A coalition of environmental groups, artists, and musicians will host the first Festival por la Sierra de la Laguna on Sunday, July 26, at 5:00 p.m. in Cabo San Lucas. The free event at La Green House on Calle Melchor Ocampo combines expert talks, live music, poetry, dance, and a citizen petition drive. But behind the cultural programming sits a serious question: what happens to Los Cabos’ water when development pushes deeper into the mountains that supply it?
The Sierra de la Laguna Supplies Water to 400,000 Los Cabos Residents
The Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere Reserve covers roughly 112,000 hectares of mountains rising to 2,090 meters at Cerro Las Cañadas, about 40 kilometers inland from the Los Cabos hotel corridor. UNESCO designated it a biosphere reserve in 1994. CONANP, Mexico’s national commission for natural protected areas, manages the site under federal law.
The range functions as the primary freshwater recharge zone for southern Baja California Sur. Rainfall and fog condensation on the peaks filter through granite into underground aquifers. Those aquifers feed the wells that OOMSAPAS, the Los Cabos municipal water utility, taps to supply Cabo San Lucas, San José del Cabo, and the tourist corridor between them. The utility serves a municipality whose permanent population surpassed 400,000 in the 2020 census and has grown since.
CONAGUA, Mexico’s national water commission, has classified several southern BCS aquifers as overexploited. The Santiago aquifer, which draws recharge from the Sierra de la Laguna’s eastern slopes, has shown declining water tables since at least 2015. Los Cabos already imports supplemental water from desalination, but the bulk of household and hotel supply still depends on groundwater linked to the Sierra.
So when organizers talk about defending the Sierra de la Laguna, they are talking about the source of most of the water that comes out of taps in Los Cabos.
Anti-Mining Activism and New Real Estate Pressure
Citizen opposition to extractive projects in the Sierra de la Laguna dates back more than a decade. In 2014, thousands of BCS residents marched against a proposed open-pit gold mine near the reserve’s buffer zone. The project, backed by a Canadian mining firm, drew nationwide attention and was eventually suspended after federal authorities denied key permits.
The anti-mining group Quaayaip, one of the festival’s co-organizers, grew out of that campaign. Its full name translates to “We Are Baja California Sur United Against Toxic Mega-Mining.” The festival falls on the World Day Against Open-Pit Mining, a date organizers chose deliberately.
Yet the current concern has shifted. Festival organizers say they are responding to real estate developments marketed under conservation frameworks near the biosphere reserve. Critics argue these projects lack environmental transparency and could compromise the Sierra’s role as a water recharge zone. The source material does not name specific developments, but BCS has seen a wave of rural subdivision projects targeting international buyers in areas adjacent to protected land.
Alejandro Rivera, one of the scheduled speakers, will address the history of citizen resistance to mega-mining in the state. Cristian Mendoza will focus on current threats facing the Sierra and community defense efforts. Aradia Pérez will explain the Sierra’s ecological importance. Mabel Ricárdez will speak about responsible hiking inside the protected area.
Free Entry, Petition Drive, and Eight Live Acts on July 26
The festival is organized by the Frente Ciudadano en Defensa del Agua y la Vida (Citizens’ Front in Defense of Water and Life), BCS Contra la Corrupción, Quaayaip, SOMOS Sociedad en Movimiento, and Asupmatoma, a sea turtle conservation camp. Mundo Rosa Editorial, La Rana Vegana, Trepacerros San José del Cabo, and Cosmovedor Natural Photography are also participating.
After the afternoon talks, the program shifts to an arts segment called Arte por la Sierra, featuring local poetry, dance, and visual art. A photo exhibition will document the Sierra’s landscapes and wildlife. Children’s workshops and informational booths round out the family programming.
The evening closes with the Toquín por la Sierra, a concert lineup of eight acts: Edwin Corona, Los Rancholos, Herederos, Groove Papi, Santa Trinidad Mex, Yaolt Coyolt, RigelG, and ChoyeRap. Organizers will also collect citizen signatures for petitions related to the Sierra’s protection, though the specific legal targets of those petitions have not been disclosed.
La Green House sits at Calle Melchor Ocampo No. 854, between Venustiano Carranza, in central Cabo San Lucas. Entry is free and open to all ages.
If you live in Los Cabos and drink tap water, your supply traces back to the aquifers this festival aims to protect. The next scheduled public action has not been announced, but organizers say they plan ongoing events through late 2026. This story was first reported by Colectivo Pericú.