Tijuana

The City

Tijuana is a Mexican city, located just across the border from San Diego, California, USA. It is the largest city in the state of Baja California and on the Baja California Peninsula. The border between Mexico and the United States in Tijuana is the busiest in the world, and is one of the largest. It is often called the “most crossed border in the world”. 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, and shops and stalls selling Mexican crafts and souvenirs are part of the draw for the city’s tourists, many located within walking distance of the border.

The climate is warm, but not too warm, making it the ideal place to go on vacation. Tijuana is set up perfectly for any visitor, whether they are visiting for a day, or a week!

Tijuana is a large manufacturing center, and in addition to tourism, it serves as a cornerstone of the city economy. In the past decade alone, Tijuana became the medical device manufacture capital of the North American continent.

The food scene

Tijuana has become a foodie destination in recent years. Whether it’s a food cart, a food hall or a fancy rooftop deck, the city’s culinary options are diverse, innovative and most of all delicious.

Many claim the Caesar Salad was invented in Tijuana by Chef Cesar Cardini, and Caesar’s Restaurant Bar is where you can enjoy the original recipe, along with many other Mexican and international specialties. Or you can explore Tijuana’s emerging food scene at some of the newer, innovative restaurants serving Baja-Med Cuisine, a combination of the ingredients and flavors of Baja California with those of the Mediterranean and Asia.

Tijuana is known as Mexico’s go-to foodie city and is famous for its street tacos. Unofficially, Tijuana is the taco capital of the world. This is mainly because the border town is an immigrant hub for people of all over Mexico who bring their different cooking styles with them. With Sonora Tortillas, Sinaloa style seafood techniques, beef from Coahuila and Baja’s own prime seafood, it’s no wonder you’ll find everything from Carne Asada to Octopus Tacos in Tijuana that are unrivaled anywhere else in the country.

Architectural brilliance

Tijuana is famous for several eye-catching sights and monuments.

Centro Cultural Tijuana, the Tijuana Cultural Center is easily recognizable thanks to the distinctive spherical building. Nicknamed “La Bola” for its shape, the ball houses an IMAX theater. The cultural complex is also comprised of a theater and a cubic-shaped exhibit space, and the adjacent Museo de las Californias has a permanent exhibition detailing the history of the region from prehistoric times to the present day, and also hosts temporary exhibits on a variety of themes. There are a number of cultural events that take place in the cultural center’s esplanade year round, so it’s worth checking it out to see what’s on during your visit.

Plaza Santa Cecilia is one of the oldest squares in Tijuana and is located on Calle Primera and Avenida Revolución. The modern iconic arch that represents the city of Tijuana and symbolizes the connection between Mexico and the United States, contrasts with the traditional arches behind the plaza’s stage. The patron saint of music, Saint Cecilia, gives this plaza its name. Mariachis and Mexican folk dance troupes are common sights at this location.

The Tijuana Mexico Temple is a temple (completed in 2015) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Tijuana, México.

The Tijuana Temple was built with a hacienda architectural style inspired by local designs. Finishes include a mixture of frosted gold, carved, and textured clear glass accented with green terracotta and carpets with Mexican and Spanish designs. The floors are made of carved stone and quarried in Europe and China, and the doors and handrails are mahogany with brass hardware.

The Cosmopolitan Tower is the smart building that complies with the highest sustainability certifications in all of the northwest. With this tower, Tijuana already has three sustainable buildings.

Home to a football miracle!

Tijuana is home to professional baseball, football, and basketball teams, which the locals follow fervently.

Baseball has been, for decades, the people’ favorite sport. The city has even brewed a number of Major League Baseball competitors such as Benjamin Gil, Esteban Loaiza and Oscar Robles.

The strong, cultural influence that the U.S. has over Tijuana has resulted in a consistent basketball activity and following. The city is home to two professional Basketball teams; Cosmos de Tijuana and Zonkeys de Tijuana.

Unlike the rest of the country, football wasn’t big in Tijuana as recently as the past decade. This changed in 2011, when the Club Tijuana, also known as Xolos, got promoted to the top professional league in Mexico. Only a year later, in 2012, the team won the league title, cementing its legend in the history of Mexican football forever.

Bullring by the Sea…

The Plaza Monumental de Tijuana, commonly known in English as Bullring by the Sea, is a 22,000 seater bullring located Tijuana. Apart bullfighting, It has also been the scene for great boxing matches, concerts, cultural, and sporting events that have benefited the Tijuana community greatly.

Opened in 1960, the Plaza Monumental de Tijuana is the second largest bullring in Mexico, and the only seaside bullring in the whole world.

Origin of a Grammy Award winner

Julieta Venegas is a singer, songwriter, instrumentalist and a producer who originated from Tijuana.She was nominated for Grammy awards four times and was able to win it in 2007.

Few of her notable works include the album Sí and singles “Andar Conmigo” and “Algo está cambiando” which were positioned at the top of Latin Billboard. And her worldwide hit “Me Voy” is Gold certified in Mexico.

Rtr. Fernanda Acre
Rotaract Tijuana