Thanks to its big-time fishing tournaments and boisterous nightlife, Cabo San Lucas is now the more famous of the two cape cities that largely populate the Los Cabos municipality. But this was not always so. Until the advent of the tourist age some 50 years ago, San Jose del Cabo was far better known.

Before 1960, there was little in Cabo San Lucas save a cannery and about 300 residents. San Jose del Cabo, by contrast, has been an important regional community for almost 300 years, since the Jesuits first built a mission there in 1730. Not only is it the current seat of local government, but it boasts the sort of historic architecture unknown in San Lucas, from a beautiful old Catholic church to a stately City Hall topped with a nearly century-old old clock tower, and a courtyard filled with murals that trace the history of both the region and the country at large.

Nowhere is this colonial style city’s beauty shown to greater advantage than in its picturesque Distrito del Arte, where each week during tourist season galleries throw open their doors to celebrate the seasonal Art Walk.

The 2016 – 2017 Art Walk season kicked off on October 27:  thus visitors and residents alike are now invited to attend each Thursday from 5 – 9 p.m.; to stroll the neighborhood’s charming cobblestone streets, to sip wine, listen to local musicians, and of course explore the numerous galleries which proliferate in the downtown area.

Like Todos Santos, San Jose del Cabo has long been noted for its thriving arts community. Aficionados will find works both contemporary and classic, including high-quality painting, sculpture, pottery, glassware and jewelry.  An eye for art is hardly a prerequisite to enjoy the weekly event, however, since the Distrito del Arte is also home to a flourishing drinking and dining scene. The state’s first microbrewery, Baja Brewing Company, is located in the heart of the Art District, as is one of the region’s finest taquerias, La Lupita Tacos & Mezcal.

For more information about the event, as well as participating galleries, visit www.artcabo.com.