When most people think of Mexico they think it all looks and acts like Tijuana. What they don’t realize is than in many ways Tijuana is sort of a nation unto itself — with no citizens. As a border town with a one-way spigot, most people there are “just passing through.” They have no ties to the city and don’t see themselves as staying there permanently, so there is no sense of pride or community. No city can thrive without those two things. Tijuana is the cheap motel on the side of a long highway that you stay in to get a good nights sleep before moving on to the next stop. It is not representative of the country as a whole.
It really is a shame that for most people on this side of the border, Tijuana is Mexico, because the country is full of beauty — both natural and man-made — that is not represented by Tijuana and that Americans would do good to experience for themselves.
This message is brought to you buy the Mexican Board of Tourism.
