Development Asymmetries in the Tijuana-San Diego Region: Reflections on a Historical Dependence

The Tijuana-San Diego transborder region intrigues us due to its transversal and asymmetrical relationships. The development in the border region between Mexico and the United States has a turbulent origin since the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which divides spaces that were once part of the same territory. This study aims to identify the origins of asymmetrical development on Mexico's northern border from a critical perspective. It examines this territorial boundary at two pivotal moments for development: the division and constitution of the California’s, 1848, and the Volstead Act (Prohibition Law), 1919. This analysis reveals a divergent space that shapes processes of constant dependence and transversal relationships characterized by unequal territorial activities in a transnational core-periphery relation, also known as semi-periphery.