Los Cabos: Mexico's peninsular treasure continues to gain recognition. (Living in Mexico).

A haunting desert landscape set with a rugged sierra and emerald green waters unfolds in a spectacular climax at Los Cabos, the ultimate sun retreat at the tip of the Baja Peninsula. It's here that the swirling waters of the Pacific meet the Sea of Cortes at Land's End, a point of austere beauty and powerful imagery.

Los Cabos (the Gapes) is made up of two towns: Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, a thousand miles from the California border. In the 1500s, the Spanish conquistadors claimed it for Spain but created an outpost further north in La Paz, which was rich in pearls. English pirates eventually moved in to plunder the Nao de China ships carrying trade goods between Acapulco and Manila. The coves and inlets around Cabo San Lucas became handy hiding places from which to launch their attacks.

San Jose del Cabo, the larger of the two towns, was founded as a Jesuit settlement in 1730. Bloody battles between the inhabitants and the native Pericu groups were the norm before the mission finally took root. Just as the men of God strove to convert them, the Pericus were equally as eager to drive the Europeans away. A mural over the church of San Jose shows Indians dragging a hapless missionary into a fire.

FROM FORGOTTEN To FAMOUS

For hundreds of years, Los Cabos remained virtually forgotten. Then sports fishermen discovered it in the 1 950s. Even then it was a rustic fishing retreat frequented by wealthy anglers and Hollywood celebrities who arrived in their private planes or yachts. A few exclusive resorts cropped up on the remote coastal cliffs to lodge them. For many years, it was the best-kept secret in the Baja. Then in the 1970s, Mexico's Tourism Development Fund (Fonatur) recognized the area's potential as a world-class resort, and it changed overnight. The two towns were dubbed Los Cabos and developers came in.

Times have changed since the days of the buccaneers and missionaries. Since then, Los Cabos has emerged as one of the most expensive and sought-after vacation destinations in Mexico. It's also one of the fastest growing, with numerous luxury hotels and championship golf courses.

The two towns are separated by a few dozen miles and a string of stunning beaches. The area is chic and laid back. Visitors can hobnob with the rich and famous or hang out with the unpretentious camping crowd at the beach. The place exudes vitality and adventure, and continues to attract big game fishermen. Record breaking catches like 800-pound marlins plus the challenge of battling feisty billfish have ranked it among the top fishing spots in the Americas.