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Tijuana Tijuana is the main city of the state of Baja California in Mexico, and also head of the municipality of the same name. Tijuana is also the most northerly city in Latin America. It is known as the corner of Mexico and consequently of Latin America. The city is bordered to the north 41 kilometers by the county of San Diego (California), United States, to the south, with the municipalities of Playas de Rosarito and Inlet, with the municipality of Tecate to the east and to the west, by the Pacific Ocean. The municipality of Tijuana has an extension of 1,727 square kilometers and includes part of the Coronado Islands located against the coasts of the municipality in the Pacific Ocean. Population According to the INEGI (National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Data Processing) the municipality of Tijuana in the 2000 included 1,210,820 inhabitants, placing it the eighth largest city in the country. Geography Tijuana is at at 32.53N, 117.02W. This border city just south of San Diego, California, USA, is sometimes considered a mix of Mexico's good and bad: known for its economic prosperity, popular discos, and shopping areas, Tijuana is also considered to be Mexico's biggest illicit drug and prostitution center; a majority of the prostitutes are women from other Latin American countries, mainly Central America, who have hopes of crossing the border, ultimately, into the United States. Origin of the City Name Through many years, historians have tried to make clear of where the origins of the name of the city of Tijuana came to be. The legend says that it was the name of a ranch in the area, property of "Ta Juana" Aunt Jane. In actuality, it is recognized that name comes from the Yuman Indian language from the early inhabitants. In other documents there are mentions of "La Tia Juana", "Tiguana", "Tiuana", "Teguana", "Tiwana", "Tijuan", "Ticuan", "Tijuana". Based on the Yuman language, historians have come to recognize Tijuana originating from "Tiwan", meaning close to the sea. Nickname TJ in English. The nickname is also used as slang by the Spanish speaking residents, who pronounce it as ti yei. They also refer to the city as 'Tijuas' as a nickname, as well. Motto Aqu empieza la patria. The Mexican government actually translates it as Gateway to Mexico, but the literal translation is The homeland starts here. History The area in which the city of Tijuana is situated in a region once inhabited by the Kumiai Indians, a tribe of Yuman-speaking hunter-gatherers. Europeans first arrived in 1542, when the Spanish explorer Juan Rodrguez Cabrillo toured the coastline of the area, which was later mapped in 1602 by Sebastin Viscano. In 1769, Father Juan Cresp documented more detailed information about the area that would one day be called the Valley of Tijuana and Father Junipero 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 Jos Mara Echenda, governor of the Californias, awarded a large land grant to Santiago Argello in 1829. This large cattle ranch, Rancho Tia Juana (Aunt Jane), covered 10,000 hectares. 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 setllement, when descendants of Santiago Argello and Licenciado Agustn 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 II 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 Magon, 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 1916, the Feria San Diego, California Panam brought a great number of visitors to the neighboring American city to the north. Tijuana took the opportunity to attract these tourists to the other side of the border with Feria Tpica Mexicana. The fair included curios shops, regional foods, thermal baths, horse racing and boxing matches. With this event, our city became universally known as a tourist destination. The twenties changed Tijuana forever, when the enactment of Prohibition in the U.S. sent droves of Americans across the border to partake in legal drinking and gambling. Large and impressive casinos opened, like Agua Caliente in Tijuana. The international events of the following years had profound repercussions on the city. Tourism increased significantly as innumerable Americans 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. From 21,971 inhabitants in 1940, the city grew in excess of 65,364 by 1950. In the 1950's when, nightlife and tourism began to decline, the city started to restruct its tourist industry, by promoting a more family orientated 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. The murder has yet to be solved, but every year, the city's inhabitants commerate the anniversary of his assination with a memorial. Included in the estimated population of 2 million is a dynamic student sector from the more than 22 universities and centers for higher education. In industry, Tijuana has become the world leader in the assembly of televisions. The city ranks fourth in population in the Republic of Mexico, following Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey. Today, the Tijuana-San Ysidro border crossing is the most crossed international land border in the world. Although tourism is a big part of this, Tijuana and it's surrounding area has become a major player in NAFTA with new maquiladoras and industrial plants springing up every month. The famous battle between the Tijuana Cartel and the rival Chihuahua-based Jurez Cartel was portrayed in the 2000 Hollywood movie Traffic. Tijuana's International Airport (General Abelardo L. Rodrguez International Airport) is known for the approaches the airplanes have to carry out before landing, as they have to fly just over a fence before landing. Juan Soldado(Soldier John), Tijuana's first urban legend. Little it is known about his origins, his name was Juan Castillo Morales and was a soldier in the Mexican army. In the mid-evening of February 13, 1938, Olga Camacho Martnez, a minor of eight years old, disappeared outside of her home. At that time, the city of Tijuana had a population of 19,000 residents. With such a small number, the neighbors were all known. The following day of the girl's disappearance, the small city was in chaos, with all the neighbors launching a search for the girl. Towards, ten o'clock in the morning of the third day, some children found the girl's dead body, beheaded. Such a small city, as it was, it was easy for the police to arrest suspects. The city of San Diego contributed to the clafication of the crime. It sent its agent,el teniente policial Ed Dieckmann, chief of the dactilography department for the county of San Diego. As soon as Mr. Dieckmann saw the scene of the crime, he realized that was an easy crime to solve, since the murderer had left tracks everywhere. There were even tracks of the footwear from the murderer, that had a special particular mark of aa diamond in the center of the sole of the shoe. Among the suspects, was the soldier Juan Castillo Morales, commonly known as Juan Soldado (Soldier John), who had broken down, cried and asking forgiveness, confessing that he had committed the crime under the influence of the alcohol and marijuana. The soldier's girlfriend, had told an investigator that a week before had surprised her, by intenting to rape her niece. The night in which the young girl, Olga Camacho, had disapeared, Castillo Morales, had appeared at his girlfriend's home, stained in blood, He removed his colthes and asked her to wash them. he was removed the clothes and he asked him that he washed it. Police, looking over the clothing, found cloth fibers that matched those found under the murdered girl's finger nails. Al to revise the clothes the police found fibers of fabric that corresponded with them found in the uitas of the girl murdered. Some how, all the information had leaked out to the neighbors, who in turn rebelled and demanded that the soldier be turned over to them, to lynch him, vigalante style. During this rebellion, the mob set fire the headquarters of police department and the government office of the city. It is said that one hundred people were arrested in connection with the arson. The local police faced with the facts, and under the argument that the murderer was a member of the military, ruled that the crime was out of their jurisdiction. The case was turned over Commander of the Military Zone, General Contreras, to decide a verdict. The military justice opted for Morales Castillo to stand his punishment at a summary court martial. With the proof in sight exhibited by the local police, Lieutenant Dieckmann, an FBI agent William Menke, and the confession from Morales Castillo, Juan Soldado was found guilty and given the death sentence. The 'fuga' (fleeing) law was a type of execution utilized in Mexico during the period of the Mexican Revolution that was common in the country, for almost a hundred years. Such execution consists of the judgment and the death sentence, take the defendant to the place of execution, free them of their ties and bondage, and to give him the opportunity to flee, with the firing squad firing behind. If the bullets of the squad did not reach him during the flight, then he was declared a free man. The possibilities to come out with life are almost nil. In accordance with the law, the defendant was transferred the morning of February 17, 1938 to the municipal pantheon known as White Door (municipal pantheon No. 1), applying the 'fuga' law. It occurred in sight of the neighbors who congregated in the high parts of the pantheon to testify and lay witness the death of Juan Soldado. Thus Castillo Morales' days of being a rapist and murdere came to an end,. Juan Soldado payed with his life for the crime he commited. Over time, for some neighbors that had witnessed the execution, a feeling of fault came upon them, and sufficed that someone freed the version that Juan Soldier was innocent and the true guilty one was a Mexican Army captain. Thus, the feelings of many people changed. Doctor Alejandro F. Lugo Perales, , former president of the Society of the History of Tijuana says that " there is an old moorish rite in which the aggressors launch stones at the tomb of the victim, begging forgiveness. So, it came to be that people began to launch stones at the tomb of Juan Soldado, including those who said that each stone produced miracles. Another version says that some nosey neighbors collected the bloody stones from the place where Juan Soldado fell and they placed them around his tomb in an act of repentance. Presently, in the old pantheon of White Door, there are small chapels dedicated to Juan Soldado. The first one is the edge of the pantheon where he died, the second chapel is for the main walkway, for all to enter and is where it says he is buried, in both chapels they yield worship to people that have problems entering into United States or are involved in the trafficking of traffic of people by the border. Culture and Education The city depends on various schools of superior studies, such as conservatory music, dance schools, plastic art schools, schools for science of the arts, and with various universities and technical institutions. The city is the seat of the COLEF (College of the Northern Frontier), an institution of scientific investigation and superior education. Their main focus is the study of the problems of the Mexican border with the United States. In the cultural aspect, Tijuana counts on the CECUT The Tijuana Cultural Center. As the cultural impression of the city, the CECUT has inside its intallation, a theatre, lecture rooms, video rooms, library, exposition room, museum of the Californias, a futuristic planetary movie theater, and a restaurant. Since 1992, the CECUT has harbored the Orchesta 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 an average of a million vistors, yearly, and is of prominent interest to the student population To attend to its population and visitors, the city counts on the following; Casa de la Cultura(translation: House of Culture), Instituto Municipal de Arte y Cultura(translation: Municipal Institute of Art and Culture), Museo de las Californias(translation: Museums of the Californias), located within the CECUT, the Tijuana Wax Museum and the Museo El Trompo(translation: El Trompo Museum). Economics The official currency of Tijuana is the Mexican peso (MXN). The conversion rate to the U.S. dollar is eleven pesos to one U.S. dollar. The conversion rate to the Euro is fourteen pesos to one Euro dollar. The U.S. dollar is also accepted en businesses all around the city as legal tender. Tijuana is particularly famous among the millions of U.S. college students who flock to its location each year in search of an easily accessed place with few inhibitions and a legal drinking age of eighteen. Wednesday's are dubbed as "college nights". The El Torito Pub, Club Iguana Ranas, and Animale are clubs along Avenida Revolucin that are the most popular with the students. Due to Tijuana's proximity to the USA and its cheap labor, it is an attractive city to companies to establish extensive industrial parks comprised of maquiladoras where foreign companies employ thousands, usually in assembly related labor. This makes Tijuana an attractive city for poor migrant workers originating from the center and southern parts of Mexico, as well as other Latin American countries. Many of these migrant workers also travel illegally into the United States in search of better paying jobs. Sports and Entertainment Tijuana counts with two bullfighting rings, a racecourse and a dogtrack located in the old Hipodromo de Agua Caliente, the franchise of a soccer team in first division, a Mexican baseball team that plays the league durig the summer, professional and university niversity theater, the opera, as well as diverse festivals along the year.
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