SANTIAGO DE LAS CORAS, SANTIAGO APÓSTOL O SANTIAGO AIÑINI (1721-1795)
Endowed by the Marquis of Villapuente, the mission was established by Father Ignacio Maria Napoli on the gulf side at the southern end of the peninsula.
The missionary, obeying the orders of Father Ugarte who was leaving for Colorado, arrived at the port of Las Palmas on August 24, 1721. Although the construction of the mission began soon after, he had difficulties getting the Pericues Indians to trust him. At first, they distrusted the Guaycura Indians who accompanied the missionary and feared the soldiers’s horses and dogs.
[two_first]In 1723, the mission was moved a little further from the coast. However, it was still destroyed by a cyclone that resulted in several deaths and injured natives who had sought refuge under the mission’s roof. The deaths and injuries caused the mistrust of the natives to continue for some time. In September 1724, the mission was moved again to a safer place and given the name of Santiago Apostle. There it remained. In 1726, Napoli was sent to Sonora and replaced by Father Lorenzo Carranco, who was later murdered by the Pericues on October 1st, 1734. The mission was abandoned in 1795. Today, there is nothing left.
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Fragment taken from The Missions Founded by the Jesuits.
Santiago is a small community in Baja California Sur, located on Federal Highway number 1, about 28 miles north of San Jose del Cabo, in the municipality of Los Cabos.
To delve into the history and explore the beauty of the interior of the peninsula, a visit to Santiago is essential. In the winter, the climate is cool, very pleasant and there are rustic establishments where you can isolate yourself from modern life and live in full contact with nature.
The word “cora,” according to Father del Barco, may be since “Women use, instead of a sling for carrying their young children, a deep oval tray called a cora, which is a portable crib more comfortable for children than the sling.”
