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THE HISTORY

Come and experience the rich history and breathtaking scenery of Santo Tomás

AN AUTHENTIC BEACHFRONT COMMUNITY

The beautiful legacy, vision, and community known as Santo Tomás began over 58 years ago with a handsome young couple named Paulina and Bob. They had a dream to build a ranch and farming community along the breathtaking coasts of the Sea of Cortez. In the early 1960’s, Paulina’s father, Francisco was awarded some colonization (land) rights by the Mexican Government because of his participation in the Mexican Revolution of 1910.  As Francisco and his daughter Paulina considered their options, they thought the land grant would be good ranching land in an area known as El Tigre, but as that option did not work out, Paulina and Bob felt drawn to the ocean and found a nice property in the area of Desemborque (the delta) where the Rio Acencion enters the Sea of Cortez.

In 1964 the family finally received the title for the land. Not only was the land a rich part of the Sonoran Desert surrounded by good ranch and agricultural lands, but it included miles of pristine beachfront property.  At the time, the couple had two young children and they wanted to name their property after their daughter. As they struggled to find a name that felt just right, Grandfather Francisco suggested that they name the land after their three-year-old son Thomas, and so the land of Santo Tomás was officially born.  They worked hard to make their dream a reality and soon there was 50 head of cattle, a well, a ranch house, and a windmill. Sadly, the husband died at an early age, but Paullina knew she must continue to build their dream. She envisioned the creation of an entire community that would be fun and safe for families from all around to come and enjoy the beauty and serenity of the ocean. Paulina worked hard and in 1971 she invested some money and put in a road over the dunes to the beach. She put in a new well, some ramadas on the beach, and a small country store and restaurant, as well as six cabins, which unfortunately are gone now. As Paulina got older, and in spite of her valiant improvements, the community and business began to fizzle out by 1978.

As young Thomas grew up, he remembered his amazing summers and his magical time spent on the beaches of Santo Tomás.  He would ride horses out into the ocean and all along the beaches and sand dunes. There was something special about this place, and Thomas knew deep inside that he must carry on the dream and adventure his parents had started. Tom found and married a wonderful young woman and they spent their first year of marriage in Santo Tomás and Caborca where much of her family lived. During the 1980’s and early 90’s, Thomas took over the maintenance responsibilities for his mother Paulina and became the chief caretaker of Santo Tomás along with his wife and sister, Yvonne. Thomas worked hard in the United States and in Mexico; he fine-tuned his international skills and reached professional success as an operations executive with various companies in the electronics component manufacturing industry.  As he became successful, Tom began to feel drawn again to invest his money and time into building the dream community of Santo Tomás. In 1996, he was able to retire from the corporate world and dive into his dream of developing Santo Tomás. Tom partnered with his sister, Yvonne, and family friends, Doug and Chris, and they went to work.  By 2002, they had built new roads, ran first class electrical lines, and developed a new water system. Things began to take off.  Tom lobbied the Mexican government entities and worked with the Arizona Mexico Commission, and Santo Tomás was included in the Free Trade Zone, greatly simplifying travel to the area. The expansion of the Coastal highway is the finishing touch, greatly improving accessibility to Santo Tomás. The coastal highways were put in which finally connected them to Rocky Point.

As Tom and his partners created and then implemented the master plan for this community, it has become like a beautiful sculpture which continues to unfold naturally and majestically like a masterpiece work of art. Great care has been taken to retain the magical virtues of Santo Tomás that Tom and Yvonne remember from their childhood. It has been preserved as a peaceful place where individuals and families can find a true refuge from the hustle and bustle of life and where they can connect with each other and even with the divine. We invite you to come to visit, create, and build.  Become part of the family dream, and make it your own.