Nestled within Tijuana’s infamous Downtown is a surprising and serene cultural corridor, El Pasaje Rodríguez. The alleyway is a haven for art, music, bookstores, coffee shops, vintage clothing, and people-watching, and it is loaded with the city's history.

History

Downtown Tijuana has seen a renaissance in the last fifteen years that’s brought its food and bar scene to the forefront of local and international tourism. The City’s claim to fame and heyday was at the beginning of the 20th Century, when a Faith-led puritanical movement created prohibition in the US, opening the door for American investors to create casinos, brothels, hotels, and more only 120 miles south of Hollywood.

Where the Pasaje Rodríguez is currently located was once the first and biggest Hotel and casino for tourists in the City, the Foreign Club Hotel and Casino. Built in 1917, it was an Oasis for tourists to indulge in things now prohibited in the US. The hotel and casino were built by American investors and were host to many celebrities of that era, entertaining most of its patrons, affluent Anglo-Saxon Americans.

The entertainment and dining at the Foreign Club were top-notch. During the early 1930s, Margarita Cansino would dance there with her father, Eduard Cansino. The 14-year-old female of the dancing father-daughter duo caught the eye of visiting Hollywood executives. She would later move to Hollywood and take her Irish mother’s maiden last name, Hayworth. Rita Hayworth would become one of the world’s biggest stars.

Decline and Abandonment

The Revolutionary General, Nationalist, and President of Mexico Lazaro Cardenas prohibited casinos in 1934, closing the Foreign Club Casino and Hotel. A new hotel was built, and that one was burned in 1935. The Property was bought from Americans by a Sonoran businessman named Rodriguez. Later, the pathway that connects historic Avenida Revolución to Constitución Street was thriving, with shops selling anything from leather goods, silver, tourist souvenirs, cigars, and more from the 1950s to the 1970s. As tourism constantly changed for the worse on Avenida Revolución, the 1980s and ’90s were riddled with all-you-can-drink bars for Americans, drug dens, and prostitution. The alley between buildings that once housed upscale entertainment for tourists steadily declined. Time took its toll on the Pasaje, and by the late 90’s and post-9/11 911, all shops were closed. The once bustling alleyway was abandoned and had become a “PICADERO” (Tijuana slang for drug dens) for the unhoused, decaying, and plagued by All the stereotypes and social ills that have become synonymous with Tijuana. The glamour and prestige of a once worldwide hotspot the likes of Charlie Chaplin visited was gone (but not erased).

Resurgence and Cultural Reappropriation

The 911 attacks on America and a very publicized Violent drug war in Tijuana managed to kill tourism in the early and mid-2000s on the most famous street, Avenida Revolución. The roads that had seen 70 years of American tourism had dried up, and tumbleweeds blowing down the sidewalks on a Saturday night Were not uncommon during the late 2000s. New bars and restaurants opened in the downtown area for the first time in the history of the famed Avenida Revolución, catered to locals. Most notably, la Mezcalera Bar on 6th Street and Ceasar’s restaurant took the city And media by storm. These projects created a snowball effect of creativity and local entrepreneurship, and a resurgence of the downtown area began.

Luis Montijo, manager of the Pasaje Rodriguez, took it upon himself to offer the spaces and shops to local residents who were part of the creative community. He had taken control of the management by 2014, making giant efforts to clean up, Lighting, hiring private guards to make it safe, and curating the type of storefronts that would inhabit the Pasaje and its colorful murals. Montijo found support from the same business owners who now belonged to the Pasaje and worked directly with them to organize events. The space holds events that vary from Gothic clothes festivals, vegetarian food fests, and Japanese anime events, and its most famous event is the Vinyl Record Fair.

Oliver, owner and operator of Aether coffee shop and Plata Negra vintage store, says, “The Passage is a hotbed of local entrepreneurship and has become a must-stop for international tourism for the many walking tour companies. “

New to the Pasaje, Pizza Tredici’s owner Josabad commented, “We were set up at another collective on the street. This place's management and cultural diversity are unmatched, and we are happy to be here; it’s been three months, but we’re very satisfied. “

The serenity and tranquility of this artistic and Commercial corridor make Pasaje Rodriguez a must-visit for any local or tourist. Learn about the history of this fantastic place, shop, walk, see the murals, drink, eat, and indulge in this creative oasis amid the craziness that is downtown Tijuana.