Coronado Islands
Encyclopedia
The Coronado Islands (Islas Coronado or Islas Coronados) are a group of four island
s off the northwest coast of the Mexican
state
of Baja California
. Battered by the wind and waves, they are largely infertile and uninhabited except for a small military detachment and a few lighthouse keepers. The islands lie between 25.6 and 32 kilometers south of the entrance to San Diego bay, but only 13.6 kilometers from the Mexican mainland.
, Baja California
, as ruled in the books of the Baja Californian Government, published on December 20, 1959:
Article 7 - the state of Baja California
is divided and understood as the following municipalities .... Tijuana.
c) The Municipality of Tijuana
is made up of ..... in addition; The Coronado Islands correspond to the jurisdiction of the Municipality of Tijuana, which lie on the extremes of the municipality to the Pacific Ocean
.
In September 1542 Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo
described them as islas desiertas (desert islands). In 1602 the priest for Sebastián Vizcaíno
called them Los Cuatro Coronados (the four crowns) to honour four martyrs. Although they have been called a dozen other names (later fisherman upon seeing floating coffins, ghostly faces and shrouded bodies amid the rocks dubbed them: Old Stone Face, The Sarcophagi, Dead Man's Island, and Corpus Christi) they also have also been provocatively called The Sentries of San Diego Bay even though they belong to Mexico.
In the 1920s and 1930s, during Prohibition in the United States
, the cove on the Northeast side of South Coronado Island was used as a meeting place for alcohol smugglers. Since it was the time before radar, and as foggy nights are common, the large number of boats frequently resulted in collisions. There was so much traffic that a famous casino flourished there until well into the Depression. Only the stone foundation remains though the name Smugglers Cove, and more rarely Casino Cove, adorn modern maps.
In May 1943 the U.S. Navy's USS PC-815
, commanded by L. Ron Hubbard, conducted unauthorized gunnery exercises involving the shelling of the Coronado Islands, in the belief they were uninhabited and belonged to the United States. Unfortunately for Hubbard, the islands belonged to Mexico and were occupied by the Mexican Coast Guard. The Mexican government complained and Hubbard was relieved of command.
Currently, the islands are used by human traffickers for hiding migrants on the deserted islands when smugglers are worried about getting caught by the Coast Guard or when the weather is bad and they are not able to reach their destination. Frequently, the people are left on the island for days.
, various species of cactus
, Wild Cucumber
and Houseleek
.
There are colonies of birds that nest on the islands and can be spotted in the nearby waters like gull
s, pelican
s, petrel
s, and sea ducks. The Coronado Islands have the largest known colony of the rare Xantus's Murrelet
.
Ten species of reptiles and amphibians are also found in the islands. The best known is the Coronado rattlesnake
(Crotalus oreganus caliginis
), which is a smaller subspecies than the one found on the mainland. There is also the Coronado snake, which feeds off birds' eggs, the Coronado lizard, which is found in all four islands, and the tree salamanders which live on the three biggest islands. Plated lizards are found on the south and central islands.
There are two types of mammals in the islands: rabbits and mice. How they reached the islands is currently unknown.
Sea mammals are plentiful and it is not uncommon to see groups of sea lions, seals
and sea otter
s.
Middle Island is home to small colony of elephant seal
s.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s off the northwest coast of the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
state
States of Mexico
The United Mexican States is a federal republic formed by 32 federal entities .According to the Constitution of 1917, the states of the federation are free and sovereign. Each state has their own congress and constitution, while the Federal District has only limited autonomy with a local Congress...
of Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
. Battered by the wind and waves, they are largely infertile and uninhabited except for a small military detachment and a few lighthouse keepers. The islands lie between 25.6 and 32 kilometers south of the entrance to San Diego bay, but only 13.6 kilometers from the Mexican mainland.
The Coronado Islands
The Coronado Islands are a Mexican wildlife refuge; visitors may anchor, scuba and snorkel, but trips ashore are not allowed.- North Coronado has no bay but boats can anchor on a jetty on the eastern side.
- Location: 32°26.45′N 117°17.85′W
- Size: 460,000 m² (113.66 acres, 0.18 sq miles)
- Height: 153 m
- Length: 800 m
- Pilón de Azúcar (Pile of Sugar) is very hard to land on. It has little vegetation but there is a flock of birds that rest here.
- Location: 32°25.45′N 117°15.75′W
- Size: 70,000 m² (17.3 acres, 0.03 sq miles)
- Height: 33 m
- Central Coronado has a rocky peak with a heap of cactusCactusA cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...
and scrubs near the summit.- Location: 32°25.05′N 117°15.63′W
- Size: 140,000 m² (34.6 acres, 0.05 sq miles)
- Height: 32 m
- South Coronado has the only bay of the islands, called 'Puerto Cueva'. It has a lighthouse on each extreme.
- Location: 32°24.5′N 117°14.75′W
- Size: 1.83 km² (452.2 acres, 0.71 sq miles)
- Height: 220 m
- Length: 3,200 m
- Width: 800 m
History
The Coronado Islands are part of the municipality of TijuanaMunicipality of Tijuana
Tijuana Municipality is a municipality in the Mexican state of Baja California. Its municipal seat is located in the city of Tijuana. According to the 2010 census, the municipality had a population of 1,559,683 inhabitants, of whom 1,300,983, or 83.4%, lived in the city of Tijuana...
, Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, as ruled in the books of the Baja Californian Government, published on December 20, 1959:
Article 7 - the state of Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
is divided and understood as the following municipalities .... Tijuana.
c) The Municipality of Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
is made up of ..... in addition; The Coronado Islands correspond to the jurisdiction of the Municipality of Tijuana, which lie on the extremes of the municipality to the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
In September 1542 Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was a Portuguese explorer noted for his exploration of the west coast of North America on behalf of Spain. Cabrillo was the first European explorer to navigate the coast of present day California in the United States...
described them as islas desiertas (desert islands). In 1602 the priest for Sebastián Vizcaíno
Sebastián Vizcaíno
Sebastián Vizcaíno was a Spanish soldier, entrepreneur, explorer, and diplomat whose varied roles took him to New Spain, the Philippines, the Baja California peninsula, the California coast and Japan.-Early career:...
called them Los Cuatro Coronados (the four crowns) to honour four martyrs. Although they have been called a dozen other names (later fisherman upon seeing floating coffins, ghostly faces and shrouded bodies amid the rocks dubbed them: Old Stone Face, The Sarcophagi, Dead Man's Island, and Corpus Christi) they also have also been provocatively called The Sentries of San Diego Bay even though they belong to Mexico.
In the 1920s and 1930s, during Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
, the cove on the Northeast side of South Coronado Island was used as a meeting place for alcohol smugglers. Since it was the time before radar, and as foggy nights are common, the large number of boats frequently resulted in collisions. There was so much traffic that a famous casino flourished there until well into the Depression. Only the stone foundation remains though the name Smugglers Cove, and more rarely Casino Cove, adorn modern maps.
In May 1943 the U.S. Navy's USS PC-815
USS PC-815
USS PC-815 was a built for the United States Navy during World War II. It was commanded by L. Ron Hubbard, who later became the founder of Scientology. PC-815s short career led to the vessel being dubbed the "jinxed sub-chaser".- Construction :...
, commanded by L. Ron Hubbard, conducted unauthorized gunnery exercises involving the shelling of the Coronado Islands, in the belief they were uninhabited and belonged to the United States. Unfortunately for Hubbard, the islands belonged to Mexico and were occupied by the Mexican Coast Guard. The Mexican government complained and Hubbard was relieved of command.
Currently, the islands are used by human traffickers for hiding migrants on the deserted islands when smugglers are worried about getting caught by the Coast Guard or when the weather is bad and they are not able to reach their destination. Frequently, the people are left on the island for days.
Flora and fauna
On the North and South Coronados there are Sea DahliasCoreopsis maritima
Coreopsis maritima is a plant species of the genus Coreopsis in Asteraceae. Coreopsis species are commonly called tickseeds. This species is a perennial that grows 10–40 cm tall but sometimes to 80 cm...
, various species of cactus
Cactus
A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...
, Wild Cucumber
Marah macrocarpus
Marah macrocarpus, the Cucamonga Manroot or Bigroot, is the common manroot of most of Southern California and Baja California.-Foliage:...
and Houseleek
Dudleya
Dudleya is a genus of succulent perennials, consisting of about 45 species in southwest North America.Many plants in the Dudleya genus were formerly classified as Echeveria....
.
There are colonies of birds that nest on the islands and can be spotted in the nearby waters like gull
Gull
Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...
s, pelican
Pelican
A pelican, derived from the Greek word πελεκυς pelekys is a large water bird with a large throat pouch, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae....
s, petrel
Petrel
Petrels are tube-nosed seabirds in the bird order Procellariiformes. The common name does not indicate relationship beyond that point, as "petrels" occur in three of the four families within that group...
s, and sea ducks. The Coronado Islands have the largest known colony of the rare Xantus's Murrelet
Xantus's Murrelet
Xantus's Murrelet is a small seabird found in the California Current system in the Pacific Ocean. This auk breeds on islands off California and Mexico...
.
Ten species of reptiles and amphibians are also found in the islands. The best known is the Coronado rattlesnake
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnakes are a group of venomous snakes of the genera Crotalus and Sistrurus of the subfamily Crotalinae . There are 32 known species of rattlesnake, with between 65-70 subspecies, all native to the Americas, ranging from southern Alberta and southern British Columbia in Canada to Central...
(Crotalus oreganus caliginis
Crotalus oreganus caliginis
Crotalus oreganus caliginis is a venomous pitviper subspecies endemic to South Coronado Island, Mexico.-Geographic range:Known only from the type locality, given as "South Coronado Island, off the northwest coast of Baja California, Mexico."...
), which is a smaller subspecies than the one found on the mainland. There is also the Coronado snake, which feeds off birds' eggs, the Coronado lizard, which is found in all four islands, and the tree salamanders which live on the three biggest islands. Plated lizards are found on the south and central islands.
There are two types of mammals in the islands: rabbits and mice. How they reached the islands is currently unknown.
Sea mammals are plentiful and it is not uncommon to see groups of sea lions, seals
Pinniped
Pinnipeds or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semiaquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobenidae , Otariidae , and Phocidae .-Overview: Pinnipeds are typically sleek-bodied and barrel-shaped...
and sea otter
Sea Otter
The sea otter is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between 14 and 45 kg , making them the heaviest members of the weasel family, but among the smallest marine mammals...
s.
Middle Island is home to small colony of elephant seal
Elephant seal
Elephant seals are large, oceangoing seals in the genus Mirounga. There are two species: the northern elephant seal and the southern elephant seal . Both were hunted to the brink of extinction by the end of the 19th century, but numbers have since recovered...
s.
External links
- Islas Coronado Mexico Photo Gallery
- Vegetation and Flora of Islas Los Coronados, Baja California, Mexico
- This links links to a news article about the use of one of the islands as a waypoint for illegal migration to the United States. November 2010 http://www.10news.com/news/25680019/detail.html