Lighthouses of Mexico: Southern Baja California

The Baja California region of Mexico is a peninsula more than 1300 km (800 miles) long, stretching south from the U.S. border at Tijuana to the resorts of Cabo San Lucas. "Baja," as it is usually called, separates the Pacific on the west from the Sea of Cortés (Gulf of California) on the east. The west coast is popular with surfers and the east coast attracts sea kayakers and ecotourists.

The state of Baja California occupies the northern half of the peninsula, while the state of Baja California Sur occupies the southern half, the border between the two states being at latitude 28° north. This page includes the lighthouses of Baja California Sur. At the far southern end of the peninsula, the municipality of Los Cabos is a very popular resort area. Many visitors arrive by air or cruise ship, but there are also paved highways running the length of the peninsula.

Many of the lighthouses of Baja California are in remote areas and are seldom visited. Additional information and photos would certainly be welcome. Because of the rugged topography of the peninsula, most of the lighthouses are short towers located at the tops of bluffs or ridges overlooking the sea.

Mexican lighthouses are managed by the Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, the cabinet agency that also manages the country's airports and seaports. Many of the larger light stations are staffed by resident civilian keepers.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume G of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. All U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 111.

General Sources
Online List of Lights - Mexico Pacific: Photos by various photographers posted by Alex Trabas.
Farosmex - Lighthouses of Mexico: A large portfolio of photos of Mexican lighthouses posted on Photobucket.com.
Viaje por las Islas del Pacífico de Baja California: Posted by Elizabeth Vargas, a blog of a March 2009 tour of some of the islands, with stops at several remote lighthouses.

New Cabo Falso Light

Old Cabo Falso Light
Cabo Falso Faro Nuevo (top) and Faro Viejo, April 2010
photos copyright Hilari and Jim Seery; used by permission

East Coast (Sea of Cortés) Lighthouses

Eastern Mulegé Municipality Lighthouses
Cabo Vírgenes (1): Date unknown. Apparently inactive since 2008. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); four white flashes every 16 s. 10 m (33 ft) white cylindrical tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but Google has an indistinct satellite view. According to a 2008 notice to mariners, the lighthouse has been replaced by a shorter pyramidal beacon about 800 m (1/2 mi) northwest. Located on a rugged promontory about 15 km (9 mi) north of Santa Rosalía. Site status unknown. ARLHS MEX-024; Admiralty G3552; NGA 14717.
* Punta Santa Agueda: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); four flashes every 16 s, white or red depending on direction. 12 m (39 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with gallery. Checho Aguilar has a distant photo, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a headland a short distance east of Santa Rosalía. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G3556; NGA 14716.
Piedra Blanca (Isla San Marcos): Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 15 m (49 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with gallery. Mike Higgins has a photo, another photo is available, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a promontory sheltering a small anchorage at the northwestern corner of Isla San Marcos, a large island about 25 km (15 mi) southeast of Santa Rosalía. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MEX-013; Admiralty G3559; NGA 14706.
Punta la Lobera: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft) white flash every 6 s. 15 m (49 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with gallery. No photo available; Google has a fuzzy satellite view. Located at the northern tip of Isla San Marcos. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G3559.4; NGA 14707.
Loreto Municipality Lighthouses
Isla Monserrat: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); four white flashes every 16 s. 10 m (33 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. No photo available, but the tower is seen in Google's satellite view. Monserrat is an island about 8 km (5 mi) in diameter and 25 km (15 mi) southeast of Isla Carmen. Located on the southern tip of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G3563.85; NGA 14668.
Eastern La Paz Municipality Lighthouses
Isla de San José Southwest Point (Punta Salinas) (1): Date unknown. Inactive. 14 m (46 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, originally painted with red and white horizontal bands. Lanter removed, and the tower is falling into ruin. Next to the lighthouse is the active light (focal plane 12 m (39 ft); four white flashes every 16 s) on a 7.5 m (25 ft) square skeletal tower. Mike Higgins has a photo and a closeup, another photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a sandy point on the west side of the Isla de San José, about 7 km (4.5 mi) east of San Evaristo on the mainland. The lighthouse guided vessels to a salt works, now abandoned. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower probably open but dangerous. Admiralty G3565.08; NGA 14641.
Isla Partida (Los Ilotes) (2): Date unknown. Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 12 m (39 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. An aerial view is available, but the tower is not clear in Google's satellite view. The aerial photo reveals an older, smaller skeletal tower standing next to the current light. This light marks the northern entrance to the bay of La Paz. Located on Isla Lobos, a small island off the northern tip of the much larger Isla Partida. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty G3566; NGA 14600.
Punta Prieta (La Paz): Date unknown (station established 1906). Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); three white flashes every 12 s. 20 m (66 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower rising from a 2 or 3-story building. The tower is at the right edge of a photo of the harbor, and Google has a satellite view. Punta Prieta lies about 8 km (5 mi) north of La Paz, and this is the light guiding vessels approaching the harbor. The lighthouse is surrounded by a Pemex petroleum facility. Located on the point of the cape. Site and tower closed. ARLHS MEX-127; Admiralty G3570; NGA 14588.
[Islote de la Reina (Arrecife de la Foca) (2)]: 2008 (?). Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white flash every 6 s. 7 m (24 ft) square skeletal mast, painted white. This is one of the best known dive sites of Baja California, and visitors often mention the lighthouse. A photo is available. The original light, described as a round metal tower, was destroyed by Hurricane Henriette in September 2007. Located on a rocky islet just off the northern tip of Isla Cerralvo. ARLHS MEX-113; Admiralty G3575.6; NGA 14584.
Piedras Gordas (Isla Jacques-Cousteau, Isla Cerralvo): Date unknown. Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 11 m (36 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. A distant view is available, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. In 2009, the Mexican government changed the name of Isla Cerralvo to Isla Jacques-Cousteau in honor of the famous French oceanographer and naturalist, who visited the island many times in his research. The island is about 29 km (18 mi) long; located 65 km (40 mi) east of La Paz, it is separated from the mainland by a channel about 10 km (6 mi) wide. The light is located on the southwestern tip of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G3576; NGA 14576.
* Punta Arena de la Ventana (Las Arenas) (2): 2009 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane about 28 m (92 ft); three white flashes every 12 s. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower with gallery. This lighthouse replaced a 10 m (33 ft) cylindrical white concrete tower with gallery, mounted on a square concrete base. A 2009 photo of the two lighthouses is available. The old lighthouse was then removed; a March 2010 photo shows only the new one. A Google satellite view probably shows the new lighthouse. Located 70 km (44 mi) southeast of La Paz overlooking the Cerralvo Channel. The lighthouse appears to be about 1.5 km (1 mi) from the nearest main road and is probably accessible by 4WD. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MEX-122; Admiralty G3578; NGA 14572.

Los Cabos Municipality Lighthouses

Punta Arena Sur (La Ribera): Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); four white flashes every 16 s. 12 m (39 ft) strongly conical concrete tower with double gallery, painted with black and white horizontal bands. Abandoned 1-story masonry keeper's house. The local government's photo appears at right, another photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. The site is reported to be on a military reservation. Located several miles south of La Ribera and 18 km (11 mi) north of Cabo Pulma at the north end of the area known as the East Cape. Site and tower closed. ARLHS MEX-123; Admiralty G3580; NGA 14568.
* San José del Cabo: Date unknown (station established 1907). Active; focal plane 36 m (118 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. 1-story masonry keeper's house. A 2009 closeup photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. San José del Cabo is a resort town about 40 km (25 mi) northwest of Cabo San Lucas. Located at the east end of Avenida Delfin. Site appears to be open, tower closed. ARLHS MEX-074; Admiralty G3584; NGA 14560.
* Cabeza Ballena: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); three white flashes every 12 . 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower with gallery. Eric Costella has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. The name means "whale head." Located on a promontory about 8 km (5 mi) east of the Cabo San Lucas beachfront. Accessible by 4WD. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G3585; NGA 14556.

Faro de la Ribera, Punta Arena Sur
Municipio de Los Cabos photo

* Cabo San Lucas North Breakwater: Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 21 m (69 ft); red flash every 5 s. Approx. 19 m (62 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with gallery, painted white and mounted on a square pyramidal concrete base. Trabas has Douglas Cameron's photo, another photo is available, a distant view is available, and Google has a satellite view. The listed focal plane is 16 m (52 ft), but in the photos we see that the light has been moved to the top of a mast mounted on the gallery. Located at the end of the short north jetty at the entrance to the yacht harbor of Cabo San Lucas. Accessible by walking the mole. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G3589.1; NGA 14549.
* Cabo San Lucas South Breakwater: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); green flash every 5 s. 14 m (46 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. Trabas has Douglas Cameron's photo, V. Durazo has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the short south jetty at the entrance to the yacht harbor of Cabo San Lucas. Accessible by walking the mole. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G3589.2; NGA 14550.
*** Cabo San Lucas Range Front: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); white light, 1 s on, 2 s off. 20 m (65 ft) (?) white tower with an observation room and gallery topped by a flat roof. The navigation light appears to be mounted on the gallery rail. Trabas has Douglas Cameron's photo, also seen at right, a closeup photo and a late 2007 photo are available, and Google has a satellite view. The rear light is on an 8 m (26 ft) skeletal tower on a hillside about 290 m (315 yd) west northwest. The lighthouse is built on the roof of a building at the Tesoro Los Cabos resort hotel on the Cabo San Lucas beachfront, overlooking the yacht harbor. Site and tower open. Site manager: Tesoro Resort Los Cabos. ARLHS MEX-103; Admiralty G3590; NGA 14553.
* Cabo Falso (1) ("Faro Viejo"): 1890?. Inactive since 1967. Approx. 9 m (30 ft) octagonal cylindrical stone tower, rising from a 1-story stone keeper's house. Hilari and Jim Seery's photo is at the top of this page, T. Burcio has a photo, Paula Thomas also has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Despite its name, the lighthouse is not truly at Cabo Falso but is at the westernmost extension of Cabo San Lucas about 5 km (3 mi) southwest of the town. Located atop a bluff at a point of the cape. Site accessible by horseback or ATV from the resorts of the Cabo San Lucas area. Site open, tower status unknown. ARLHS MEX-101.
* Cabo Falso (2): 1967. Active; focal plane 190 m (623 ft); white flash every 6 s. 6 m (20 ft) hexagonal cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. Hilari and Jim Seery's photo is at the top of this page, a 2007 photo is available, Rob A. Johnston has a distant view showing both lighthouses, and Google has an excellent satellite view. Located on heights above the cape. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MEX-102; Admiralty G3586; NGA 14548.

Cabo San Lucas Range Front Light
photo copyright Douglas Cameron; used by permission

Pacific Coast Lighthouses

Western La Paz Municipality Lighthouses
* Todos los Santos: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); white flash every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery centered on a square concrete base. Lighthouse painted with black and white horizontal bands. An excellent photo is available, but the lighthouse hasn't been found in Google's satellite view of the town. Located near Todos los Santos, a town about 45 km (28 mi) north of Cabo San Lucas. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MEX-077; Admiralty G3591; NGA 14544.
Punta Márquez (2?): 2008 (?). Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); white flash every 6 s. 12 m (39 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower mounted on a square concrete base. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Comments on a photo (not of the lighthouse) refer to restos del faro (remains of the lighthouse), but a notices to mariners indicates that service was restored in 2008. Located on a remote stretch of coast about 25 km (15 mi) southeast of Rancho El Conejo. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G3591.6; NGA 14538.
* Arroyo Conejo (Punta Conejo, El Conejo): Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 14 m (46 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery; the seawrd side of the tower is covered by a slatted daymark. Entire lighthouse painted white. A photo is available, Peter Leupold has a more distant view, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory at Rancho El Conejo. Accessible by 4WD. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G3591.7; NGA 14536.
Cabo Tosca (Punta Tosca): Date unknown. Active; focal plane 81 m (266 ft); white flash every 6 s. Approx. 11 m (36 ft) square cylindrical tower with gallery, attached to a 1-story keeper's house. Johnny Friday has a 2001 closeup and a view from the sea, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse was quite dilapidated in 2001, but it may have been repaired since then. Located on the point of Punta Tosca, the rugged southernmost tip of Isla Santa Margarita, at the southern end of Bahía Magdalena. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS MEX-128; Admiralty G3592; NGA 14532.
Comondú Municipality Lighthouses
* Boca de Pabellon (San Andresito): Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery centered on a square concrete base. Lighthouse painted with red and white horizontal bands. A closeup photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the south side of the mouth of the Río Pabellon at Puerto San Andresito. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G3598.7; NGA 14492.
Western Mulegé Municipality Lighthouses
* Punta Eugenia: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); three white flashes every 12 s. 5.5 m (18 ft) square pyramidal masonry tower with gallery, painted white. Vargas has a small photo and a report on a March 2009 visit, and Google has a satellite view. Punta Eugenia is the westernmost point of Baja California Sur, separated from Isla Natividad by a strait about 8 km (5 mi) wide. There is a fishing camp in the lee of the point. Located at the point of the cape; accessible by 4WD. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty G3604; NGA 14460.
Isla Natividad: 1938. Active; focal plane 111 m (364 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 16 m (52 ft) gray masonry tower rising from a 1-story keeper's house. An excellent 2010 photo and a 2009 closeup photo are available, Farosmex has a good photo, there is a photo taken through a window of the lighthouse (1/3 the way down the page), and Google has a satellite view. Isla Natividad is off Punta Eugenia, about 65 km (40 mi) west of Guerrero Negro. The island is popular with surfers. Located at the highest point of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site open; tower apparently open. ARLHS MEX-040; Admiralty G3606; NGA 14456.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Northern Baja California

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