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How Tijuana got its mojo back

Myles Estey | Special to the Star
Published On Sun Feb 26 2012

As violence peaked in 2009-2010, a new Tijuana started to take birth. Sick of the self-imposed curfews, the younger generation began to populate some of the city’s notorious dive bars, dragging them back into the cool.

And the creative community began to reflect Tijuana’s unique culture — including the violence. Now, musicians are getting noticed by big American producers. A small art scene has popped up. Food and wine connoisseurs head to the small cadre of restaurateurs offering gastronomic delights to those willing to look beneath the news headlines. Life is back on the streets.

A record launch for internationally renowned music producer Tony Gallardo (who also releases under the name Maria y Jose), fills up a funky, split-level space. The old bartender occasionally slides down his plastic Guy Fawkes mask and laughs as he serves drinks to the primarily under-30 crowd.

Waiting in the wings for his turn to play, the 25-year-old Gallardo beams. “This is all we want to do these days,” he says, looking out at the dancing crowd. “Throw a party, get people together and have some fun.”

It’s not just the party scene coming back to Tijuana, says Jack Doran, president of a local association of tourist-oriented businesses called Centuremex. He lists a successful symphony, the return of local soccer team the Xolos to the first division, an art scene and first-rate dining options as draws to the city.

“People (from Tijuana) are going out more and more, and there are more people coming from across the border,” says Doran. “Tijuana has blossomed again.”

Indeed, restaurants like Mission 19, El Taller and La Querencia have attracted international attention for innovative local cuisine, ambience and wines. Small galleries and public art projects dot the city.

Less overtly, a younger generation is trying to create spaces to help cultivate Tijuana’s growth.

Mariana Oquita sits in Café Diogenes, talking about the more subtle cultural growth. A 27-year-old masters student, she and two friends recently opened the quaint spot a few months ago, away from the more visible string of bars and clubs along the popular Sexta Avenida.

“It’s slow still, but more and more people are dropping by,” Oquita says.

The store sells literature and poetry in both languages. They also show documentaries and host small literary, musical or artistic events.

Oquita says such places are a necessary reaction to some of the fears and frustrations that took over the city.

“Right now the government is focused on things that the people didn’t ask for and they don’t pay attention to social and cultural realities,” she says. “But people have had it with the government, and a real social consciousness is growing here.”

The town has still not rebounded to its previous bustling self — fear still lingers. But Tijuana has a distinctly more vibrant feel. Many residents already talk about this period of fear in the past tense and believe Tijuana is on its way forward.

Some attribute this to the work of ex-army colonel Julian Leyzaola, who served as police chief from 2008 to 2010. Taking office as the first wave of violence swelled, he purged the corrupt and violent municipal police force and went after top criminals.

Few question his rough-and-tough tactics played a role in Tijuana’s falling crime rate. But a string of human rights violations left questions about his approach, and whether the strategy can be transferred to other parts of Mexico. Now working the same job in Ciudad Juárez — “the world’s most murderous city” in 2009 and 2010 — it’s too early to make comparisons.

Victor Clark Alfaro, a professor at San Diego State University and director of the Binational Center for Human Rights in Tijuana, is hesitant to put too much praise on Leyzaola’s controversial work. He sees many improvements but emphasizes it may be too soon to tell if Tijuana has turned the corner.

“We have a much lower level of violence now but we still have three groups operating here in Tijuana,” says Clark, referring to the drug cartels thought to operate in the city. “We’re still sitting on top of a volcano that could explode at any time.”

He links the recent drop in violence to a reported truce between the powerful Sinaloa Cartel of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and what remains of the local Arellano-Felix cartel. This truce, he warns, is no guarantee.

“When there are truces between the groups, they usually don’t last long. They’re fragile because one group will ultimately want to either control the other or eliminate them.”

If it is a volcano, it’s one Clark feels comfortable being near. He lives on the Mexican side and regularly shows his American students around the city with pride. But Americans have yet to be fully swayed that Tijuana is again ready for business.

“A lot of my friends still think I’m nuts coming down here,” says Steve, a consultant who drives from Orange County, Calif. “But I wouldn’t bring my girlfriend down if I thought it was dangerous. I mean, I wouldn’t even come down if I really thought it was dangerous.”

Convincing Americans that it’s safe may take a while. But for now, says Heriberto Garcia, head of the state human rights office of Baja California, the most important thing is local development. He believes what will change Tijuana — and Mexico — is giving skills and alternatives to people vulnerable to the violence.

“We have to construct a strong and permanent solution from the base of the social structure. This is achieved through cultivating education and culture, not from shootouts.”

Accomplishing this will be the real test of whether a new Tijuana is here or not.


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Great article, thank you!

It seems like the self-imposed lockdown will end when people finally decide that enough is enough. They may be risking their lives, but ending tyrany is always risky.

In a way it is a sort of "Occupy" movement, and one I am happy in which to participate.

The outright "courage" exhibited by those in Mexico who step up to the "plate" under such dangerous conditions only gives one a great deal of respect for the "people" of Mexico IMHO