In my previous article titled ‘Cabo Expansion’ we focused on the 17 major residential and resort developments that recently opened or are being currently developed. Now we are taking a look back in time 42 years ago to September 1975 when the first stone was placed in the first residential project call Pedregal de Cabo San Lucas.
In 1973 Architect and developer Manuel Diaz Rivera was looking for a new opportunity. One that would take him and his young family away from the fast paced life in Mexico City. Narrowing his search to the Baja he started at the top of the peninsula and began his quest. After making it to the amazing seaside village of La Paz with it’s crystal lagoons and rich aquatic life his search would narrow to this wild patch of Mexico. After a trip to the southern tip, his family was amazed by the small village Cabo San Lucas and wisely decided that this should be the destination of choice. This was in 1973 and the lower Baja was only a territory of Mexico and not even established as the 32nd state until a year later.
Timing is an element that every successful developer has to be in-tune with. The completion of the Federal Hwy. 1 and the upcoming statehood were two important timelines that would make a large difference in the success of this wild idea to build a cliff side luxury development in a small fishing village. Perhaps he had some insider knowledge regarding the third piece of perfect timing, the Fonatur project Marina Cabo San Lucas; dredging beginning soon after his land purchase was completed. He was equally helped by Don Luis Bulnes the seller of the land and one of the original wild eyed dreamers that saw beyond the tuna cannery. We will go down that wild tale in a future article. Now that the signatures were dry on his new deed a huge amount of sweat, tears and effort were just about to swing into gear.
Ok so now you have a nice large parcel of seaside cliffs with views that would earn international awards but first you have to have infrastructure. In 1975 that is one thing Cabo had in little supply. There were a few hotels, Mar de Cortez, Solmar and Hotel Cabo San Lucas at Chileno Bay. La Paz was a fearful 4 hour bump fest but at least there were building supplies and groceries. Getting labor was another massive problem. Trying to convince experienced labor to move to Cabo was a hard sell. The locals were either fishing or canning tuna or working in a hotel. Were there even schools for the kids? Yes and no depending on your expectations. One of the first projects was starting a decent school and that is what they built first. Colegio El Camino is now a widely respected institution that is still going strong to this day. Workers from Miraflores were employed and then the search widened to mainland Mexico where jobs were not in such high demand.
You couldn’t just drive up the four lane to Home Depot in those early days. Build a block factory, buy your first tractor and a carpentry shop and get started. Then you can get into the backbreaking step of building a cobblestone masterpiece of engineering road to access this steep terrain.
First sales were to friends and family from Mexico City. Rich fishermen here for the Marlin were next. Thank the captains for the referrals as they rounded Land’s End and the foreigners would look up and see the roads going uphill. ‘What in the world are they doing?’ I’m glad that you asked, better go talk to the jefe Manuel and his family.
Pedregal de Cabo San Lucas is still building these roads up and down the hills. Just when you think they can’t possibly build higher, there goes another massive villa higher up. Sadly Manuel passed last year in 2016 but his family is still instrumental in this amazing and wildly successful development. While it was the most expensive luxury development in all of Baja for decades, there are now many new and even more expensive players in Los Cabos. While the new offerings may be newer and more exclusive you will be hard pressed to find a more dramatic setting. The addition of the Capella Resort that is accessed through a 1000 foot tunnel as you enter Pedregal is a 5 star wonder. Renamed the Resort at Pedregal after hurricane Odile in 2014, this resort has been honored as one of the top resorts in the world. Fitting as the Pedregal is indeed a luxury wonder unto itself.
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