Little hints of the rich history of Loreto appear everywhere you look: in the seashells pressed into the stone walls of the 300 year old Mission, in the images painted on the walls of nearby caves by the vanished Cochimi, and in the taste of fragrant mole made from an old family recipe. There are so many stories on the history of this place. We’d like to share one of our favorites with you.
La historia de Loreto
The discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus brought rumors and speculation about the undiscovered land even further to the west called California. European imaginations ran wild with visions of unlimited wealth in gold, pearls and land. Numerous attempts to explore the west coast failed, even those by renowned explorer Herman Cortes / Herman Cortez who conquered the mainland of Mexico. Another 162 years would pass before a young Jesuit would employ his passion and religious conviction to gain a foothold on the peninsula we know as Baja California.
La Mision de Nuestra Señora de Loreto – The Mission of Our Lady of Loreto
As a young Italian Jesuit, Juan Maria de Salvatierra worshipped the Virgin of Loreto. His assignment by the Jesuit order to colonize the unknown Western coast of Mexico inspired him to bring an icon of the Virgin with him on this arduous journey. When the padre landed on the shores of this tranquil bay, he placed her image there and christened the Mission of Loreto. Thus, the Town of Loreto was founded on this extraordinary bay of islands on October 25, 1697.
Sustainable Development
Loreto Bay is the largest sustainable development under construction in North America today. But, what is sustainable development? The United Nations defines it as “meeting the needs of the present generation without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Ask David Butterfield, Loreto Bay Company Chair, and he'll tell you that it means following an “Intergenerational Golden Rule.” Living so that our children can enjoy life as fully as we do. Of course, if you do get the chance to ask David about sustainability, be sure you've got time for a good, long talk.
His knowledge is as thorough as his passion is contagious.
The Three Pillars
The most commonly understood aspect of sustainability is respecting and preserving the environment, but there are actually three areas of sustainable development that we refer to as the three pillars.
1 Environmental sustainability means preserving and enhancing the ecosystem locally and globally by measuring and improving our business impacts on the environment.
2 Social sustainability requires that a development improve the health and welfare of a community and region, providing opportunities for local jobs and business creation, personal growth, education, health and lifelong learning.
3 Economic sustainability means that a development is profitable due to sound business practices, with measurable cost benefits due to strategic sustainability policies such as conservation of water and energy.
It means creating wealth for investors and home owners, jobs for people in the community, and new business development in the local economy.
Our goal is to become an international model for how a development can enrich an existing landscape and community while remaining profitable and economically viable. We invite you to learn more about sustainability in Loreto.
