Key Concepts and Literary Terms

People living on tiny islands will often think that five miles is quite far to drive.

People who live in extremely rainy climates will practically call a holiday when the sun comes out.

John Steinbeck (The Ma-an!)

1902-1968

Great American writer who’s work is often set in California, where he was from. Steinbeck won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath (1939). He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. His writing is noted for exemplifiying “a sympathetic humor and a keen social perception.”

1535—Hernando Cortez starts a small colony in La Paz (he called it Santa Cruz, not La Paz)…but it fails shortly after.

At the end of the 16th century, Spaniards “discovered” La Paz (Peace) and settled there.

Before this, the area had been inhabited only by natives for thousands of years.

The first missions were built in the 1700’s

Because of the unique geographic location of La Paz, it is the only place in the world that experiences the Corumuel winds. The Corumuel winds occurs regularly starting in the early or late afternoon and wafts throughout the night until early in the mornings.

This unique phenomenon happens because the cool air coming from the Pacific Ocean is drawn towards the relatively warmer atmosphere hanging above the Sea of Cortez. Unlike other parts of the Baja California Peninsula that has large mountain ranges, the area of La Paz has no major mountains to keep the winds from the Pacific Ocean from flowing past its deserts and beaches. http://www.lapaz.com.mx/geography

This could create some interesting Cultural Geography…