Ruinas Aguacaliente

Place #emblematico de #tijuana If you are interested in your #history and like a #postal #clasica de #tj You will undoubtedly be here in the #ruinas of #casino #aguacaliente Now it houses the facilities of one of the most important high schools in the city.

Volstead Act or better known as the Dry Act by all, prohibited gambling and alcohol consumption in the United States. For years, a few kilometers south of the town of Tijuana, there was a hot spring. Remember that the San Andrés fault, not so far away, causes seismic phenomena and volcanic activity in the region. The source was taken advantage of by visionary businessmen who, in the context of the dry law, built the first tourist complex in Mexico. In this way Agua Caliente was born, offering accommodation, rest, entertainment, shows, gambling and betting services. There was a casino and a racing track. Over time and under the appeal of California's eclectic style, it became part of the tourist route for visitors to Los Angeles and San Diego. It became the favorite spot of the new Hollywood movie aristocracy and its nascent industry. Among the visitors were Clark Gable, the Marx brothers, Jean Harlos, Bing Crosby and Mexican divas such as Dolores del Río and Lupe Vélez. Even the complex served as a location for some productions. Later it was in Mexico where games were banned. In the north another place began to take the place that Tijuana had. The town of Las Vegas. Fires, neglect, various uses, and nearby buildings have modified the architectural heritage of Agua Caliente. If we consider that tourism is the main economic activity after oil, Agua Caliente, the first tourist complex in the country, should have a privileged place and be protected. It was not so. Currently the area is occupied by five official school campuses such as the Lázaro Cárdenas Federal High School or Technical High School 1 and its corresponding CAPFCE classrooms, located on the sites of the old buildings already demolished, among green areas with various species of vegetation. Two sets of buildings survive plus other monuments scattered in the area that originally occupied Agua Caliente. The Minaret Complex, whose monuments were part of the spa, integrates the pool with its art deco-type perimeter benches, the pointed arch of one of the facades with its polychrome tile mosaic cover, the entrance staircase with the fountain glazed ceramic and the minaret-shaped fireplace. Most of these buildings are located within the Lázaro Cárdenas Federal High School and closed for curious visitors who like me want to know the remains of Agua Caliente. The minaret is damaged due to a nearby construction The Set of Bungalows persists in its entirety, due to the fact that they have been permanently used and thanks to the tenants who have largely maintained the original characteristics of its architecture and gardening. But even so, these spaces have been adapted and used in different ways. Spectacular blocks the view and makes the landscape not look cool. Although the existing monuments represent only a part of what was the entire tourist center, these are important significant testimonies of the history of that part of the country. In 1993 the Tijuana Cultural Heritage Preservation Commission and the group Architectural Heritage Promoters requested the INAH Center in Baja California the Decree as a Monument of the "Agua Caliente Historic Site", a request that was positively attended by the National Coordination of Historical Monuments where it is located. waiting to be ratified. I insist that with some imagination something very cool could be done with this area. As a tourist it was a disappointment not to be able to get to know, take photos and not know anything about the place. There are not even plates, photographs or anything to suggest the importance of this place in the history of the city. There is no museum or anything. A model with the original construction, photos of its visitors, even projections of the films that were filmed here would be the father.

very beautiful place

Unfortunately they are ruins but at least they are preserved.

It is a site with buildings from the Excalino de Aguacaliente.