Charter Fishing in Santa Rosalia
It is not generally remembered outside of Mexico - even during the popular Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the U.S. - but Mexico, a primarily Spanish-speaking country, was ruled by France for a time during the 19th Century. In fact, it is Mexico's overthrow of French rule that is actually celebrated on Cinco de Mayo (independence from Spain is celebrated on Diez y ochos de Septiembre). Nonetheless, the French have left their cultural mark on Mexico - in its cuisine, which blends native Indian foods with French cooking methods and presentations (compare enchiladas and crepes), and in the architecture of Santa Rosalia, whose Inglesias de Santa Barbara was designed by Gustave Eiffel, who also designed Paris' famous tower.
Although today it is primarily a resort town catering to the needs of sport fishermen and other tourists who come to enjoy the waters of the Sea of Cortez, Santa Rosalia started out as a "company town" - with all that phrase implies. In 1885, a French company opened copper mines nearby; the town was built to house personnel and to provide a port from which copper ore could be shipped. Enabled by a corrupt Mexican government, the French corporation prospered at the expense of its workers, who were little better off than slaves; for decades, El Boleo represented the worst excesses of trans-national corporate capitalism. It was only after the copper had been mined out that the company sold its operations to the Mexican government in 1938.
Today, the city is primarily a tourist resort; visitors often comment on its resemblance to New Orleans' French Quarter. The community offers deluxe accommodations, an RV park and port facilities; an airport, a bus line and ferry service to Guayamas in Sonora right across the gulf all serve to transport sport fishermen and other visitors to and from the town. Learn more about this remarkable town by visiting MexicanCharters.com.
