Visit this magical 292-year-old Mexican town to fully embrace folk art

The Chron - By Heide Brandes, May 31, 2025

Shadows stretch across cobblestone streets as morning light filters through explosions of bougainvillea forming natural archways of fuchsia, orange and purple. On a Tuesday morning Todos Santos, one of Mexico's designated "Pueblos Mágicos," awakens slowly. A shop owner arranges handcrafted pottery outside her door while artists prepare canvases in studios tucked behind facades from the Spanish Colonial era of the 19th century.

Just an hour's drive from my home base at Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Resort in Los Cabos, this 300-year-old desert oasis awakens like a watercolor painting, blending layer upon layer of color, culture and history in unexpected harmony.

"This is the heart of culture in our town," said Max Uranga, our guide, gesturing toward the palm-lined central plaza where a vibrant, three-dimensional "TODOS SANTOS" sign anchors the space. Each letter, crafted by a different local artist, represents the town's soul. Both are bold, colorful and unabashedly Mexican.

Mexico's Pueblos Mágicos program, launched in 2001 by the country’s Ministry of Tourism, recognizes towns that have preserved their historical and cultural richness. For visitors, these designations act as beacons, pointing to authentic experiences of Mexico beyond resort areas.

Todos Santos certainly fits the criteria. Walking the historic center reveals Spanish Colonial architecture with simple geometric forms and arched windows. Many buildings date from the 1850s when sugar production fueled the local economy until water levels dropped, forcing a reimagining of the town's identity.

"These buildings that we see are neoclassic," Uranga said, pointing to the brick structures that line the main streets. "If you take a picture now, they saturated these pieces."

Frontier between worlds

Panoramic view of the beach and cliffs in Punta Lobos as part of the sport activities practiced in the town of Todos Santos on January 31, 2021 in La Paz, Mexico. 

"Todos Santos being an oasis, a place where naturally water sprouts, it was a frontier between two tribes," Uranga said as we strolled past buildings with sugar mill chimneys that hint at the town's once-thriving industry. "It was the Waikura and the Pericu. Right now, we also have two cities that live a little bit differently, which is the Cabo and La Paz area. Todos Santos is a frontier between both."

This position as a cultural crossroads defines the town even today. With approximately 9,000 residents, the population is remarkably diverse.

"We have 30 percent natives, 30 percent people from other parts of the country, and 30 percent foreigners," Uranga said. "This is something that has sprouted into having all these festivals. We're the town with the most festivals in all the region."

The artist’s haven

The winding streets lead us to Gallery Galería de Todos Santos, where we meet Michael Cope, who opened the first art gallery in town 31 years ago.

"It was an accident," Cope said when asked what inspired him to launch the gallery. The Ohio-born, Los Angeles-raised artist moved to Todos Santos with his wife and 4-month-old child after retiring from corporate life. "I came here to have my own studio, and then I had a restaurant for 20 years here, too."

Cope's gallery was transformative for the town, helping it evolve into the artist colony it is today. Now with approximately 12 galleries, Todos Santos has earned its artistic reputation through the vision of creatives like Cope.

"The Mexican government named about 36 small Colonial towns, and some pre-Colonial towns, as special magic cities," Cope said. "Todos Santos was made a Pueblo Mágico, but they always said it was like an artist's retreat."

This official designation in 2006 brought government support and preservation requirements.

"Now people are not allowed to change the historic areas,” Cope said. "If somebody buys something, they have to restore it the way it was."

Throughout our walking tour, Uranga highlighted a distinctive trait of Mexican artistic expression evident everywhere in Todos Santos.

"You're always gonna see a prominence of elements, a saturation of content," he said, pointing to murals bursting with color and symbolism. "For us, this appeal is not something to contain. It's a success. So that's something we're always going to be seeing."

This artistic abundance is visible in the town's murals, crafts, and even the floral displays that seem to cascade from every building. At one storefront, we paused to admire vibrant papel picado (paper cutout banners) fluttering in the breeze.

"These are not artists," Uranga said, gesturing to the intricate decorations. "These are local people. They are passionate. There was no workshop telling them how to do it. They just make it out of passion."

Near the town's cultural center, nearly 100-year-old murals from artists of Mexico's muralista movement—contemporaries of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo—tell the region's story.

What makes Todos Santos especially interesting is how artists from various backgrounds converge on local themes. Uranga showed us a mural featuring the Mexican sun stone, created by an American artist who incorporated elements of Baja California culture.

"Even though they have come from different places, all gatherers here touch local topics," he said. "Almost 90 or 100 percent of their work is about embracing the local culture."

Visitors guide

Todos Santos theatre and cinema. Todos Santos Pueblo Magico, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Romana Lilic/Moment Editorial/Getty Images

For travelers staying in Los Cabos and nearby areas along the Pacific Ocean, Todos Santos offers an immersive day trip to experience authentic Mexican culture beyond the beaches.

The town hosts approximately 15 festivals throughout the year, including an art festival (February) a music festival (January), a film festival, and a two-month celebration called Art Baja, which runs April-May.

Visitors should explore the historic theater (the first in the state), sample local cuisine at restaurants like Todo Santos Café (the oldest in town), or enjoy sunset views from the Sky Lounge at Guaycura Hotel.

The town's palm grove naturally divides it, with natives predominantly living on one side, Mexican locals in the center, and foreign residents primarily on the other side. Yet during Friday's organic market at the heart of the palm grove, these communities come together in a celebration of local produce, crafts and art.

As afternoon sun casts golden light across the historic buildings, it's easy to understand why artists continue to flock here. In Todos Santos, magic is the authentic spirit of a place where cultures converge and creativity flows as naturally as the underground springs that first gave life to this desert oasis.