History of San Felipe Mexico.

Originally named Santa Catalina by Hernando de Alarcón and Domingo Castillo who created the first recorded map of the area in 1535 and 1536. With little or no activity in the area it lay dormant from activity until 1721 when Father Eusebio Kino explored the area. Father Ferdinand Konšcak arrived twenty-five years later and formally named the bay San Felipe de Jes ús.

In the late 1700s it was designated a port with ships venturing in and out. At the same time a land route between San Felipe and Ensenada was established to enhance transport in the area. Travel by land or sea was slow and the port saw little activity.

In the early 1900s local fisherman camped in the area and harvested limited amounts of fish and shrimp. Enough to establish the area as home. The Mexican government took interest in 1925 and during the administration of General Abelardo L. Rodríguez, territorial governor, San Felipe began the process of incorporating with a skeleton structure of governing entities. Fish camps were established and the government organized the first sub-delegation and school. Appointed sub-delegate Octavio Vega Ruiz was charged with organized growth during his administration from 1926 to 1942.

Sea transportation of both people and cargo helped San Felipe establish as a township. In the late 1920s, San Felipe was a growing community nearly 100 residents. By 1940 the census report documented 287 inhabitants.

In 1947 plans were under way to build an international tourist center in San Felipe. Between 1948 and 1951 the Mexicali-San Felipe highway was built. This gave American travelers easy access to the quaint fishing village of San Felipe. This additional traffic paved the way for hotels and tourist activities. The 1960s brought electricity and running water to the town and the tourist traffic continued to grow. The 1970s saw infrastructure of the city government develop plus a sewer system and the fishing village grew into a town. Bars, restaurants, gas stations, boat anchorage, and the marina, and other tourist-related business opened to meet the demands of American travelers.

During the thirty-year span of time from the 1940s to the late 1970s many hotels opened. Including Hotel Augies, Villa del Mar, Trucha Vagabunda, Las Palmas Inn, motel El Cortés, Hotel Riviera, El Pescador, Arnold's del Mar and Arco Iris. During the early 1980s to the early 1990s the first four-star hotel, the Playas de San Felipe, and then the Fiesta Hotel, the La Hacienda and the Marina Resort and Spa were constructed to meet travelers demand.

Tourism is the primary source of income for the San Felipe area. Real estate sales are growing and with it the home construction industry. Shrimping and commercial fishing still contribute to the local economy, but on a much smaller scale. In the early part of the 2oth century fishing was the primary source of income for the area.