With a population of more than 1.8 million, Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and one of the most culturally vibrant metropolises of Mexico. This sprawling city, steeped in rich history and cultural diversity, is far more than its stereotyped image as a hub of vice and a haven for tourists. The Early Days (pre-1500s) The history of Tijuana extends far beyond the arrival of Europeans in the Americas. Indigenous peoples known as the Kumeyaay, who occupied regions extending from what is now Southern California to Baja California, were the earliest known inhabitants. Their lives, deeply connected to nature, were characterized by a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle.…