SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Halloween in Tijuana has become commonplace with kids trick-or-treating, people having costume contests and others decorating their homes with skeletons, pumpkins and witches just like people do north of the border.
“Tijuana is very influenced by Halloween in the United States,” said Antonieta Mercado, with the University of San Diego Latin American Studies Department.
Mercado said the constant migration and flow of ideas back and forth across border has led to people in Northern Baja California taking on the American tradition of Halloween.
She says Halloween started to take hold in border cities such as Tijuana in the late 70s and 80s, especially among young people.
“Kids, they’re seeing their primos, their cousins, on the other side of the border celebrating, we have conversations, we visit each other, see each other’s social media profiles, and kids are exposed to that,” she said.
Mercado told Border Report another example of traditions and customs flowing across the border is Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, something that many families north of the border have taken on from their neighbors in Mexico.
“The celebration of Day of the Dead in the United States, many artists and activists brought the celebration into galleries in the Mission neighborhood in San Francisco in the 70s and 80s and also many families have brought their traditions to celebrate their ancestors in their houses and homes,” said Mercado.