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The 2026 Fiestas Tradicionales de Caduaño opened this week in the small farming community of Caduaño, about 80 kilometers north of Cabo San Lucas, drawing thousands of visitors to one of Baja California Sur’s oldest rural celebrations. The festival features horseback parades known as cabalgatas, regional food showcases, folkloric dance, live music, and religious ceremonies across several days in the Sierra de la Laguna foothills.
Carlos Castro Ceseña, the municipal director of Social Development, led the opening ceremony on behalf of Los Cabos Mayor Christian Agúndez Gómez. The event included the coronation of a Royal Court: Queen Alejandra I, child princess Regina, and child lady of honor Mairani. The folkloric ballet “Dos Mares” performed during the opening, followed by live sets from Román de los Reyes and the band Los Nuevos Llaneros. Local acts M y M de Martín y Manuel and Doble Impacto are also on the lineup.
Caduaño Festival Has Roots in Sierra de la Laguna Ranch Culture
Caduaño sits in the subdelegation of Miraflores, a cluster of agricultural communities along the Tropic of Cancer corridor between San José del Cabo and the mountain town of Santiago. The area was settled during the colonial mission period, and its ranching families have held annual patron saint festivals for generations. These fiestas tradicionales are common across rural Baja California Sur, with towns like El Triunfo, Todos Santos, and Santiago each hosting their own versions tied to the Catholic liturgical calendar.
The Caduaño edition centers on the community’s patron saint and typically falls in late June or early July. Events run for several days and blend religious processions with secular entertainment. The cabalgata, a procession of riders on horseback through the town’s dirt roads, is the centerpiece. Riders from ranches across the Sierra de la Laguna region participate, many wearing traditional ranchero attire: wide-brimmed hats, leather chaps, and hand-tooled saddles.
Food is the other anchor. Local cooks set up stalls serving machaca (dried shredded beef), tamales de puerco, handmade flour tortillas, and sweets made from regional fruits like mango, papaya, and pitahaya, the cactus fruit native to the Baja peninsula. For a region now defined by resort tourism, these festivals preserve a way of life that predates the first hotel in Cabo San Lucas by more than a century.
Aremy García, the municipal delegate for Miraflores, co-organized this year’s event alongside a local volunteer committee. The Los Cabos municipal government provided an inter-institutional security operation at access points and main venues. Castro Ceseña said the security deployment followed a direct instruction from Mayor Agúndez Gómez to ensure safety for attending families.
A 90 Minute Drive From Cabo San Lucas on Highway 1
Caduaño is reachable from both Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo via Mexico Highway 1 (the Transpeninsular Highway). From San José del Cabo, the drive north to the Miraflores turnoff takes roughly 40 minutes. From Cabo San Lucas, it is closer to 90 minutes. At Miraflores, a two-lane road heads west into the foothills toward Caduaño. The final stretch is paved but narrow, and cell service becomes spotty past Miraflores.
There is no public transit to Caduaño. Visitors need a car, and a vehicle with decent clearance is helpful for the access road, though not strictly required. Gas stations are available in Miraflores and Santiago, both along Highway 1. There are no hotels in Caduaño itself, so plan it as a day trip or arrange a stay in Santiago, which has a handful of small guesthouses about 15 minutes away.
Bring cash. Most food stalls and vendors do not accept cards, and there are no ATMs in Caduaño. Water and sun protection are essential: June temperatures in the foothills regularly exceed 35°C (95°F), and shade is limited at open-air venues.
The festival continues through the coming days with additional cabalgatas, religious services, and gastronomic events. Municipal authorities have extended an open invitation to all Los Cabos residents and visitors. Details were published by the Los Cabos municipal government.