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General topics about life on and travel to the Baja California Peninsula of Mexico
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Tijuana attraction: Open air museum with pyramid models
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Tijuana attraction: Open air museum with pyramid models
Last night we met up with some old friends and we talked about planning a Baja trip together later this summer. During the conversation over dinner there was a lot of reminiscing about time spent south of the border when we were younger and when talking about Tijuana, I mentioned an open air plaza type attraction that had all these very large, detailed models of pyramid sites in Mexico on display for you to walk around and see. That must have been back in the 80’s as I was just 5 or 6 at the time and I couldn’t even say exactly where it was located but I do recall how much I was fascinated by the size and detail in each model. Everybody at the table thought I was nuts, including my wife, but a call to my mom this morning confirms I was right. Although she can’t remember much else about it either. I did some rudimentary searching on Google but couldn’t find anything. Anybody remember it and is it still there?
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6 Replies
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You are correct! It was called Mexitlan and it was built in the 1980’s but was opened only for about 10 years I think. There were like 20 or 25 miniature models of the pyramids but also important historical and cultural monuments of Mexico too. My cousin was an electrician on the project construction and let me in to see it before it opened for public view. It really was quite amazing. We never took our children to see it as the tickets were too expensive and I think that is why it closed after 10 years. Although I heard they would later reduce the ticket price. I suppose it was just too late.
The plaza is now open again but for concerts and events. All of the miniature models were taken to Mexico City I believe. I found a video on Youtube that talks about Mexitlan but it is in spanish.
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Wow! How did I ever miss that?
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Two places that I loved in Tijuana that are no longer there were Señor Frogs Restaurant and Bar Iguana. Thirty something years ago I made a trip to Tijuana with a small group of friends to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers play at Iguanas – an amazing night. Way too much fun!
Found a picture of Mexitlan and it does / did look amazing! And again, how did I ever not see that place?
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My dad took the family there shortly after it first opened. I only know because there were photos of me there with my siblings but I was so young I really don’t remember anything much about it. Does sound like it was a great idea that was never managed very well.
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Thanks everybody for the history lesson and personal experiences. I used to always aim to drive straight thru TJ but the more I learn about the place the more it fascinates me.
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The US news media and San Diego Chamber of Commerce prefer you only think of Tijuana as Avenida Revolucion
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