MexicoTed
Senior Nomad
Posts: 708
Registered: 8-2-2004
Member Is Offline
|
|
Sustainable Development in a Border "Magic Town"
By Maria E Curry
The city of Tecate, Baja California, bordering with the town of the same name in San Diego County, was designated a "Magic Town" in 2012 by Mexico's
Secretariat of Tourism. There are 83 Magic Towns and villages in the country. Started in 2001, Pueblos Mágicos promotes tourism in places that offer a
"magical" experience. Tecate's magic comes from its unique location, history, natural beauty, social and cultural manifestations, legends, significant
architecture, and interesting urban features.
As a Magic Town, Tecate is receiving federal funds for sustainable economic development for downtown rehabilitation and restoration of the Tecate
River through the Parque Río project. There is also investment in hotels, restaurants and leisure attractions including health-oriented ranches and
the Wine Route that begins here. Railroad tours are diversifying with trips from Campo, California and Tijuana to Tecate. Traditional, cultural, and
artistic events are promoted, too. Tecate's recipe for magic includes Mediterranean food, the production of cheese, olive oil, honey, wines, and
artisan beer as well as sweet and salty bread from its famous panaderías.
Tecate Ranch was part of the San Diego Mission in the 18th century and was inhabited since prehistoric times by Kumeyaay Indians. The city developed
along Libertad Street (today's Hidalgo Street) in the 1900s as part of the stagecoach road that connected California with Yuma, Arizona. The San Diego
and Arizona railroad crossed Tecate, forming a binational route. In 1919, the first urban plan took shape. It included a central park with a kiosk,
plaza, and public buildings resembling Mexican colonial cities. With this plan, Tecate differentiated itself from the rest of the cities in Baja
California that had a Main Street as the urban focal point.
One interesting urban feature is the pedestrian entrance from the U.S. to Mexico, which connects physically and visually to Guadalupe Church. Since
most Mexicans are Catholic, this connection and view welcoming foreign visitors is highly symbolic. As part of the downtown rehabilitation, the church
is being remodeled at the top of its facade to make it look colonial, using the older chapel next to it as an example. The plaza has been closed to
cars, creating more walking areas.
The Parque Río project aims to restore the Tecate River instead of covering the riverbed with concrete. The idea is to create public parks, gardens,
sport fields, and cultural and leisure areas along the river. Municipal officials are in charge of protecting, preserving and maintaining this federal
river zone to avoid invasions of squatters. They also administer construction to modify the river's hydraulic characteristics. Sustaining a community
approach where residents and tourists can enjoy the city without compromising resources such as water, green areas, and clean air is a way to keep
Tecate's magic alive.
Sustainable development includes preserving cultural and natural heritage. The internationally famous Rancho la Puerta and other ranches close to the
city attract health-oriented tourism and ecotourism. There are traditional mountain bike competitions and hiking groups that climb the mountains that
surround the city. Indigenous groups still celebrate sacred rituals. Protecting the trails and picturesque landscape helps these traditions endure
without harming the environment.
However, there is one missing element that needs to be addressed before it disappears: historic domestic architecture. The old building stock is
misunderstood in most Mexican border cities, probably because it is considered alien due to its closer connection to American housing than to
traditional colonial Mexican architecture. A survey, documentation, and evaluation of old houses mainly on Tecate's oldest street (Hidalgo) could
interpret the urban and architectural history of Tecate. Such a study could also promote sustainability by avoiding demolition of the old houses.
The streets next to the Tecate railroad station include examples of houses inspired by the Prairie School-style depot, designed by San Diego architect
William Wheeler. There are also houses in Craftsman, Bungalow, and Modern style that need to be documented. Some of them were moved from California
and preserving them is important for binational architecture history.
Tecate's magic has a promising future thanks to the current projects and other border community and binational planning efforts taking place in the
Tijuana River watershed. As it should be, sustainability is a cornerstone of these efforts.
http://www.sohosandiego.org/enews/0916sustainable.htm
|
|
|
BigBearRider
Super Nomad
Posts: 1299
Registered: 4-30-2015
Location: Big Bear, Punta Chivato, and Cabo
Member Is Offline
Mood: 
|
|
Interesting article. Thanks for posting.
|
|
|
durrelllrobert
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7393
Registered: 11-22-2007
Location: Punta Banda BC
Member Is Offline
Mood: thriving in Baja
|
|
Quote: Originally posted by MexicoTed  |
By Maria E Curry
The city of Tecate, Baja California, bordering with the town of the same name in San Diego County, was designated a "Magic Town" in 2012 by Mexico's
Secretariat of Tourism. There are 83 Magic Towns and villages in the country. Started in 2001, Pueblos Mágicos promotes tourism in places that offer a
"magical" experience. Tecate's magic comes from its unique location, history, natural beauty, social and cultural manifestations, legends, significant
architecture, and interesting urban features.
As a Magic Town, Tecate is receiving federal funds for sustainable economic development for downtown rehabilitation and restoration of the Tecate
River through the Parque Río project. There is also investment in hotels, restaurants and leisure attractions including health-oriented ranches and
the Wine Route that begins here. Railroad tours are diversifying with trips from Campo, California and Tijuana to Tecate. Traditional, cultural, and
artistic events are promoted, too. Tecate's recipe for magic includes Mediterranean food, the production of cheese, olive oil, honey, wines, and
artisan beer as well as sweet and salty bread from its famous panaderías.
Tecate Ranch was part of the San Diego Mission in the 18th century and was inhabited since prehistoric times by Kumeyaay Indians. The city developed
along Libertad Street (today's Hidalgo Street) in the 1900s as part of the stagecoach road that connected California with Yuma, Arizona. The San Diego
and Arizona railroad crossed Tecate, forming a binational route. In 1919, the first urban plan took shape. It included a central park with a kiosk,
plaza, and public buildings resembling Mexican colonial cities. With this plan, Tecate differentiated itself from the rest of the cities in Baja
California that had a Main Street as the urban focal point.
One interesting urban feature is the pedestrian entrance from the U.S. to Mexico, which connects physically and visually to Guadalupe Church. Since
most Mexicans are Catholic, this connection and view welcoming foreign visitors is highly symbolic. As part of the downtown rehabilitation, the church
is being remodeled at the top of its facade to make it look colonial, using the older chapel next to it as an example. The plaza has been closed to
cars, creating more walking areas.
The Parque Río project aims to restore the Tecate River instead of covering the riverbed with concrete. The idea is to create public parks, gardens,
sport fields, and cultural and leisure areas along the river. Municipal officials are in charge of protecting, preserving and maintaining this federal
river zone to avoid invasions of squatters. They also administer construction to modify the river's hydraulic characteristics. Sustaining a community
approach where residents and tourists can enjoy the city without compromising resources such as water, green areas, and clean air is a way to keep
Tecate's magic alive.
Sustainable development includes preserving cultural and natural heritage. The internationally famous Rancho la Puerta and other ranches close to the
city attract health-oriented tourism and ecotourism. There are traditional mountain bike competitions and hiking groups that climb the mountains that
surround the city. Indigenous groups still celebrate sacred rituals. Protecting the trails and picturesque landscape helps these traditions endure
without harming the environment.
However, there is one missing element that needs to be addressed before it disappears: historic domestic architecture. The old building stock is
misunderstood in most Mexican border cities, probably because it is considered alien due to its closer connection to American housing than to
traditional colonial Mexican architecture. A survey, documentation, and evaluation of old houses mainly on Tecate's oldest street (Hidalgo) could
interpret the urban and architectural history of Tecate. Such a study could also promote sustainability by avoiding demolition of the old houses.
The streets next to the Tecate railroad station include examples of houses inspired by the Prairie School-style depot, designed by San Diego architect
William Wheeler. There are also houses in Craftsman, Bungalow, and Modern style that need to be documented. Some of them were moved from California
and preserving them is important for binational architecture history.
Tecate's magic has a promising future thanks to the current projects and other border community and binational planning efforts taking place in the
Tijuana River watershed. As it should be, sustainability is a cornerstone of these efforts.
http://www.sohosandiego.org/enews/0916sustainable.htm |
Here's a picture of the Tecate border crossing looking north in 1919. Note the long lineup of wagons: 
Bob Durrell
|
|
|
MexicoTed
Senior Nomad
Posts: 708
Registered: 8-2-2004
Member Is Offline
|
|
Great photo
|
|
|
Martyman
Super Nomad
Posts: 1904
Registered: 9-10-2004
Member Is Offline
|
|
traditional mountain bike competitions?
|
|
|
MexicoTed
Senior Nomad
Posts: 708
Registered: 8-2-2004
Member Is Offline
|
|
I've heard of local mountain biking clubs in Tecate but not any races, at least international races. There is this event coming up; http://www.bajabikerace.com/
|
|
|
Whale-ista
Super Nomad
Posts: 2009
Registered: 2-18-2013
Location: San Diego
Member Is Offline
Mood: Sunny with chance of whales
|
|
Wonderful report- thank you!
That photo shows the border that my grandmother, Aurelia Garcia, would have seen as a young woman.
She was born in Sonora in 1904, and her family moved to the territory of Baja after the revolution. Her father, Juan Antonio Garcia, was a
"commandante" on the winning side and received a pension and land grant in Mexicali. (I still have cousins there.)
Aurelia earned a teaching credential and taught in Tecate several years after this photo was taken. Somewhere I have photos of her taking part in a
parade in town, and people driving cars...
Thank you for posting!
\"Probably the airplanes will bring week-enders from Los Angeles before long, and the beautiful poor bedraggled old town will bloom with a
Floridian ugliness.\" (John Steinbeck, 1940, discussing the future of La Paz, BCS, Mexico)
|
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
