Tijuana has the distinction of being both the most visited, and most undervisited, city in the world, and probably the most misjudged in Mexico. Among Mexico’s largest municipalities, Tijuana is Baja’s economic powerhouse, hosting a first-rate collection of hotels, gourmet restaurants, medical facilities, cultural events, art galleries and shopping centers. Yet it is not known for that — at least not by the general public.

Tijuana has a fascinating story. Born 119 years ago this year (July 11), it was largely ignored by the centrist government of Mexico City, thus allowing American gambling interests to take advantage during the Prohibition era in establishing casinos, where booze flowed 24 hours a day. The end of Prohibition and Mexico outlawing gambling brought an end to that chapter of Tijuana’s history.

The city reeled until 1960, when the Tijuana River was tamed, creating space for what is Tijuana’s trendy Zona Rio (River Zone). An ideal place to do business, this zone was discovered by multinational companies in the U.S., Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Europe, who have since established assembly and manufacturing plants.

The business community’s need for high-quality hotels, restaurants, conference centers, shopping malls, medical services and cultural attractions set off a construction explosion. In the 1980s Tijuana became the Pacific Rim’s door to Mexico, a distinction it continues to enjoy today.

As Tijuana became a world player in the business community, the executives of the European and Asian companies sent to run the operations bought homes in San Diego. The added international business brought billions of dollars of cross-border distribution of goods and services from Tijuana manufacturing operations and spending in San Diego from Tijuana residents.

Both cities have profited or suffered in good and bad economic times. But when San Diego suffers, Tijuana often goes on life support.

In 2007, Felipe Calderon, Mexico’s newly elected president, declared war on organized crime after previous administrations had largely ignored its entrenchment. In Baja California, the governor and local mayors began as reluctant allies. This changed when a new governor and new mayors were elected and announced their solidarity with the president. After that battles raged in boroughs of Tijuana with gangs fighting each other and law enforcement agencies determined to be rid of them. 

U.S. media reports on the fighting didn’t clarify where the bloody encounters were taking place in Tijuana, which sprawls over 400 square miles. Although the majority of deaths were gang members killing rivals, the U.S. press accounts reported only the totals. Tijuana seemed awash in blood.

The sections of Tijuana visited by tourists were relatively safe, although there is no longer any guarantee of safety in any city and Tijuana’s level of violence remains high.

While Tijuana’s shops, restaurants and bars along Avenida Revolucion have suffered the consequences of fewer visitors, its hotels cater largely to national and international business travelers and are reporting little change in occupancy.

Most noticeable is a dwindling night life, substantially due to the other organized criminal activity — the kidnapping of rich Mexican businessmen. Some successes at combating this aside, much remains to do before this wave can be declared over. As a result, Tijuana during the day is filled with activity but the nights are relatively quiet.

That safety threat faced by Mexican businessmen has had an unintended consequence in San Diego: the sale of several hundred homes in the South Bay to Mexican business people seeking to keep their families safe. A dynamic relationship evolves.

Patrick Osio Jr. can be reached at posiojr@sandiegometro.com and heard on-air at 6 to 7 p.m. weeknights on KOOL 1040 AM. The veteran consultant also has issued The Mexican Perspective, an intensive primer on business culture and protocol. Copies are still available at hispanicvista.com/sales/book_sale.htm.