Espíritu Santo

“This is what Mexico has done for years,” said Josue Leal, who runs a migrant shelter in southern Mexico called Oasis De Paz del Espíritu Santo Amparito.

The next day, I drive 90 minutes northeast toward the coastal city of La Paz, the region’s capital on the Sea of Cortez, and set off with the team of Todos Santos Eco Adventures on an hour-long boat ride to Camp Cecil, a tented camp on the island of Espíritu Santo, characterized by its towering cliffs, sandy bays, and swirling lava formations formed millions of years ago.

To chronicle a tax haven called “The Republic of Vemerana”— which existed for a few months in 1980 on the island of Espiritu Santo — he begins with a cinematic flourish:

On Isla Espíritu Santo, we dodged jellyfish on a morning snorkel and spent the afternoon walking the long, curving beach, eyes on the ground.

In Los Cabos International Airport, I detected a small lump in a back pocket: a stowaway, from our hunt for shells and coral on Isla Espíritu Santo.