Guaymas Area History

San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico, home to several thousand American and Canadian retirees and beautifully immersed in Mexican culture and tradition, is a relatively new resort, officially becoming a 'commissariat' of Guaymas in September 1963. And, as such, its history is significantly tied to nearby Guaymas - a seaport city of 150,000 residents, just 11 km (seven miles) southwest of San Carlos. It was Guaymas that was discovered by Spanish explorers in 1539.

The Guaymas area was occupied by the fierce Guaymenas Indian tribe, which created enough resistance for the Spanish that they were not able to actually occupy the Guaymas area until the 18th century. The history of Guaymas, due to the early Indian inhabitants, dates back over 2,000 years. The Yaqui, Guaimas and Seri Indians lived in this natural habitat, sustained by the waters of the Sea of Cortez, which provided an abundance of food and the imposing figure of the Tetakawi mountain, which supplied the mystical powers for the spirits of warriors that so valiantly defended its shores.

In 1701, Padres Salvatierra and Kino founded a short-lived mission settlement in Guaymas. The mission was soon destroyed by the Guaymenas Indians, but another attempt was made in 1769. This proved to be successful, and the new town of San Jose de Guaymas was named. Numerous small villages (camps) were located around the area, and the largest still remains inhabited and is located about 12 miles to the south of Guaymas with a population of 200.

A desirable port city, Guaymas/San Carlos was occupied by foreign military forces and attempted by pirates. During the 1847-48 Mexican-American War, 2 US naval vessels, the 'Eagle' & 'Reliant' captured the San Carlos/Guaymas areas taking control of the harbors & town until late 1848, and then very briefly in 1853 by the 'freebooter' William Walker.

1854 saw the French pirate 'Captain Rousset' operating in the Sea of Cortez. His pirate forces attempted to overtake Guaymas in a surprise attack with a well-armed group of 400. The battle, which lasted 4 days, initially overwhelmed local forces but by the end local militia forces remarkably managed to capture the pirate leader. After his capture and execution his surviving pirate crew disappeared and scattered into the seven seas!

The area was briefly occupied again in 1865 by the French under Emperor Maximilian. The first two decades of 1900 brought revolution again to Mexico, and the port/cove areas suddenly became supply points for General Francisco (Pancho) Villias 'Army of the North'.

By 1910, ships from California, China, England, France and Germany were regularly unloading freight at Guaymas. While its import/export role declined, it's commercial and sports fishing role gained in importance.  Today, Guaymas is Mexico's 7th largest port, handling approximately 4% of the nation's total maritime cargo. The city's large commercial fishing fleet brings in an abundance of Mexico's fishing harvest - shrimp being the largest catch.

The community of San Carlos was founded on lands that previously integrated a large cattle ranch known as the Baviso de Navarro. This was later subdivided in four great estates known as Ranch Los Algodones, Ranch San Carlos, Ranch El Baviso and Ranch El Represo. In the mid 1950s, Mr. Rafael T. Caballero acquired the ranches Los Algodones, San Carlos and El Baviso, contracting the services of City planners who designed the first stages of a gradual and carefully planned tourist development that in time would become one of the first and most important tourist and recreational communities in the State.