From c. 100 B.C. to A.D. 1300, the Sierra de San Francisco was home to a people who have now disappeared but who left one of the most outstanding collections of rock paintings in the world. They are remarkably well-preserved because of the dry climate and the inaccessibility of the site. Showing human and animal figures and illustrating the relationship between humans and their environment.

Located in the central part of the peninsula of Baja California, the sanctuary contains some exceptionally interesting ecosystems. The coastal lagoons of Ojo de Liebre and San Ignacio are important reproduction and wintering sites for the grey whale, harbour seal, California sea lion, northern elephant-seal and blue whale. The lagoons are also home to four species of the endangered marine turtle.

The site comprises 244 islands, islets and coastal areas that are located in the Gulf of California in north-eastern Mexico. The site is home to 695 plant species and 891 of fish; has a striking natural beauty in a dramatic setting formed by rugged islands with high cliffs and sandy beaches, which contrast with the brilliant reflection from the desert and the surrounding turquoise waters.

The area has some of the richest and most ancient cave paintings in the world. Dating back 8,800 years, these prehistoric paintings are in gullies, ravines and caves. They are remarkable for their size, quality and condition. The cave paintings were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

An important religious and mission complex in Baja California, it is one of eighteen established by the Mexican Province of the Company of Jesus, to teach, evangelize and protect the ethnic groups in the region from sins. This lasted until all Jesuits were expelled from the Spanish empire in 1767 on the order of Charles III. Its collection focuses on the missionaries and their pupils.

This town offers a fabulous example of urban structure together with original buildings that emerged from the fusion of local and European elements, granting them a unique character.

A modern building houses some thousand-year old remains of human life in the state. The museum shows the geology of the peninsula, fossils, its unique natural environment, the life of early settlers and their extraordinary cave paintings, the Jesuit Missions, and ethnology.