Explore the Ruins & Pinturas Rupestres of Cataviña
Santa Ynés, Mexico
Description
Added by Josiah Roe
10,000 year old cave paintings juxtaposed with modernist ruins set in an otherworldly landscape of massive boulders, giant cacti, and alien-like boojum.
Cataviña is one of those places that defies description and is a favorite of all who visit Baja beyond the typical tourist haunts of the border towns and Cabo. It is an almost-alien landscape of massive boulders strewn amongst the world's largest cactus, the cardón, interspersed with the giant tentacle-like boojum.
Just off the road you can find the ruins of a long-abandoned museum set next to a cave containing 10,000 year old paintings by an indigenous people long gone.
To get there you will need to drive down Highway 1 at least 6 hours from the US-Mexico border at Tijuana, 120 km south of the last gas station at El Rosario. From Cabo San Lucas it is a 15 hour drive, or at least 240 km north of the last gas station at Guerro Negro. In this section of Highway 1 the road is largely dirt and gravel, and is often washed out in places.
In other words: bring extra gasoline and a spare tire.
There is a restaurant and a small hotel in the "town" of Cataviña south of the cave paintings.
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Explore the Ruins & Pinturas Rupestres of Cataviña Reviews
Nice write up of a really interesting place. The landscape is really otherworldly and looks like some something out of a Dr. Seuss book. We went in March and this part of Highway 1 was really bad with huge potholes. Don't drive at night.
5.0
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