Diane Knight painting for Historic Home Tour
A Glimpse of the Past
by Hal Butler
Revisit the unique past of Todos Santos and early Baja California Sur at the 18th Annual Todos Santos Historic Home Tour on Sunday, February 26, when residents and visitors will have a once-a-year opportunity to see many of the beautifully restored homes within the walls of several historic district buildings.
In addition to the houses, several other restored buildings housing boutique hotels or restaurants will be open for viewing and historical background. One examples is the beautifully restored, newly opened, Hotel Casa Tota/La Santeña Restaurant, that was originally built for Carlotta Salgado de Arnaut, in the late 1800’s, as a combined tienda/home, another is the Casa Azul, which was constructed by Antonio Wong in the mid 1900’s.
Todos Santos boasts a history of sugar cane and ranching wealth, home to the earliest large community auditorium in Baja California Sur, and legends such as the Hotel California. Tour guides, site docents and maps will be available to enrich your visiting experience. The price of $20 USD includes the option to self-explore or to take one of the tours with guides who are knowledgeable in the pueblo’s fascinating history and local lore/legends. Registration is from 9:30 am to 1 pm in front of the Centro Cultural “Profe Nestor.” The homes are open from 10 am to 3 pm.
While in Todos Santos for the historic tour, add to your special day by dining at one of the town’s excellent and charming restaurants as well as by visiting the many art galleries and shops, several of which are located in historic buildings.
All Historic Home Tour proceeds will benefit the various programs of The Palapa Society of Todos Santos A.C., whose primary mission is to improve the lives of Todos Santos’ children. Current Palapa programs include: The Bridge to English for children, BECA (scholarships) for high school and college students, English for adults, the Chino program for ill or injured children and an extensive bi-lingual library for children and adults.
For more information email: info@palapasociety.org, visit our website at www.palapasociety.org or stop by the Palapa Center on Calle Obregon.