La Paz

We were five who went to La Paz that day, refugees from too much sun and surf on a quest for big city experience- art at the Museo de Arte de Baja California Sur, luncheon on the Malecón. 

I like La Paz, my introduction to it being Steinbeck, ages ago. Years later and I am still caught up in the romance of the the pearls and the pearl fishermen. Friends who’ve lived in Cabo a long time and remember La Paz from the old days, sigh over its transformation into a city. For me, though, it is a good size, busy enough for a rush hour and big box stores on the periphery, yet manageable still and laid back. I love the older residential areas with wide, tree-lined streets and unpretentious buildings. They have a great feeling about them.

The art museum is located downtown, near the Cathedral. It is an attractive downtown on a hill above the Malecón with roads sloping down to it. Glimpses of bright blue sea anchor the view from above, recalling the proximity of the water. Interesting old industrial buildings have been converted into hip cafes, art studios and other cool spaces.

Sometimes, tucked in the bustle, you find the crumbling brick walls of abandoned buildings, their faded mediterranean colors, layers of graffiti and peeling stucco, modern day relics of a former glory, beautiful in their decrepitude.

I am struck by a display of old fashioned street lamps arranged in a grid alongside the museum. It reminds me of Urban Light, Chris Burden’s outdoor assemblage sculpture of vintage street lamps from the 1920s and 1930s that front one face of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Suggesting an ambition or at least identification with the larger institution. While the classical style of the museum building roots it in history (it was formerly the old Governor’s House, completed in 1881), the recognition of Burden’s work thrusts it firmly in the spirit of the present. 

I like that the museum is dedicated to art by local and national artists. It is a beautifully renovated, open flow space with a curving ramp connecting the different levels.

The collection represents all form of media, much of it politically themed. For example, El Color del Tiempo (The Color of Time), a large mural by Victor Cauduro, depicts the history of Baja Sur, from pre-Columbian times to the present. The present being real estate offices, golfers and tourists taking pictures. Contrast native peoples living at one with nature and a shirtless foreigner leaping in the air with an electric guitar and you get the picture. This format reminds me of similar historic murals you can find in San Jose and Todos Santos. 

Next, check out the gift shop for those pearl themed gifts, a tribute to the town’s pearly past. Particularly the oyster shells piled with complex, multicolored pearl arrangements. I would love them for a future home aquarium, along with sea monkeys, a Neptune and golden haired mermaids.

Finally, the Malecón. A picture perfect Malecón which curves along a sand beach showcasing a turquoise ocean. Where palm trees sway, families stroll, and every day feels like Sunday. 

It was a great day for us. La Paz is always fun. I wish I had time for the store with only purple items, or a cake from Solution bakery. At The Museo de Arte de Baja California Sur, you will discover interesting art in a beautiful space. And to top it all, admission is free. 

by Mei-lan Chin-Bing

We invite you to visit our properties in Los Cabos online