SAN DIEGO.- In the spirit of the 125th Anniversary of Tijuana's founding, celebrations were organized to commemorate the past, present, and future of this city by local artists and presented at the Mingei International Museum at the San Diego Balboa Park this past Friday, July 18th.

Amongst the numerous exhibitions at the Mingei, Celebrate Tijuana in San Diego was coordinated by Tijuana's Cultural Center with support by the host museum, Tijuana's Tourism and Convention Center Committee (COTUCO), Tijuana's Municipal Administration and the editors of two recently published books on the city "Tijuana 1964" and "Tijuana 22000."

VIDEO: Celebrate Tijuana in San Diego

The Secretary of Development of Tijuana, Xavier Peniche Bustamante, said some words at the event and invited San Diegans to visit the city and witness the great transformation that has been taking place in the city over the past couple of years, while also looking at what has been left behind after many years. He also praised the books Tijuana 22000 and Tijuana 1964 in his address for "making us part of the cultural revolution that Tijuana is experiencing."

Other representative organizations in attendance included La Diferencia, one of Tijuana's authentic Mexican restaurants, that also offered a buffet for those in attendance.

For refreshment, invitees got to taste many local offerings including Monte Xanic and other local wines, as well as tequila sold and distributed in Tijuana named El Cachanilla.

COTUCO distributed tourist information to those that were interested in visiting the city, including a craft beer guide, which is one of the culinary offerings that has surged the most in Tijuana as of late.

The highlight of the event was the book presentation. Tijuana 22000 was written by a group of local artists and entrepreneurs that have been essential to the transformation of various sectors in Tijuana, or at least have witnessed and documented it. The book offers their visions of the city's future.

Tijuana 1964 was written by a San Diegan photographer who visited the city in that year on an assignment for a magazine he worked for. He spent weeks photographing the city and all aspects, which he has come to love over the past decades.

Its author, Henry W. Crosby, shared some stories with the audience on the photographs, what he learned about Tijuana, and a short summary of how he came to published the work after so many years. The book contains text in English and Spanish with information on the growth of the city, its transformation since 1964, and factors that led it to develop into what is now a city of more than 1.5 million residents.

The event concluded with musical offerings of Hiperboreal of Nortec Collective, and DJ Mateo, other prime examples of creativity that originated in Tijuana.

jose.sanchez@sandiegored.com

borderzonie@gmail.com