Hotel California - The Building and the Legend

Photo: Legion007k, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

A stop on Todos Santos: Pueblo Magico Walk, a free self-guided tour.

This is the building that brings many visitors to Todos Santos, and the legend comes first. For years people have claimed it inspired a famous 1970s rock song of the same name. The band never confirmed it, and when they took the hotel to court over the name in 2017, the case was settled, the hotel kept its name and it denies any link to the song.

The real story is a good one too. Family accounts say a Chinese immigrant, Antonio Wong, began building the hotel in 1947 and opened it around 1950. He took the name Antonio Tabasco, though townspeople still called him El Chino. He is remembered for hauling ice from La Paz so his bar could serve cold beer.

You can admire the arched facade from the sidewalk; it is a private business, so step inside only as a guest or customer.

Getting here: From the church, walk a block south along Calle Benito Juarez; the hotel's arched front is on the street.

Did you know?: The band filed its trademark suit in a U.S. federal court in 2017, and the two sides settled the following year.

Photo op: Cross to the far side of Calle Juarez to fit the arched front and its sign into one frame.

Hotel California - The Building and the Legend

Stops on this tour