Tijuana
Tijuana
Ciudad de Tijuana | |
|---|---|
| view of Zona Río view of Zona Río | |
| Motto(s): Aquí empieza la patria, "The Homeland Starts Here". The government translates the phrase as "Gateway to Mexico" | |
 Location of Tijuana in Baja California | |
| Country | Mexico |
| State | Baja California |
| Founded | July 11, 1889 |
| Government | |
| • Municipal president | Kurt Honold (PRI) |
| Area | |
| • City | 637 km2 (246 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 20 m (65 ft) |
| Population (2005) | |
| • City | 1,286,187 |
| • Density | 2,212/km2 (5,730/sq mi) |
| • Metro | Incl. San Diego: 4,922,723 |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific Standard Time) |
| Website | http://www.tijuana.gob.mx |
| 1 INEGI, Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México | |
Tijuana (Spanish [ti'xwana], English usually [ˌtiːəˈwɑnə]), is the largest city in the Mexican state of Baja California and the seat of the municipality of Tijuana. As of February 20, 2007 the current president of the surrounding municipality is businessman Kurt Honold of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).
Tijuana is the westernmost city in Latin America as well as the third northernmost (The state capital, Mexicali, and Tecate are farther north). The city is situated on the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to San Diego County, California, United States to the north.
The city's motto is "Aquí Empieza La Patria". The Mexican government's English translation is "Gateway to Mexico," though the motto's literal English translation is "The Homeland Starts Here."
History
The city of Tijuana is situated in a region once inhabited by the Kumeyaay Indians, a tribe of Yuman-speaking hunter-gatherers. Europeans first arrived in 1542, when the Portuguese explorer João Rodrigues Cabrilho toured the coastline of the area, which was later mapped in 1602 by Sebastián Vizcaíno. In 1769, Father Juan Crespí documented more detailed information about the area that would one day be called the Valley of Tijuana and Father Junípero Serra founded the first mission of Alta California in San Diego.
More settlement of the area took place near the end of the mission era when José María Echendía, governor of the Baja California and Alta California, awarded a large land grant to Santiago Argüello in 1829. This large cattle ranch, Rancho Tía Juana ("Aunt Jane Ranch"), covered 100 km².
In 1848, as a result of the Mexican-American War with the United States, Mexico lost all of Alta California. Tijuana acquired a new and distinct character and purpose on the international border. The city began to shed its cattle ranching origins and began to play in a new role, forming a socio-economic structure for the city.
The year 1889 marked the beginning of the urban settlement, when descendants of Santiago Argüello and Agustín Olvera entered an agreement to begin development of the city of Tijuana. The agreement was dated July 11 of that year. Decades later, during the second Symposium of History held in 1975, this date was recognized as the date the city was founded.
Tijuana saw its future in tourism from its inception. From the end of the 19th century to the first decades of the 20th, the city attracted large numbers of Californians crossing over the border, coming to Mexico for trade and entertainment.
During the Mexican Revolution, Tijuana was also a small stage for revolutionaries loyal to Ricardo Flores Magón, who took over the city in 1911. Shortly, thereafter, federal troops arrived and routed the rebels. Being so close to the action, San Diegans could watch the battle from the safety of the international border.
In 1915, the Panama-California Exposition brought a great number of visitors to the neighboring Californian city to the north. Tijuana took the opportunity to attract these tourists to the other side of the border with Feria Típica Mexicana. The fair included curio shops, regional foods, thermal baths, horse racing and boxing matches. With this event, the city became universally known as a tourist destination.
The 1920s changed Tijuana forever when the enactment of prohibition in the US sent droves of US nationals across the border to partake in legal drinking and gambling. Large and impressive casinos opened, like Agua Caliente in Tijuana. Caesar Cardini, commonly credited for creating Caesar Salad, ran some restaurants in the city during this period, for instance in nowadays Hotel Caesar's (also called Caesar's Palace) on the main street, now renowned Avenida Revolucion.
The international events of the following years had profound repercussions on the city. Tourism increased significantly as innumerable US Citizens came to Tijuana to enjoy the nightlife. In addition, the large number of Mexican citizens from all over the country began to relocate to Tijuana, tripling the population. Between 1940 and 1950 the city grew from 21,971 to 65,364 inhabitants.
In the 1950s, when nightlife and tourism began to decline, the city started to restructure its tourist industry, by promoting a more family oriented scene. Tijuana began to develop a greater variety of attractions and activities to offer its visitors.
In 1994, PRI presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio was assassinated in Tijuana while making an appearance in the plaza of Lomas Taurinas, a neighborhood nestled in a valley near Centro. The shooter was caught and imprisoned, but doubts remain about who the mastermind might have been.
Today, the Tijuana-San Ysidro border crossing is the most crossed international land border in the world. Although tourism constitutes a large part of this movement, Tijuana and its surrounding area has become a major player in NAFTA with new maquiladoras and industrial plants.
Etymology
In early documents — primarily mission records (baptisms, marriages, deaths) — there are mentions of "La Tia Juana", "Tiguana", "Tiuana", "Teguana", "Tiwana", "Tijuan", "Ticuan", "Tijuana". It is believed by some that name comes from the Yuman Indian language from the aboriginal Kumeyaay (Kumiai) inhabitants. They spoke a Yuman language, in which some have claimed "Tijuana" originated from "Tiwan", meaning close to the sea. Others say this is not certain, that there is no such word in Kumayaay, and that the name cames from another location of similar appearance (and name) in the south of the peninsula, and the name was brought north by Spanish and Mexican soldiers and mule-drivers.
The people of the city believe in another "foundation myth" — that in the beginning there was an old Indian woman, "tia Juana" (aunt Jane), who provided travelers with good food and a place to rest. In spite of scholarly denunciation, this story continues to be very popular with the residents of the city. It has particular resonance in a town known for its hospitality.
The proper pronunciation is "Tee-who-ana" since the Spanish "j" sounds similar to an English "h" and "u" to the English sound "oo." Nevertheless, many US tourists pronounce the name of the city Tia wanna. It is commonly called "TJ" in California and "Tiyei" (matching the sound of the English initials "TJ") in Spanglish or "Tijuas". Mexicans typically refer to themselves as "Tijuanenses."
Geography
Tijuana is at 32°31′N 117°01′W / 32.517°N 117.017°W. This U.S.-Mexico border city is just south of San Diego, California. The adjacent city and former borough of Tijuana is Playas de Rosarito. The municipality of Tijuana is divided into administrative boroughs (delegaciones, in Spanish) of which the city of Tijuana occupies nine, which are in turn divided into colonias. These boroughs offer administrative services such as urban planning, civil registry, inspection, verification, public works and community development and are served by a delegado.
The boroughs are:
- Centenario — This is the borough with the largest number of factories and maquiladoras. Its largest colony is Ciudad Industrial ("Industrial City"). Three of the city's most important streets, Boulevard Bellas Artes, Boulevard Industrial and Tijuana-Tecate Highway, are located here.
- Zona Río — This is the historical midpoint of Tijuana; the municipal palace is located here as well as most of the tourist zones, such as Avenida Revolución and the business district. The Tijuana Cultural Center (CECUT) is located here as well as the Plaza Río Tijuana, until recently the largest mall in the state.
- Cerro Colorado — The Cerro Colorado ("Red Hill") is located here and it is surrounded by houses. Because of its height many of the area's antennae for radio and television stations are located on its peak.
- La Mesa — This is the where the Morelos Park, the largest public park in the city, is located, as well as the Plaza Mundo Divertido, the new Macroplaza and the CETYS University.
- Mesa de Otay — In this borough sits the Tijuana International Airport as well as the Otay Mesa entry to the United States. The Tijuana campus of the Autonomous University of Baja California and the Friendship Park are also located here as well as many maquiladoras.
- Playas de Tijuana — This is the westernmost borough of the city bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west and the United States border on the north. This is where the beaches of Tijuana are located (hence the name) and it is also one of the two exits to the south towards Rosarito and Ensenada.
- La Presa — This is the largest borough in size and the Abelardo L. Rodriguez Dam is located within its limits, hence its name ("Presa" translates as "Dam" in English). The new Corredor Tijuana 2000 s and the Tijuana-Tecate free road run through it.
- San Antonio de los Buenos — This is mostly a residential area although it also has two industrial parks.
- Sanchez Taboada — Like the previous borough this is mostly a residential area.
Rosarito was a delegation of Tijuana until it became its own municipality in 1995.
Tijuana River
The Tijuana River (Río Tijuana) is an intermittent river, 195 km (121 mi) long, on the Pacific coast of northern Baja California in Mexico and southern California in the United States. It drains an arid area along the U.S.–Mexico border, flowing through Mexico for most its course then crossing the border for its lower 8 km (5 mi) to empty into the ocean in an estuary on the southwesternmost corner of the United States. Its lower reaches provide the last undeveloped coast wetlands in San Diego County amidst a highly urbanized environment at the southern city limits of Imperial Beach. The river has been the subject of controversy in recent decades regarding pollution, flood control, and U.S. border protection.
Demographics
Because of its vast area and diverse population, Tijuana's population counts are contested, and the locals lack proper information. According to the Conteo de Población y Vivienda 2005, Tijuana had 1,286,187 inhabitants (the municipality had 1,410,700). The metropolitan area also include the municipality of Playas de Rosarito and had a population of 1,484,005. CONAPO estimates that as of 2007 Tijuana has a population of 1,490,111 and the metropolitan area 1,667,501. The San Diego-Tijuana metropolitan area has an estimated population of 4,922,723, making it the 21th largest metropolitan area of the Americas. There is a third term, the Greater Tijuana, which includes the metropolitan and conurbated areas of Playas de Rosarito and Tecate, and huge floating population, that in total are more than 3,000,000 people, raising the total for the San Diego-Tijuana metropolitan area to 6,000,000 people.
Tijuana has a large, rapidly growing population of US citizens, estimated at 50,000. [1] This is due to Tijuana's proximity to San Diego and its lower cost of living compared to San Diego. Tijuana also has large Central American and Asian populations.
Culture
The Tijuana Cultural Center (CECUT) is composed of a theater, lecture rooms, video rooms, a library, an exhibition hall, Museum of the Californias, a futuristic planetary movie theater that displays IMAX films, and a restaurant. Since 1992, the CECUT has hosted the Orchestra of Baja California (OBC), it headquarters the Center of Scenic Arts of the Northwest (CAEN) and the Hispanic-American Center for Guitar (CHG). Since 2001, the CECUT receives about a million visitors per year, making it Baja California's most important cultural center. Another important culture center is La Casa de la Cultura, comprising of a school, a theater, and a public library. Dance, painting, music, plastic arts, photography and languages are taught there. The city also has the Instituto Municipal de Arte y Cultura (Municipal Institute of Art and Culture), the Tijuana Wax Museum, and the Museo El Trompo (The Trompo Museum).
Tijuana also has a very active and independent artist community whose internationally recognized work has earned Tijuana the title of "one of the most important new cultural meccas", according to Newsweek. Strange New World, an exhibition of Tijuana's current art scene, is being curated by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and is traveling across the USA in 2006 and 2007[1]. Art collectives like bulbo and film production like palenque filmaciones explore the use of film like the award winning Tijuana Makes Me Happy, media like television bulbo TV and print "bulbo PRESS", to show different realities of Tijuana out of Mexico. The music of The Nortec Collective and other electronic music artists, such as Murcof, have placed Tijuana in the international eye of specialized magazines and forums in recent years.
Entertainment
Tijuana's most prestigious entertainment center is the Club Campestre de Tijuana, but the Agua Caliente Racetrack would be the most notable that is open to the general public. Parque Morelos has a small zoo and park space; Parque de la Amistad has a small pond, and a running and dirt-bike track. Parque Teniente Guerrero is a small park located downtown with a public library and weekend entertainment by clowns.
The most popular tourist attraction is Avenida Revolución. Many foreigners travel there to drink and dance, buy prescription drugs, bootleg brand-name clothing and accessories as well as local curiosities. There are many night clubs, including several gay clubs but locals and regular tourists avoid touristic hassle over at the clubs at Plaza Fiesta or other areas of the Zona Río without the sleaziness found on the Revolución strip.
Avenida Revolución is also famous for its nearby red-light district Zona Norte (referred to La Coahuila as it is one of the main streets in it) which boasts a large number of legal street prostitutes as well as a selection of strip clubs. The strip clubs are typically full-contact, meaning the dancers will allow patrons to fondle them. The dancers also sell their sexual services which are pricier than those of the street prostitutes. About 1,200 prostitutes from all over Mexico work in La Coahuila street, making it a sex tourist destination that ranks in popularity with Amsterdam and Bangkok, according to Melissa Farley, a researcher with Prostitution Research and Education, a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization.
Tijuana possesses a diversity of shopping malls, the most visited being Plaza Río, located just a few minutes away from the US border. The mall hosts a Cinépolis and a Cinépolis VIP movie theater, a Sanborns restaurant and a variety of shops, which sell a wide array of things, ranging from cheap national curiosities to expensive imports.
Sports
Club Sport Founded League Venue Tijuana Galgos Basketball ? Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional Auditorio Municipal Tijuana Dragons Basketball 2003 American Basketball Association Auditorio Municipal Tijuana Potros Baseball ? Mexican League Calimax Stadium Club Tijuana Gallos de Caliente Soccer 2006 Primera División A CREA Stadium
There are also two professional basketball teams. The Tijuana Dragons play in the American Basketball Association against teams from the US. The team is composed mostly of US players. Their season is during the winter months. The Galgos de Tijuana (Tijuana Greyhounds) play in the LNBP (Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional) during the summer months. The team is composed mostly of players from Mexico. Both teams play in the Auditorio Municipal.
Former super featherweight boxing champion Erik Morales calls Tijuana his home.
Pro Wrestler Rey Mysterio was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2006,after he and his tag team partners Triple H and Shawn Michaels defeated Chavo Guerrero, Jr., Edge and Randy Orton in a 3 on 3 tag match at La Plaza Monumental in Playas de Tijuana at the DX Reunion Tour.
Education
Tijuana is home to many primary schools as well as several colleges and universities.
Notable primary, secondary and preparatory schools
- Instituto Mexico
- Colegio Niños Héroes
- Colegio Highland Prince Academy de Mexico, former Colegio Ingles
- Instituto Mexico Americano del Noroeste
- Colegio Reina Isabel
- Colegio Tijuana
- Colegio Eiffel
- Escuela Preparatoria Federal Lázaro Cárdenas
- Colegio Cristobal Colon
- Colegio La Paz
- Instituto Progreso
- Bachillerato UIA
- Colegio Emma De La Vega Calderón
- Colegio Francisco Gabilondo Soler
- Bachillerato Anáhuac
- Instituto Cumbres
- Alpes de Tijuana
Colleges and universities
- Centro de Estudios Superiores de Noroeste (CESUN)
- Centro de Investigación en Tecnología Electrónica y Digital (CITEDI)
- Centro de Ensenanza Tecnica e Industrial (CECATI)
- College of the Northern Border (COLEF)
- Tijuana Institute of Technology (ITT)
- Tijuana campus of the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC)
- Tijuana Campus of the Universidad Iberoamericana (UIA)
- Centro Universitario de Tijuana (CUT)
- Universidad Univer Noroeste (UNIVER)
- Tijuana Campus of the Centro de Enseñanza Técnica y Superior (CETYS Universidad)
- Tijuana Campus of Tecnológico de Baja California (TBC Universidad)
Economy
Manufacturing
Due to Tijuana's proximity to Southern California and the US border and its large, skilled, diverse and relatively inexpensive workforce it is an attractive city for foreign companies to establish extensive industrial parks composed of assembly plants that are called maquiladoras, even more so than other cities in the US-Mexican border zone, taking advantage of NAFTA to export products. At its peak, in 2001 Tijuana had roughly 820 of these 'maquiladoras' (today the number is closer to 550)[2]. Foreign and domestic companies employ thousands of employees in these plants, usually in assembly related labor. Such jobs are demanding but offer high pay for Mexico. Companies that have set up 'maquiladoras' in Tijuana include Sony, Toyota, Samsung, Kodak, Matsushita/Panasonic, Nabisco, Philips, Pioneer, Plantronics, Pall Medical, Tara, Sanyo and vimay.
Service industry
In addition there are also some high-tech firms and telemarketing companies making their way into the city drawing skilled people with technical trades and college degrees to Tijuana. The nominal GDP per capita of the city is above the national average at about $9000 per year, third only to Cancún and Mexico City (source: INEGI). This makes Tijuana a popular city for migrant workers as well as college graduates from other parts of Mexico as well as other countries to the south.
Tourism
Tijuana also relies on tourism as a major revenue. About 300,000 visitors cross by foot or car from the San Ysidro point of entry in the United States every day. Restaurants and taco stands, pharmacies, bars and dance clubs are part of the draw for the city's tourists. Many shops and stalls selling Mexican crafts and souvenirs are also located in walking distance from the border. Mexico's drinking age of 18 (vs. 21 in the United States) make it a common weekend destination for many high school and college aged Southern Californians who tend to stay within the Avenida Revolución. Tijuana is also home to several pharmacies marketed toward visitors from the United States. These pharmacies sell some pharmaceutical drugs without prescriptions and at much lower costs than pharmacies in the US. Many medications still require a Mexican doctor's prescription though several accessible doctor offices are located near the border as well. In addition Tijuana has a legal "red-light" district known as the Zona Norte which also adds significant revenue to its economy. Tijuana is also home to many businesses selling products and services at a much cheaper rate than in the United States. Such businesses as auto detailing, medical services, dentistry and plastic surgery are heavily marketed and located near the city's border with the US.
Economic research and development
Binational economic development along the US-Mexico border is key to the development of Tijuana going forward. Multiple regional (San Diego-US/Tijuana-MX) think-tanks exist on both sides of the border that promote such regional collaboration and innovation.
Government
Infrastructure
Sewer
The International Boundary Wastewater Treatment Plant currently treats 25mgd directly pumped across the border from the central collection point in Mexico (Pump Station #1). When there is any flow in the river, the river diverter kicks in and diverts up to about 12-13 mgd to the IWTP. The totals from either must not exceed 25mgd, based on a monthly average (permit conditions) although the IWTP can treat sustained flows up to 45mgd daily and peaks of 70 or so for a short period. The diverter is regularly sending about 6-8 mgd daily to the IWTP.
Japanese credit plants
The plants (a total of 4-5 decentralized units in all) have been planned for some time as part of the "Tijuana/Rosarito Potable Water and Wastewater Master Plan". This plan was required as part of Public Law 106-457 (Nov.7-2000) which was written to allow the Bajagua project to move forward. The master plan was a binational collaborative effort by EPA and CESPT and addressed those cities' needs for the next 20 years.
The plants are intended to treat approximately 5 mgd each, to tertiary levels and provide the reclaimed water to the surrounding areas for agriculture, industry etc.
There are several issues that they are facing: no infrastructure to convey the reclaimed water to customers and inadequate groundwater recharge infrastructure.
Water
Comisión Estatal de Servicios Públicos Tijuana, (State Commission of Public Services Tijuana) better known as CESPT, is Tijuana's water supplier.
Electrical
As with all of Mexico, Tijuana's electricity is supplied by Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE).
Crime
Tijuana's crime problems are often blamed on drug trafficking and human trafficking rings which smuggle drugs and people into California. In 2004, nine kidnapping cases were reported to authorities in Baja California. However, that number is believed to be low because many cases are not reported to police [3]. In the first four months of 2005, there were 151 homicides and in 2004, there were 355 homicides. According to Francisco Castro Trenti, an administrator of the homicide investigation teams in Tijuana, Rosarito Beach and Tecate, at least 20% of Tijuana's homicides were related to organized crime groups in the city. [4]. As a result of police corruption, citizen groups have been formed to help stop corrupt cops there from soliciting bribes from the population [5].
Transportation
Tijuana is well-served by bus, road, and air transportation links to all of Mexico, and to the United States via two heavily traveled border crossings.
Air travel
The General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport is the city's airport, with eleven airlines serving destinations across the nation. It is one of the busiest airports in Mexico. As of November 16, 2006, Aeroméxico has introduced twice-weekly international service to Tokyo, Japan. U.S. and select Canadian destinations can be reached from the busy San Diego International Airport, located about 35 kilometers north of the international border.
Public transportation
Mexico is served by a network of bus transportation, reaching virtually all parts of the country. The city's main bus station is in its eastern area. There is also a small terminal downtown which serves a few Mexican bus lines and US-based Greyhound Lines and Crucero USA. Another small depot is near the border, with frequent service to Ensenada.
From the US side, San Ysidro is the southern terminus of San Diego's municipal bus and trolley systems, providing public transportation to and from the Mexican border with Tijuana. The newly-rebuilt San Ysidro trolley station is located directly next to the US Customs facility.
Roads
Tijuana is home to the world's busiest border crossing with about 300,000 people cross the border between San Diego and Tijuana every day. Queues take a few minutes to a couple hours to cross to the United States and a few hours on US national holidays. However, after clearing customs and immigration formalities, Interstate 5 is a major 8-10 lane freeway from San Ysidro to downtown San Diego, Los Angeles, and north to the Canadian border. Interstate 805 branches off from I-5 just north of the border, and takes a more easterly route which bypasses downtown San Diego, rejoining with I-5 in the northern part of the city. From the Otay Mesa border crossing, Otay Mesa Road takes drivers west to connect with both I-805 and I-5.
Two important Mexican federal highways end in Tijuana, one of them is Federal Highway 1, which runs south through the Baja California peninsula, ending in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. From Tijuana to Ensenada, most travelers take Highway 1-D (scenic road), a four-lane, limited access toll road that runs by the coast starting at Playas de Tijuana. Mexican Federal Highway 2 runs east for several hundred kilometers near the international border, currently as far as Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.
See also
- San Diego-Tijuana Metropolitan Area
- Juan Soldado, a local folk saint and Tijuana's first urban legend
- Tijuana Zebra
References
- ^ Pagel, David Pagel (2007-01-30). "ART REVIEW Tijuana's scrappy, do-it-yourself spirit Ingenuity seizes the day as a traveling exhibition brings a vibrant creative scene across the border". Los Angeles Times. p. E-1.
- ^ Algunos datos de la industria maquiladora de exportación
- ^ Kidnap fears causing some to leave Tijuana on SignOnSanDiego.com
- ^ Days are grueling and grisly for Tijuana's homicide cops on SignOnSanDiego.com
- ^ Citizen watchdogs to stop shakedowns on SignOnSanDiego.com
External links
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