GillBilly Chronicals: The Modern Day Baja, Mexico Presidio

SECURITY ISSUES CONTINUE TO STALK BAJA VISITORS

The Santa Barbara Royal Presidio, built in 1782, was the last of four military fortresses built by the Spanish in California. The original fort was a fully enclosed quadrangle surrounding an open parade ground.

As Baja struggles to emerge from its third world status, one constant remains; it is still viewed as essentially a lawless society. There is absolutely no safety beside the remote campfire or sleeping in the secluded beach cabin or tent. You soon realize if your privacy and personal belongings are invaded and vandalized, a call to the local authorities that were not there to protect you in the first place are slow to respond to your plight after the incursion. Through progressions of evolution the fact still remains, one of the safest places in Mexico that is currently considered secure is in the modern form of the traditional cultural structure of local protection, the presidio. Here you find safety in the solace of hired guards and a walled enclosure.

Spain's colonization strategy of Northern Mexico was through the establishment of missions, pueblos and presidios, each having a distinct function. Missions were intended to be the facilities for turning natives into Christian citizens of the Spanish empire, thus providing a civilian population, a labor force and auxiliary military support for protecting Spanish interests in the area. The pueblos (towns) were designed to be composed largely of families recruited in Mexico. They were expected to provide agricultural support for the presidio companies, while also expanding population centers and military reserves in case of invasion. Finally, the presidios were the military outposts established to provide coastal defense from foreign invasion and to defend the missions and pueblos. In addition to their military role, they were the civil, economic and social centers for the frontier settlements. The presidios were the trading centers, which received and disbursed the annual supply of goods from Mexico, on which the entire population was dependent for survival. The presidio companies, composed largely of married soldiers and their families, were planned as "seed" communities from which future pueblos would grow, thus strengthening Spain's claims to the region. All of the presidios met to varying degrees the goals assigned to them by the Spanish Crown. Most were successful in fulfilling their role as "seed" communities. Pueblos grew up around the forts as military personnel retired from active duty and constructed adobe homes nearby.

Currently it is considered dangerous to live in the Baja pueblo without barred windows and big dogs. It is against the law to bear arms in Baja, so either pets or other means must be employed to protect one’s life and property from banditos. The walled community or modern day presidio is the more preferable arrangement. The gated marinas that contain some of the most expensive gringo possessions, the large yachts, have the most well developed security measures. Long established communities like Las Gaviotas also have high walls and extensive community security protection. The feeling of vulnerability when you leave the confines of the security bubble that you are comfortably within is understandable, because suddenly you are confronted by a band of glances that often give away the contempt and desire for what you are and have. On busy weekend days, constant sirens outside your stronghold may make you all the more less likely to leave the nest.

One of the highest priority security zones in Ensenada is the Cruiseport Marina and cruise ship dock facility. Thousands of touristas from outside Baja disembark here daily to visit the local trinket shops and cantinas and subsequently dance on the tables. A terrorist type attack on the Cruiseport compound would be a major blow to the local economy. Across the harbor, the same is true of the container ship docks; any disruption of the life support supply line that the containers are delivering would soon cripple the entire northern Baja economic realm.

The security infrastructure in Baja is by far the most important subject to be discussed in the future. The police can't protect who are here now, how can they be expected to protect all that are supposedly going to buy these quickly reproducing condo units? The bad press that has been recently reported in the southern California news media will make it impossible to sell these structured cubicles, regardless of how beautiful the view is, if these security concerns are not mollified. The awareness that one must live in a private security zone without being able to visit the outside world and see the many attractions that exist in Baja will further stem the flow of new tourism dollars and citizens from north of the border.

Scandal is gossip made tedious by morality.
Oscar Wilde