Chapter 14: The Southwest Border Area

The Southwest Border Area is a portion of the United States that overlaps many other distinct regions.  It includes the southern border of California, Arizona, New Mexico, and the southwestern part of Texas.  What makes this region unique is it's cultural foundation.  This area is distinguished by coexisting Spanish American, American Indian, and Northwest European American people.  Like the southwest border area, San Diego is also an ethnically diverse city.  This mix of cultures gives San Diego a distinct cultural fusion which is reflected in the local music, architecture, and cuisine.

San Diego boasts a large Hispanic population (around 30%) but the most populous is the Caucasian race (around 40%).  California has the highest number of Hispanic people in the entire united states with around 13.2 million followed by Texas and Florida.  Hispanic Americans first began settling in this area around 1769.  The Hispanic population in San Diego is the tenth-largest in the nation and continues to grow. For the first time in San Diego County, Hispanic births have surpassed the total number of Anglo births. By the year 2036, Hispanics will comprise the largest section of the population; two out of every five people in the county, or 41 percent, will be of Hispanic origin or descent (Hispanic Marketing).

The presence and history of the Hispanic population can be easily seen in the historical sites and restaurants in Old Town San Diego...

• Serra Museum- Original San Diego Presidio, this museum chronicles Old Town's inhabitants from the Kumeyaay to the present with classic photos and exhibits. Operated by the San Diego Historical Society, 2727 Presidio Drive.
• Casa de Aguirre- This is a reconstruction of a house built in the 1850's by Jose Antonio Aguirre. Aguirre married two of his neighbor Don Jose Antonio de Estudillo's daughters. He married Francisca, and after her death married her sister Maria del Rosario.
• Presidio Park- Father Junípero Serra established the first San Diego Mission on Presidio Hill. Officially proclaimed a Spanish Presidio on January 1, 1774, the fortress was later occupied by a succession of Mexican forces. The Presidio was abandoned in 1837 after San Diego became a pueblo.
• Tequila Museum- From its beginnings in the blue agave fields of Jalisco, to its consumption in small cantinas and trendy restaurants, tequila is the quintessentially Mexican drink.  It is said that, Old Town San Diego serves more tequilla than anywhere else in the world so there is plenty to choose from!
• Casa de Bandini/Cosmopolitan Hotel- Originally a one-story adobe, the home of Don A. Bandini. Built in the early 19th century, this adobe was the headquarters of Commodore Robert F. Stockton in 1846. The building was purchased in 1869 by Alfred Seeley, who added the second story and opened it as the Cosmopolitan Hotel. Now operates as the Cosmopolitan Restaurant

Presidio Park

Cosmopolitan Restaurant

Serra Museum