The Baja California peninsula is home to six destinations carrying Mexico’s official “magical” designation, a federal label that brings tourism funding and national promotion. The list spans both states, from a French-built mining town on the Sea of Cortez to a Chinatown older than most of Mexicali itself. Here is what the designation means, what each place offers, and how to plan a visit.
Mexico’s Pueblo Magico Program Launched in 2001 With 32 Towns
Mexico’s Secretariat of Tourism created the Pueblo Mágico program in 2001 to channel federal money toward small towns with exceptional cultural, historical, or natural significance. Towns must apply through their state governments and meet criteria including preserved architecture, a distinct culinary identity, and a documented history. As of 2026, there are 177 Pueblos Mágicos across Mexico.
In 2022, the government added a parallel track called Barrio Mágico, aimed at urban neighborhoods rather than whole towns. More than 30 Barrios Mágicos now exist nationwide. Both designations unlock federal tourism promotion budgets and place recipients on official travel maps distributed internationally.
Baja has four Pueblos Mágicos and two Barrios Mágicos. Three sit in Baja California Sur: Todos Santos (designated 2006), Loreto (2012), and Santa Rosalía (2023). Tecate earned Baja California’s sole Pueblo Mágico title in 2012. The two Barrio Mágico designations went to La Chinesca in Mexicali (2023) and the Centro Histórico of San José del Cabo (2024).
Todos Santos: Baja California Pueblo Magico Since 2006
Todos Santos sits about one hour north of Cabo San Lucas on Highway 19. Founded as a Jesuit mission called Santa Rosa de las Palmas in 1733, it became the peninsula’s sugar capital by the mid-1800s, with eight mills running by 1850. Those sugar profits paid for the brick buildings that still define the town’s look.
A 1950s drought collapsed the water table and shuttered the mills. The town’s second life began in the mid-1980s, when expatriate artists settled there, drawn by the quality of light and low rents. Today Todos Santos draws roughly half a million visitors per year. Surf breaks at Cerritos, San Pedrito, and La Pastora sit minutes from the town center. It was one of the original 32 Pueblos Mágicos named nationally.
Loreto: Capital of the Californias Until 1777
Loreto claims the longest documented European history on the peninsula. Jesuit padre Juan María de Salvatierra founded the first permanent mission here in 1697. The town served as capital of all California until 1777 and of Baja California until 1829.
Inland from town, the Sierra de la Giganta holds Indigenous rock art sites from the Cochimí and Guaycura peoples, part of the “great mural” tradition dating back thousands of years. Offshore, the islands of Loreto Bay are a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Blue whales pass through in spring. Golfers can book tee times year-round at TPC Danzante Bay, a cliff-side course overlooking the Sea of Cortez. Loreto’s signature dish is almejas chocolatas (chocolate clams), named for their dark shells.
Tecate: Baja California’s Only Pueblo Mágico
Baja California and Colima are the only Mexican states with just one Pueblo Mágico each. Tecate earned the title in 2012. The town sits a few blocks south of the U.S. border and was historically a stop on the San Diego and Arizona Railway, built by John D. Spreckels in the early 20th century. That line dipped 44 miles into Mexico between Tecate and Tijuana because of the rugged terrain, earning it the nickname “the Impossible Railroad.”
The Streamline Moderne-style Hotel Tecate and the prairie-style rail depot both face Parque Miguel Hidalgo at the town’s center. Cervecería Tecate, founded by Alberto V. Aldrete, began brewing in 1944. On the outskirts, Rancho La Puerta has operated as a wellness resort since 1940 on 4,000 acres near the base of Mount Kuchamaa, a site sacred to the Indigenous Kumeyaay.
Santa Rosalía: French Copper Town Turned Pueblo Mágico in 2023
Santa Rosalía sits about 60 kilometers north of Mulegé on the Sea of Cortez coast. The Compagnie du Boleo, backed by the House of Rothschild, operated copper mines here from 1885 through the 1950s. During the 1890s, the mine produced more copper than any other in Mexico, accounting for roughly half of national output.
French investors built out the town with imported lumber and railway cars. The Iglesia de Santa Bárbara, a prefabricated iron church attributed to Gustave Eiffel, dates to the late 19th century. Yaqui peoples brought to work the mines left a cultural legacy visible in yearly Easter festivals featuring traditional dances and mask-burning rituals. The El Boleo Bakery still produces French-style pastries. The town’s signature dish is almohaditas, foil-wrapped yellowtail “pillows.” The Hotel Francés, built to house French engineers, remains the preferred place to stay.
La Chinesca in Mexicali: Mexico’s Oldest Chinatown
La Chinesca is the oldest Chinatown in Mexico, dating to the early 1900s. After the United States passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, Chinese immigrants settled in the newly founded border city. At one point, Chinese residents outnumbered Mexicans 3 to 1. An estimated 20,000 people of Chinese descent still live in Mexicali today.
Underground tunnels built by the 1920s once housed opium and gambling dens. They remain a tourist draw. Mexicali now has more than 300 Chinese restaurants, many blending wok techniques with Mexican ingredients to create dishes like “rice tamales.” La Chinesca received its Barrio Mágico designation in 2023.
San José del Cabo’s Centro Histórico Named Barrio Mágico in 2024
The newest addition is the Centro Histórico of San José del Cabo, designated in 2024. The neighborhood stretches from Plaza Mijares, named for a hero of an 1847 Mexican-American War battle fought in the town, to the Parroquia San José church. That church was rebuilt after a 1918 hurricane. A tile mosaic above its entrance depicts the 1734 killing of Jesuit padre Nicolás Tamaral by Indigenous Pericú.
For over 20 years, Thursday night Art Walks have drawn visitors through the cobblestone Gallery District. San José del Cabo traces its roots to the founding of its mission in 1730, though the Los Cabos municipality itself was not created until 1981.
The Centro Histórico Art Walk runs every Thursday evening from November through June. The source material for this guide was originally reported by Mexico News Daily.