History
In the colonial period, Cortés sent five expeditions to the area of Baja California because there was word of a passage that linked the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, the discovery of which would help Spain become more powerful. After founding a colony, the area eventually the area got the name of California, whose origins trace back to a novel called "Las sergas de Esplandián (The Exploits of Esplandián)." The book mentions an island of the same name to the right of America, governed by queen Califa and populated exclusively by women, where everything was supposedly made of gold. In this respect California was named in jest, to make light of the hardships of life there. By the beginning of the 19th century, most of the present-day communities were established, Loreto in Baja Sur became the capital of just the peninsular area, and local governments were granted to places in Alta California like San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. In 1850, after Alta California had been annexed by the United States to become the US state of California, Baja California was further divided into northern and southern territories. In 1952 Northern Baja California became the 29th state of Mexico. Tijuana's repute as a city of revolutionaries and hedonism can be traced directly to events that occurred between 1911 and 1920. Following the Mexican Revolution of 1910, a group of Industrial Workers of the World briefly took control of the town. Mexican federal troops entered Tijuana on June 22, 1911 and, as hundreds of San Diegans watched in horror from just across the border, routed the Magonistas, shooting down 31 of them.  In 1915, the Tijuana Fair showcased bullfights, horse racing, boxing, cockfighting and casino gambling. Curious San Diegans flocked down in droves and word quickly spread throughout the Southwest about Tijuana's reputation as the "wildest of the wild." In 1917, San Diego banned cabaret dancing...and Tijuana wasted no time in building more cabarets and casinos. By now the fledging community of Hollywood had heard all about Tijuana and its irresistibly short three hour drive down the California coast. When Prohibition took effect in 1920, Tijuana served as the perfect reprieve for beverage-thirsty Americans, and hasn't stopped welcoming them since.
Tourist Information is available in Ensenada at the Tourist and Convention Bureau booth, (646) 178-2411, at the western entrance to town, where the waterfront-hugging Bulevar Lázaro Cárdenas curves away to the right. It's open Monday through Saturday from 10AM to 6PM. In Tijuana, visit the Centro Cultural Tijuana, Paseo de los Héroes and Mina (664) 687-9600. It's in the Zona Río, the principal shopping and dining district, adjacent to the Tijuana River.
|
About Baja Norte 
