Mexicali’s popular Callejón Chinesca remains shut down with no reopening date in sight as city inspectors continue to document serious safety hazards inside the historic corridor’s aging buildings. Mayor Norma Alicia Bustamante Martínez confirmed on April 28 that the alley will not reopen until every structure meets minimum safety requirements.
The closure, now entering its fourth week, traces back to a March 29 incident in which part of a building facade at the former Mercado del Ahorro collapsed onto the alley, injuring a young woman. The alley sits between Avenida Juárez and Calle José Azueta in Mexicali’s Centro Histórico, a corridor that has drawn growing weekend crowds in recent months.
Inspectors Find Damaged Wiring, Flooded Basements
Municipal firefighters and Civil Protection (Protección Civil) teams have inspected all 13 buildings along the corridor. Their findings paint a grim picture: damaged electrical cables, wiring that violates current code, emergency exits blocked by stored objects, and several basements flooded with standing water that may have weakened foundations.
Inspectors also flagged deteriorated plaster, crumbling facade elements, and a near-total absence of fire extinguishers. Most of the buildings are decades old and were never built with modern emergency exits. Protección Civil has proposed alternatives for widening access points to meet minimum evacuation standards, but owners must carry out the work before any business can legally reopen.
Three Businesses Cut Off, Progress Slow
The closure has directly affected at least three small businesses that have no alternate entrances, the mayor said in an earlier April 19 statement. City officials have met with merchants to explore temporary access solutions, but safety remains the priority.
Bustamante Martínez noted that while most building owners are working toward compliance, the process has been slow. “We have been at this for almost three weeks and the Chinesca alley will not open until the minimum requirements are met,” she said. On a positive note, she praised the historic construction quality of the buildings themselves, calling them “very well built” even as their internal systems need complete overhauls.
No Reopening Date Set
City officials have been clear: there is no target date for reopening. Each owner must complete all required repairs, after which a second round of inspections will determine whether the alley is safe for foot traffic. Required upgrades include rewired electrical systems, functional emergency exits, adequate fire extinguishers, and the demolition or repair of any facade elements that pose a collapse risk.
The Centro Histórico around La Chinesca remains accessible, and the city has closed nearby streets to vehicle traffic on weekends to accommodate pedestrian flow. But the alley itself, one of Mexicali’s most recognizable landmarks tied to the city’s Chinese immigrant heritage, will stay behind barriers until further notice.
This story was first reported by El Imparcial and The Baja Post.