Just a few years ago it would have been hard to imagine the San José del Cabo that has developed recently. Always a charming destination for souvenir shopping and sightseeing, San José had a well deserved reputation as a quiet place to sightsee, maybe have lunch at the Tropicana, visit the cathedral, and be back in Cabo at five o’clock for margaritas and happy hour. If you wanted to visit a place that had retained Old World Mexican atmosphere, the conventional advice was to go and spend a day or two in San José.

But recently San José del Cabo has really come into its own. The area is now on a growth curve, due in part to the new nearby high-concept development of Puerto Los Cabos, and partly because of its cultural center, an arts and restaurant district that has quietly grown and developed over the past few years.

In San José, like most Mexican towns, cultural life centers on a central plaza and the cathedral. The Plaza Mijares and the 18th century Iglesia San José provide a center of gravity for most of the community, and local businesses have taken pride in restoring the 100-year colonial architecture around town, adding to the atmosphere of its Old World charm.

And just around the corner is the city’s officially designated Arts District. It’s an area centered along Alvado Obregon, roughly bordered by Manual Hidalgo off the plaza, Ignacio Comonfort, Vicente Guerrero, and Ignagcio Zaragoza, a few square blocks of enjoyable walking that incorporates the majority of galleries in town, and many of its fine restaurants.

Along Calle Obregon and its adjoining streets, you can now find a wide variety of art and craft galleries showcasing works of artists from Baja, mainland Mexico, and around the world. These galleries have become the nucleus of a vibrant art scene in San José, and many activities in the area center around them. So popular The Arts District has become that the area now offers regularly scheduled art walks on Thursday nights, from November through May, and a tour that gathers for coffee and art on Tuesday mornings.

Each of San José’s galleries, now approaching twenty in number, have their own unique character, some specializing in fine art, some in folk art, and some in jewelry or other collectibles.

At the top of the district, up Alvaro Obregon and around the corner at 1128 Vincente Guerreo, is the largest gallery in the area, Galeria de Ida Victoria. Ida had a career as a graphic artist in New York, and moved to San José to open her gallery in 2004. The gallery’s design was a collaboration of two architects, Jesús Manriquez from La Paz, Mexico and Pat Barry from Washington DC, who transformed an old, one story adobe building into a beautiful tri-level space with natural light streaming in through twenty-two skylights set in the dome of the building. The ambient light illuminates the artwork during the day, and a custom-designed track lighting system provides proper lighting at night. The size of the building allows Ida to accommodate extremely large works of art, and she showcases artists from all over the world. “I will generally exhibit any type of art that I find interesting,” says Ida, “as long as they display exceptional talent and quality.”

Artists who have found a home at her gallery include Joaquin Pineda, Rafael Chavez from La Paz, Brent Lynch, and Andres Garcia-Pena, who produces a delightful series of paintings based on vintage travel posters. Ida hosts several receptions and individual shows at her gallery throughout the year, and also offers a custom framing service on the premises. While a fire did considerable damage to the gallery in early 2008, it has since reopened and is as impressive as ever.

Neighbor Casa Don Pablo has been selling specialty folk art since 2005, making it one of the earliest entries on the scene. The proprietors here travel throughout Mexico, including the regions of Chihuahua, the Yucatan, Guerrero, Puebla, Jalisco, Michoacan, Oaxaca and Taxco, and buy unique handmade pieces directly from local craftsman. They have a supply of colorful Huichol figures, beautiful Talavera, pearl jewelry from La Paz, and a wide selection of other original pieces that represent the best Mexican folk art.

Just around the corner, on Obregon is one of the earliest galleries to set up shop in the area. Jolene Browning was originally involved in bringing tourist groups down to the area, but had a background in design and a strong appreciation of fine art. She opened Old Town Gallery in January 2005, and has been at the literal center of the San José art scene ever since, specializing in work that “sees Mexico through the eyes of the artist.” She also exhibits artists like Louis Sakalovsky, who produces luminous bohemian crystal sculptures, and works of Enrique Ortega, Fernando Tames, Paul Ygartua, Chris MacClure, Jonn Einerssen, and Brent Heighton. Jolene is also very active in local art events, including the Tuesday morning walk that starts with coffee at the San José Café on Morelos and then tours participating galleries in the area.

Continuing down the street you’ll find the Los Cabos Amber Gallery, which is the place to shop for jewelry, gemstones, Chiapas textiles, and, of course, amber. Owner Ron Sanford was involved in the bonsai business in Seattle when he got amber fever and ended up travelling to Chiapas to find the raw amber himself. He opened up the Amber Gallery in October of 2005. The raw material that he purchases in Chiapas is refined, polished, and turned into a vast array of jewelry and artifacts that catch the light and reveal the beauty and richness of the material. Also on display here is a collection of rare red amber, which approaches a ruby-like luminance when polished and fashioned into works of art.

Across the street is Pez Gordo, which was opened by Dana Lieb in 2000, and was one of the earliest galleries in the area. Pez Gordo specializes in contemporary art, and is host to more than 40 artists based in Los Cabos and throughout Mexico, including Laura Siqueiros, who creates collages in masonite and layered wax, using heat to meld the materials together.

Around the corner on Morelos is Casa Dahlia, which is owned by Leah Porter, and features a large collection of fine art pieces including work by Sondra Richardson, Anne Popperwell’s large canvases, sculpture by Luis Espiridion and original jewelry designs by Yolnicte Bassave. It also includes a wonderful coffee and tea garden, which is the perfect place to take a break and enjoy some refreshments.

Back on Obregon, our next stop is Marianella’s Art Gallery, a personal showcase for Marianella Rojas Walker. Originally from Chile, Marianella has been living in San José for the last sixteen years, and seriously painting for only a couple of years. Her talent is evident in every piece on display here, which are her expressions of the beauty of everyday life.

Next door is the Soraya Gallery, where Soraya Mora works and displays her art. Originally from Santa Rosalia up the coast, she has had a gallery in San José for the past three years, and she’s determined to capture landscapes in large-scale formats before they disappear. She also works with many decorators in the area, and has art hanging in homes throughout Las Ventanas, Cabo Azul, Pedegral and Puerto Los Cabos. Soraya often displays other artists she likes, like abstract expressionist José Cue.

Dona Pitaya offers a very thorough collection of Mexican folk art, including a delightful collection of Huichol figures. This is the location if you’re looking for folk art, handcrafts, souvenirs, and just a fun place to explore, examining the many colorful creations and works of art on display.

At Galeria Corsica, Edgar Villavicencio has a large gallery (with an annex across the street) that showcases the art and sculpture of twenty-five Mexican artists from all over the country. “About 70% of my clients are collectors,” says Villavicencio, who started with a gallery in Mexico City, and also has a gallery in Puerto Vallarta.

Other galleries in the area worth exploring include El Amario, Plaza Paulina-Arte, Gerardo Lopez Art Studio, and Galeria La Dolce, each offering a unique artistic vision and within walking distance of Obregon Street and the cathedral. 

One of the best ways to experience the vibrant diversity of San José’s cultural scene is to participate in one of the art walks sponsored by the San José del Cabo Arts District Association and held weekly from November to May on Thursday evenings from 5 to 9. Another tour meets at the San José Café at the corner of Morelos and Zaragoza for morning coffee on Tuesdays and then tours the neighborhood from 9 to 12, enjoying the diverse creativity of the dozens of artists on display.