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Author: Sealtiel Enciso Pérez
On a sunny morning of February 22, 1983, two large Mexican navy ships, the "Zamora" and the "Ocampo," arrived at the bay of La Paz with the primary mission of safeguarding the integrity of two distinguished visitors from Europe, specifically from the United Kingdom, who were on a courtesy and research visit to our port. These guests were Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, officially known as Queen Elizabeth II, and her consort, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Both were traveling on the royal ship named "Britannia."
For several days, the royal couple had been on a diplomatic trip along our coasts, combining it with the pleasure of rest and stress-free life at sea. They had just visited the beaches of Acapulco, Lázaro Cárdenas, and Puerto Vallarta. However, the most important point of visit for the Queen was our city, as confirmed by people who accompanied the welcoming committee.
Elizabeth II and her husband Philip were transported from the royal ship to the tourist pier, disembarking at 10:30 a.m. It should be noted that the day before the visit, the pier was restored by changing the woods and placing a floating platform at its end. The welcoming committee was led by the then-governor of our state, Alberto Alvarado Arámburo, and his wife María Teresa Soto. On that day, from early hours, a radio call was made to all citizens of La Paz to attend en masse to the esplanade of the Malecon Kiosk and welcome these distinguished visitors. Even special permission was granted to secondary and high school students to attend this event.
Immediately after the exchange of courtesy greetings, the Governor invited Queen Elizabeth II to unveil a plaque commemorating her visit to this city, and at the same time, the site where she had just disembarked was named "Muelle de la Reina" (Queen's Pier). The plaque remained in place for 30 years, but unfortunately, during maintenance work on the Malecon Kiosk esplanade, it is suspected that workers from the concessioned company improperly removed the plaque without its whereabouts known until now.
Next, the visitors were taken to the centuries-old Cathedral of Our Lady of La Paz - Airapí, so that they could firsthand experience this beautiful site and delight in its architecture and exhibited works. Later, the officials moved to the Presidential House of El Caimancito, where they offered a banquet with delicious dishes from Baja California Sur. An emotional moment occurred when the Queen was presented with a handicraft depicting the royal coat of arms made of shells. As a gesture of appreciation, the honoree promised to place this gift in a special place within the royal ship. The artisan responsible for making this gift was Mr. Vicente Moreno, a well-known local artist.
After the meal, the guests said goodbye to all the kind people who had served them so splendidly, especially Governor Alvarado Arámburo and his distinguished wife. They were taken back to the dock where the boat that took them to the "Britannia" was waiting for them.
The journey of the kings and queens of England continued through our lands of Southern California until the next day when they visited Laguna Ojo de Liebre, where they could observe the wonderful gray whales that come to visit us every year. Years later, the Queen would tell one of the presidents of Mexico who visited her country that in that place she "almost touched the whales."
When I began the narrative, I mentioned that the monarchs also came on an investigative visit. Queen Elizabeth II, in fact, possesses a crown that was bequeathed by her great-grandfather Edward VII, in which an enormous and extremely valuable pearl is set. This pearl was found inside a mother-of-pearl shell on Espíritu Santo Island. The Queen's ship, before arriving at the Bay of La Paz, passed by Cerralvo and Espíritu Santo Islands, where she could appreciate the sites where, 100 years earlier, the mother-of-pearl and its valuable product were extracted, and from where the treasure that now forms part of her abundant fortune was obtained.
The origin of the pearl in question is related as follows: In the year 1883, the divers Juan Vacaseque Calderón and Antonio Cervera, both workers of the shipping company "González y Ruffo, S.A." extracted from a nearby extraction site to the Espiritu Santo Island, a pearl the size of "a regular lemon", of unique beauty and extraordinary luster. When it was delivered to the owners of the company, they named it "Carmenaida", in honor of Mrs. Carmen and Adelaida Ruffo Santa Cruz. It is said that for several years it was displayed in the shop window of "Ruffo Hermanos" for the delight of the inhabitants of this city as well as visitors.
During one of the constant trips of Mr. Antonio Ruffo Santa Cruz to the city of San Francisco in the U.S., he showed the pearl to the ambassador of the United Kingdom in that country, Sir Anthony Fein, who was highly impressed by the beauty of that jewel. He tried unsuccessfully to buy it from Mr. Ruffo Santa Cruz, who in an act of great generosity decided to give it to King Edward VII through his ambassador. According to the story, the crown that Queen Elizabeth II currently wears has the aforementioned pearl set in its front, which was renamed as the "Great Lemon".
And so, this wonderful journey ended where the Queen was able to satisfy her curiosity and learn the origin of that beautiful pearl she wears in her crown, but even better, she was able to know and obtain firsthand the affection, kindness, and respect of the Sudcalifornian people who opened their hearts wide to her.
Bibliography:
elsudcaliforniano.com.mx
californax.com
noticiaslapaz.com
colectivopericu.net
peninsulardigital.com
navegantecalifornio.wordpress.com
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