I took a journey in a beaten up rental car back in time to Todos Santos, a sleepy village tucked between the Sierra de Laguna mountains and The Pacific Ocean.
Jesuits founded the town in 1723 and indeed had a huge influence on the whole area. When they discovered a freshwater source in what is otherwise desert ,they started sugarcane production and it's sugar mills boomed until the mid 1900's.
This money fed the development of the town and it's elegant architecture. Now it is a tourist centre full of chic hotels, notable amongst them being Hotel California with artefacts and music to go with the name. The town is also a haven for artists and others who want a slow pace of life. There was a gentleness about the people and their approach to life which I have not encountered so far on my trip.