of Las Californias from 1697 to 1777, and is the current seat of the municipality of Loreto in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. The city of 14,724 people (2010 census) is located on the coast of the Sea of Cortés, about 350 km (220 mi) north of the state capital, La Paz.
Thetown was founded in 1697 by Jesuit missionaries, who found a steady spring of fresh water on this site. The Misión Nuestra Señora de Loreto was founded in the town in 1752. The town served as the capital of the province of Las Californias from its founding until the capital was moved to Monterey on February 3, 1777. The town then became the headquarters for the Lieutenant Governor of CaliforniaViejo (later the province of Baja California).
The city is now a tourist resort, catering mostly to U.S. travelers, with daily flights from the U.S. state of California to Loreto International Airport. Many American tourists enjoy fishing in "pangas" for "dorado" (Mahi-mahi or Dolphin Fish). Local restaurants will willingly prepare the daily catch of the tourists. Loreto has an excellent museum thatcoexists alongside the historic, but still active, parish. Loreto has active sister city relationships with Hermosa Beach and Cerritos, California, USA.

Geography

Loreto is located on the east coast of the Baja California Peninsula, at 26º00'46" N 111º20'36" W. It is bordered on the east by the Gulf of California, on the west by the Transpeninsular Highway, and on the south by the ArroyoLoreto, a dry creek bed that only fills with water after a heavy rainfall. The city is built on relatively flat land with an average elevation is 10 meters (33 ft) above sea level. “La Giganta” Mountain Range (“Sierra de la Giganta”) lies to the west, extending along the center of the state of Baja California Sur, parallel to the gulf coast.
The geology and topography of the Loreto region, extendingfrom Bahía Concepción to Agua Verde, is a coastal belt consisting "mainly of a narrow belt of ridges, valleys, and pediments adjacent to the escarpment, low- to moderate-elevation ranges transverse to the coast, and narrow coastal plains”.[1]

[edit] Climate

Loreto’s climate is hot and humid, with abundant sunshine (desert with some rainfalls in summer). The median temperature is 24.4 °C(76 °F).[2] The temperatures are hot from June through October. These summer days have highs around 34 °C (93 °F) and high humidity. According to the National Meteorological Service (Servicio Metereológico Nacional) Loreto's highest official temperature reading of 39 °C (102 °F) was recorded on August 1965; the lowest temperature ever recorded was 5.4 °C (42 °F) in January 1971.[3] In spring season,the temperatures are moderate and temperate. Autumn and winter months are usually windy.
|[hide]Climate data for Loreto, Baja California Sur |
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From January to March, winds blow from the NW (night hours) and theNorth (day hours), the rest of the year, the winds blow usually from the West.[5][6] Loreto's yearly precipitation is low; averages about 11.89 centimeters (4.68 in). The wettest months are August and September, when there are occasional short-lived rainfalls. One concern for Loreto is the Pacific hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, and some times causes heavy rainfall and floodsin the area. The last time the town area was hit by a hurricane was on September 2 and 3, 2006, when the hurricane John hit the Baja California Peninsula.[7][8]

[edit] Demographics

According to INEGI, the 2005 city population was 10,283 people[9] with 2565 households, with 77.67% male and 22.32% female householders. The population is young: 29.75% are from 0 to 14 years of age, 19.19%...