Nothing says ‘luxury in Mexico” quite like laying on a chaise lounge overlooking the azure blue sea, taking in the sun’s rays with a perfectly shaken margarita in your hand.

There are so many wonderful things about Los Cabos. The sun, beaches, and lush green landscapes come to mind. But what’s the one thing everyone who visits Los Cabos falls in love with?

The food! Mexico has one of the tastiest cuisines in the world. If you’ve never been to Mexico, you can’t really know what authentic Mexican food is like. You’ve got to experience it first-hand! Mexican cuisine is considered an ancient one, with techniques and recipes developed over thousands of years. Add in the fact that ingredients and tastes change by region, and you’ve got pretty diverse menus. What’s the best way to experience all the varieties of Mexican flavours? A food festival! An event like this in Los Cabos is the perfect playground for foodies to sample specialties from all over Mexico. You’ll be able to taste traditional and contemporary offerings, often in a perfect fusion, made by chefs from all over the country. Since there’s so much going on in Los Cabos, we’ve found the best of the best Los Cabos food festivals for you. Read on to find out what’s cooking in the area!

Sabor a Cabo International Food & Wine Festival

The Sabor a Cabo Festival is the region’s largest culinary festival. It was started in 2005 by a group of local chefs who wanted the celebrate the unique restaurant scene found in Los Cabos. They also wanted to support and give back to their communities by committing contributions to local social initiatives and charities. Since its inauguration, proceeds from ticket sales have gone to the Cuerpo de Bomberos de Cabo San Lucas (volunteer firefighters), the Los Cabos Red Cross and the Los Cabos Children’s Foundation. The festival is held every year in late November and early December across many different venues, which rotate from year to year. The festival actually consists of several events, and spans just over a week. The main night that kicks off the festival is called the Sabor a Cabo Magno Event. This night is often held on a luxury golf course or some other stunning seaside site. This is a fun event where you’ll try foods and drinks from over 60 restaurants and 40 wineries. There are mixologists there too, so don’t forget to sip some mezcal and tequila.

You’ll be mingling with friends, foodies, and culinarians while you dig in to some gourmet dishes as the sun sets on the ocean. In addition to amazing food, there’s great entertainment. Past musical guests included Grammy winner Lila Downs, the all-time best-selling Latin American rock band Man¡, and R&B legends Earth, Wind & Fire. You’ll also be treated to live cooking demonstrations with international chefs. Perhaps the most exciting element of the evening, aside from the good eats, is the Chef Con Sabor A Cabo. In this competition, attendees will be able to vote in various categories such as best red wine, best sweet dish, and others. In another exciting competition, 10 spots are available for restaurants to enter with an international chef they have invited. In this live cooking competition, they must prepare a gourmet dish to blow all the others out of the water. The action is shown on big screens so you can watch the meticulous detail and care each chef puts into their craft. The dishes will then be judged by the Sabor a Cabo by American Express Committee. Only one can win the prize!

Cabo’s history is full of conquests and adventures, with a lasting legacy that goes back thousands of years. Because of its location, Cabo has always been an important landmark on the Pacific trade route. It’s interesting to note that the pirate history of Mexico itself may have begun with the first conquest by Hernán Cortés. An ambitious navigator and seasoned conquistador, Cortés set course for the Aztec empire or today’s Mexico by disobeying his immediate superior, the governor of Cuba. In other words, Cortés and his men went on a pirate inquisition which was later legitimised by the crown.

English and Dutch Privateers

After the fall of the Aztecs in the 16th century, Los Cabos became an important navigational landmark for the naval fleets. The ports in Cabo soon became a hub, brimming with exotic materials, such as silk, pearls and spices to be exchanged for Mexican silver, from Luzon in the Philippines to Acapulco. The unique topography of the peninsula, such as the arc of Los Cabos, referred by the locals as ‘el arco’, became a widely known sea mark – not only for trading ships, but also for pirates. Earliest known ‘pirates’ may have been English and Dutch privateers, who followed the example of Francis Drake, the first known privateer to cross the Magellan’s Strait to reach the Cabo bay. Today, you can only marvel and imagine what the busy Marina would have looked like back in the day. There’s a piece of history in every corner of Los Cabos.

Cavendish’s Lost Treasure of Los Cabos

As trade increased in the late 16th century, more English privateers flocked to Los Cabos, adding new chapters in the pirate legacy of Los Cabos. The most noteworthy pirate loot in the history of Los Cabos has to be the siege of Santa Anna, by Thomas Cavendish. The English privateer was infamous amongst Spanish trade ships and is widely reputed to be the first man to deliberately circumnavigate the Earth. His exploits eventually earned him the knighthood and enormous wealth, a large part of which can be traced to the sinking of Santa Anna in Los Cabos.

Santa Anna was a gigantic galeon by  mid-16th century standards. At 600 ton, it was loaded with a cargo so massive that it had no space left for cannons, making it an easy target for Cavendish and his merry band of pirates. Cavendish eventually divided the cargo between the two English ships, only one of which returned to England. The other ship named ‘Content’ never made it back, and has led to the rise of rumours about untold riches waiting at the depth of the sea of Cortez. While the veracity of Content’s myth is dubious, shipwreck scuba diving is a must-do activity on your trip to Los Cabos. There are many tours that operate in and around Cabo, and offer a fun experience for the entire family. Needless to say, the remote possibility of finding a long lost treasure can always make it worth your time.

End of Piracy and Modern Day Attractions of Cabo

Piracy continued unimpeded for centuries until navies of European nations began to consider pirates as a serious threat to the sovereign. After the end of the Mexican war, the American navy had become strong enough to eliminate any pirates, and most of them either fled the continent or went underground. By the 19th century, steam-propulsion ships became the norm, ending the classic age of pirates in Cabo and the Caribbean.

Today, the coves and caves around the coast of Cabo, that once provided a cover for pirates, are popular tourist destinations. You can see some of them if you choose to cruise around the cost. Some of the structures and lasting legacy of this era is still within your reach. For example, the famous arch of Los Cabos is just minutes away from the Marina, making for a great outdoor location. While the arch may have indeed been part of the pirate era, it predates known history, and even the Sea of Cortés, by a wide margin. Today, this unique location has been converted into a whale-watching and snorkelling destination.

If you prefer to go on a different kind of an adventure, the Buccaneer Queen is another modern day pirate experience, right at the Marina. This authentic pirate-style ship has everything you need to set off on a conquest, including a bar, glass bottom tours, and a sunset cruise. The cruise on the coast of Cabo is the closest you can come to reliving a bygone era.