Capital of the State, and also known as the 'Ciudad Cuyo Cielo Capturó el Sol' (the Heavenly city that Captured the Sun), Mexicali was officially founded on March 14, 1903.

Its name is derived from the combination of the first parts of the words Mexico and California. At just 3 meters above sea level, the place has a hot, dry climate, but with rains that bring a little relief from the heat during winter.

Before the founding of Mexicali, its present day neighbour, established on the northern side of the border, is the city of Calexico - once again, but this time the other way around, from the combination of California and Mexico; over time, these two cities have had much in common, which is why they are known as 'twin towns.'

On November 20, 1915., the capital of Northern Baja California was transferred from Ensenada to Mexicali. During the first few decades of the last Century, many of the most important buildings of the city were constructed, including the Cuauhtémoc School (1916), the Palacio de Gobierno (1922), the Palacio Municipal (1924), the Colorado River Land Co. (1924) and the Brewery of Mexicali (1923).

During this era, the use of the lands of the Valle de Mexicali was controlled by the Colorado River Land Co., which continued to be the case until January 27, 1937., when the historic invasion of the land by the 'campesinos' took place, securing land for the people and thus assuring the economic growth of the city and releasing the lands from the control of the foreign company.

Similar to Tijuana, during the 1920s and 30s, Mexicali became famous, although on a smaller scale, for its numerous bars and nightlife; however, this era gave way to the industrial, commercial and agricultural growth of the city and its surroundings, in the fertile valley with the same name as the city.

Mexicali offers visitors not only the hospitality of its people, but also a variety of attractions such as the excellent Chinese dishes, comfortable hotels, shopping centres, zoos, spas, bullrings, cultural houses and art galleries and last but not least, a real-life forest.

The city also has a Civic Center; the Municipal and State headquarters, which date back to 1936; at that time, on the outskirts, nowadays it is in the city centre, just 14 blocks from the International Crossing point to the U.S.

The natives of Mexicali call themselves the 'cachanías,' from cachanilla - the name of a local reed, famous for its resistence to periods of drought.

Mexicali is a modern city with wide, well-designed streets built on a level portion of the valley. The highway arrives here by way of San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora.

Tijuana is just a stones throw from the beaches of Rosarito, which lie ten minutes to the south of the city. Here there is always an array of water sports action on offer, including surfing, kayaking and treasure hunting, to name but a few.

Access to the Ocean is gained through the Tijuana beaches to the east of the city. When the sea is calm, it is possible to sight dolphins off the coast in this region, gliding by around 50 meters from the coast.

A fine-sand, slightly-sloped beach on the open sea, with regular waves giving surfers their chance to show off their talents. Those who don't surf can play sports, the beach itself is wide, or of course turn off and ignore the world on the beach or in one of the chalets dotted along several kilometers of the beach, which limits with the U.S. border.

Arriving to Tijuana is always an emotional experience. Here you are given the options of betting on either greyhounds or Jai-Alai, the fastest sport on earth, and the two bullrings attract flocks of tourists every Sunday from May to September.

There are also two golf courses, and after the sun sets, a host of bars and restaurants come to life and Tía Juana becomes a treasure-trove of lights and diversion.

The majority of the stores of the city are concentrated in an area of around ten blocks, around Avenida Revolución, right in the center of the tourist zone.

SURF

The beaches of Tijuana offer good surfing. When there's a swell the waves are big, and just the slightest of investigation reveals sandbars, recently formed in the area, thus helping surfers to have a chance at long runs. Swimming line-up, when the waves are big, can result in a bit of heavy exercise if you want to avoid being trapped on the inside of a 'breaker.' Wet-suits recommended from October to May.

Just 25 kilometers along the coast from Tijuana lies Rosarito. This beautiful municipal with just 15,000 inhabitants, was considered as the border with the United States prior to the signing of the treaties which moved the division of the two countries to Tijuana.

This place was a favorite getaway of Hollywood stars between the 30s and 50s, taking advantage of the hotels located along the whole length of the wide, fine-sanded golden beach, which has a regular swell, providing the opportunity to try your hand at surfing, fishing, wind-surfing, or if you prefer, a long horse ride along the beach.

It is widely known for its festival atmosphere due to its magnificent hotels and restaurants, as well as the local discos where you can dance to your heart's content into the early hours of the morning.

Rosarito hit the world stage when it became the location for the cinematographic studios of 20th Century Fox, where the film'"Titanic' was shot, and during which time they added a massive water tank in which to film the famous sinking of the world's first unsinkable ship, creating work as extras for hundreds of the locals.

During the shooting of this film, it was common to see stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet or Billy Zane enjoying themselves in the local discos, or trying out the local delicacy of fish tacos.

These studios are still operating (given their proximity to Hollywood), and house a museum which is open to the public on weekends.

Another tourist attraction of the city is its velodrome, one of the largest the world over.