| Description: | The origins of San Blas Mexico date back to the late seventeenth century, a time when the port was constructed as a shipyard and point of departure for the colonization expeditions of the Spanish Crown. This town was founded by Nuno Beltran de Guzman in 1530, although King Charles III of Spain did not recognize it as a deep sea port until 1768. This was the same year that Franciscan friars led by Friar Junipero Serra headed out of San Blas towards the Nuestra Senora de Loreto Mission on a quest to colonize the Californias. In San Blas Mexico, the first maritime customs house on the Pacific was established, and the town became the most important of the region during the Colonial period. Be sure to visit the historic buildings of the port to learn the history of San Blas first hand through the stories of its chroniclers, people, and architecture; silent witnesses to the events of the past. Your tour can begin in the Contaduria, a stronghold constructed in 1770 atop the San Basilio Hill, and where the accounting offices of the colonial hacienda were established. |
