Starbucks Los Cabos mug: Discovery Series

What's on the mug

1. 1
   LOS CABOS

   The words LOS CABOS in orange capitals on a large dark green circle, the centre of the front design.

2. 2
   Arch of Cabo San Lucas (El Arco)

   An orange rocky headland with dark crack lines, a small arch opening at its left end and a long low ridge running out to sea. That arch at the end of a rocky point matches the granite arch at the southern tip of Cabo San Lucas, known locally as El Arco or Land's End. The mug doesn't name it.^[1]

3. 3
   Two-deck tour boat

   A red-brown boat with two decks of railings and a small cabin at the stern, sailing below the rock headland. The type of boat is not clear from the drawing.

4. 4
   Humpback whales breaching

   Two blue whales leap from the water below the green circle, a large one with pale throat grooves and a long white flipper and a smaller one behind it. The long flippers match the humpback whale, which visits the Los Cabos coast in winter. The mug doesn't name the species.^[2][3]

5. 5
   Billfish, probably a sailfish

   A blue fish with a long spear bill leaps above the letters. It looks like a sailfish: its tall striped dorsal fin runs from just behind the head to past the middle of the back, taller than the body is deep, the way a sailfish's sail stretches along the back, while a marlin's fin is high only at the front. Billfish are a Cabo theme: Cabo San Lucas hosts a big marlin tournament. The mug doesn't name the fish.^[9][4]

6. 6
   Snorkeler with mask and fins

   A swimmer with long red hair, a mask and snorkel swims face down across the top of the front; the pale blue legs and orange fins continue at the top right of the Side photo. It is the same figure in both views.

7. 7
   Orange tropical flower

   A large orange five-petalled flower with blue, purple and pink leaves, near the handle at the top right of the front. The species is not clear from the drawing.

8. 8
   Tacos with a citrus slice

   Folded tacos with orange shells and a pink one, filled with coloured toppings, with a citrus slice below, blue and white with an orange rind. They may be fish tacos, which come from Baja California, but the filling is not identifiable.^[5]

9. 9
   Surfer on a breaking wave Side view

   A surfer in a dark top and orange trousers rides under a large curling wave drawn in grey, blue and red bands. Below runs a strip of beach with palm trees. The beach is not named on the mug.

10. 10
    School of fish in blue water swirls Side view

    Dozens of small orange and blue fish swirl between long blue and dark blue water strokes to the right of the wave. The fish are not a named species.

11. 11
    STARBUCKS Back view

    The STARBUCKS wordmark printed vertically in black beside the handle on the back.

12. 12
    Bougainvillea Back view

    A branch of red and orange papery bracts in clusters, each with tiny white flowers at the centre, on blue-grey leaves. Coloured bracts around small white flowers are the mark of bougainvillea. The mug doesn't name it.^[6]

13. 13
    Dark blue rock spire Back view

    A tall jagged column in dark and light blue with red specks, standing on orange sand strokes; to its right a small figure dives head first. The rock is not identifiable from the drawing.

14. 14
    Papel picado banners Back view

    Five strings of small upright rectangular flags in red, maroon, navy and light blue, each with white cut-out patterns, hang across the sky above the buildings. Strung cut-paper flags like these are papel picado, the Mexican street decoration.^[7]

15. 15
    Row of colonial-style houses on a brick-paved square Back view

    A row of low red and orange houses with tall yellow-framed windows and doors, behind an orange brick pavement. The same facades show at the left edge of the Side photo. The mug doesn't say which town or street this is.

16. 16
    Camel ride Back view

    An orange camel with a striped saddle blanket and a rider dressed in blue, beside a fringed red blanket on the sand with two tiny figures on it. Camel rides on the beach are sold as a Los Cabos tour. The rider also shows at the left edge of the Side photo.^[8]

The photos do not show the bottom of the mug or most of the inside; only the blue glaze at the rim shows. The strip of art just right of the tacos on the front runs behind the handle and is only partly seen.

Collector notes

• The mug is printed LOS CABOS, not Cabo San Lucas, so search listings under both names and check for the orange LOS CABOS lettering on a green circle on the front.
• The inside is glazed blue (seen at the rim in the Side and Back photos) and STARBUCKS runs vertically beside the handle on the back; both are quick checks against a seller's photos.
• The box lid above the mug in the Front photo reads SÉRIE DISCOVER(Y), cut off at the edge; the box is packaging, and these photos do not show the base stamp, so they do not settle any markings underneath.

Other Los Cabos mugs

Different series, different mugs. Check the series name before you buy.

About the Discovery Series

• Discovery Series vs Been There Series: the differences
• How to display and store a Starbucks mug collection
• Where the hidden cup is on each Discovery Series mug
• Starbucks Discovery Series mugs list