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Bajatripper
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The "Houses on the Corner" in La Paz
A little La Paz history, for the two of you out there who care.
Contrary to what city officials and the local tourist bureau would have us believe, La Paz was not founded in 1535 (Cortez's visit). Although the Bay
of La Paz is recognized as the most secure port on this end of the peninsula and was one of the places used by the regional mining district (Santa Ana
and, later, San Antonio/El Triunfo) to transfer supplies and their mining output between ships and their installations, until 1811 there was nothing
but seasonal fish camps along the shores of the bay. A recurring problem for visiting ships was the acquisition of supplies while they went about
their business during their stay in port.
As a solution to this problem, in 1811 the Spanish government awarded a sitio (a measurement of land used for agricultural purposes under
Spanish rule) that encompassed what is now the city of La Paz to one Juan Jose Espinoza. Among the requirements that Espinoza had to meet was one
that mandated he provide visiting ships with fresh produce.
Even though Espinoza and his family gave it a valiant effort, they were unable to meet the demands of visiting ships, causing many captains to
complain to authorities about the lack of provisions. Eventually, the Espinoza family lost their claim due to their inability to fulfill their
contractual obligations and other families were allowed to settle at La Paz. Although commerce was also an important factor in the growing community's
development, initially La Paz was formed as an agricultural town with port facilities.
The original town site was the arroyo where calle (street) 16 de Septiembre is now located and the mesas on either side. Given it's agricultural
beginnings, it made sense that most of the early town's residents were given (or bought) whole blocks on which to establish huertas
(orchards) and gardens to produce for ships' crews. The homes that families built on these blocks of land were almost always constructed on the
corners of their properties. These huertas were so numerous that La Paz was known as the "Ciudad de los molinos" (city of the wind mills) during the
late 1800s and early 1900s
Today, as one walks in the old historic district of La Paz (now loosely defined as the area bordered by Colonia Esterito on the north, Calle Isabel La
Catolica on the east and boulevard 5 de Febrero on the south side of the city) it's still possible to see some of these old homes, which represent
some of the city's oldest surviving architecture. They are most often made of brick, sometimes are made of rock, but are usually plastered over. Once
you get a feel for the architecture of the period, they are quite obvious. The one thing they all have in common is: they sit on a corner.
They represent the most direct link to the city's founding.
Some Houses on the Corner:
The remains of the old well and pila (water holding facility) behind the above house, on Calle Bravo, giving a clue to the home's past.
As a kid, I accompanied a friend to buy/pick green mangoes at this huerta for his mother to make mango candy, while it still functioned as such. Note
the sick, old mango tree on the right.
Close up of the sign that identifies the building's origins.
[Edited on 1-25-2012 by Bajatripper]
There most certainly is but one side to every story: the TRUTH. Variations of it are nothing but lies.
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tehag
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Thanks
Excellent informative post.
Certainty is the child of ignorance, knowledge is the mother of doubt. Question everything!
http://bcsbirds.com |
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BajaBlanca
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bajatripper - I loved reading this history ! please tell more !
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BajaBlanca
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Do you suppose the building where the LA FONDA restaurant is was one of these "houses on the corner"? Les looked at the photos and found them to be
similar to that restaurant building.
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tiotomasbcs
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Muy interesante, Amigo. Please share more nuggets of your city's past. A beautiful little city with many little hidden away places behind high
walls or trees. I love getting lost and finding these little neighborhoods! Any good books or websites ? Thanks. Tio
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bajajudy
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Headed your way today. Cant wait to try to find more houses on the corners.
Thanx
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DianaT
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THANKS---really loved reading that and it will make the next visit to La Paz more meaningful.
Please share more history. 
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Bajatripper
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BajaBlanca
Do you suppose the building where the LA FONDA restaurant is was one of these "houses on the corner"? Les looked at the photos and found them to be
similar to that restaurant building. |
That place definitely could be one of them. But, given its location in the oldest section of town, which was developed (and redeveloped) more quickly
than outlying areas, it's hard to tell for sure. The further out one gets from the core of the city (Bravo, Cinco de Mayo, Revolucion), the more
apparent it is. In the downtown area, there are still many old houses that were originally the property of the city's elites, who were mostly people
of commerce. But once you clear that area, you'll probably notice that the oldest house on a given block is almost always on the corner.
My information on this comes from a book on La Paz history that I recently bought (Notas para una historia urbana de la ciudad de La Paz), a
collaboration of nine local historians and architects who don't want to see what little remains of the city's past disappear into oblivion. Even
though I've lived in La Paz for considerable time, I'd never made the connection until I read it in the book. Now, my walks about town have taken on a
whole new meaning as I bore my kids with such trivialities.
I'm pleasantly surprised by the fact that I wrote this for more than two people.
[Edited on 1-25-2012 by Bajatripper]
There most certainly is but one side to every story: the TRUTH. Variations of it are nothing but lies.
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wessongroup
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Mood: Suicide Hot line ... please hold
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Thanks, it all helps... 
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akmaxx
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You definitely wrote this for more than two people.
The old houses, especially the ones with windmills (some still working) are my dream La Paz houses. Look behind the Notario on Allende, por ejemplo,
of a farm in the city.
Very cool. Thanks.
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Bajatripper
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| Quote: | Originally posted by morgaine7
Three people.
Nice post, Tripper. Most if not all of those landmarks are familiar, and there are several more in El Esterito, where I live. I love reading about the
history of the town. Where did you buy the book? |
At the Libreria Ramirez on Cinco de Mayo on the plaza. They have a very small section (limited to the end of one of their long isles in the
newspaper/magazine/book section) that is dedicated to Baja California stuff, which includes some titles in English.
There most certainly is but one side to every story: the TRUTH. Variations of it are nothing but lies.
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Bajatripper
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| Quote: | Originally posted by akmaxx
You definitely wrote this for more than two people.
The old houses, especially the ones with windmills (some still working) are my dream La Paz houses. Look behind the Notario on Allende, por ejemplo,
of a farm in the city.
Very cool. Thanks. |
That is one of the nicest things about the "residential tourist invasion;" many foreigners see beauty worth preserving where locals may see an old
delapidated building in need of removal. One of my passtimes is to walk about town snapping pictures of old homes, figuring some of them won't be
around for much longer as land prices go up and these structures are seen as an impediment to progress.
Fortunately, the local government passed an ordinance some years ago (which isn't always respected) that prohibits the demolishing of such
structures--that is the reason why the facade of the old Perla de La Paz building has yet to be torn down. I doubt the Ruffos want to preserve it, so
there it sits, waiting for a good hurricane or strong earthquake to do their bidding (just my theory). I suspect that old wooden houses aren't
protected by said ordinance, since I see these disappear with frequency.
The facade of the old La Perla de La Paz, at one time the biggest store on the peninsula.
[Edited on 1-25-2012 by Bajatripper]
There most certainly is but one side to every story: the TRUTH. Variations of it are nothing but lies.
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rts551
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Very nice review of a historical town. We always like visiting La Paz.. My Fathers first visit there was in 1949.
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Bajatripper
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| Quote: | Originally posted by rts551
Very nice review of a historical town. We always like visiting La Paz.. My Fathers first visit there was in 1949. |
Perhaps we're related, that was about the time my stepfather began visiting the city, too.
There most certainly is but one side to every story: the TRUTH. Variations of it are nothing but lies.
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rts551
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajatripper
| Quote: | Originally posted by rts551
Very nice review of a historical town. We always like visiting La Paz.. My Fathers first visit there was in 1949. |
Perhaps we're related, that was about the time my stepfather began visiting the city, too. |
He did
talk about trolling. I mean strolling, on the Malacon
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UnoMas
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Anyone know the history of the property across the street from Rancho Viejo restaurant, facing the bay in La Paz? Partial remaining brick structure,
looks like it could have been a hotel? Sweet piece of property.
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Marc
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Thanks! I'll be here in two weeks.
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oladulce
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Good stuff Bajatripper.
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BajaBlanca
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thanks for responding to my inquiry .....
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Bajatripper
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| Quote: | Originally posted by UnoMas
Anyone know the history of the property across the street from Rancho Viejo restaurant, facing the bay in La Paz? Partial remaining brick structure,
looks like it could have been a hotel? Sweet piece of property. |
In the '60s my family lived on the same block but around the corner from that house, on the Malecon on the property that now houses the Alamo car
rental agency. The building where the Rancho Viejo restaurant now is was a small store (the room on the very corner, with two doors) which was owned
and operated by a couple of elder sisters. Our mother (Bajalera), would send us there to buy her beer and cigarettes, among other items needed for
daily subsistence ("those were the days!", as she would say). By the way, the Rancho Viejo building has all the markings of a "House on the Corner,"
although I can't claim to remember any orchards or gardens there, just a bunch of little shacks.
What I remember about the house you ask about : back then, it was just the small brick house at the core of the new brick archwork (you can still make
out the original building if you look with care, it's the only thing with a roof). The wall around the property had a white picket fence on top of the
lower (rock) half. The pickets have been replaced by cinder blocks on the upper wall.
There must have been an older couple living there, someone without kids, because I never met anyone who lived there, and I knew most of the kids
living in those blocks back then.
Sometime in the late 80s-early 90s, when I visited La Paz I noticed that someone was building on--the arches and "new" construction on the front of
the old house. They must have run out of money, for it was never finished.
I'll check with my brother, see what he remembers, and with the guy I use to hang with back then, he grew up across the street (in one of the shacks).
By the way, anyone know who owns this little beauty, a couple of blocks from the Santuario in La Paz? Sweeeeeet.
[Edited on 1-26-2012 by Bajatripper]
There most certainly is but one side to every story: the TRUTH. Variations of it are nothing but lies.
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