Ensenada’s municipal government will host a free Historical Reading Circle every Tuesday in July, covering pivotal and often little-known chapters of Baja California’s past. The sessions run from 5 to 7 p.m. on July 7, 14, 21, and 28 at the Casa de la Cultura “Miguel de Anda Jacobsen,” located inside the Centro Cultural Riviera on Boulevard Costero.
The reading circle is open to the public and requires no prior knowledge of the topics. Registration is free. Organizers say the goal is to encourage residents and visitors to explore regional history through group reading and discussion.
Filibusters, Revolutionaries, and Forgotten Mines
The four sessions will cover specific episodes in Baja California’s history. One session focuses on William Walker’s 1853 filibuster expedition, in which the American adventurer briefly declared an independent “Republic of Lower California” before being driven out by Mexican forces. Another explores the 1911 Magonista revolutionary movement, when followers of the anarchist Flores Magón brothers briefly seized Tijuana and Mexicali during the Mexican Revolution.
Other topics include 19th-century mining operations in the region and guerrilla movements that took shape in Baja California during the 1970s. These subjects are rarely covered in English-language guides or tourism materials, making the series a useful resource for anyone looking to understand the peninsula’s layered past.
Where to Sign Up
The Centro Cultural Riviera, a Spanish-style former casino and hotel built in the 1930s, sits along Ensenada’s waterfront and is one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. The Casa de la Cultura operates inside the complex and regularly hosts cultural programming.
Three institutions are behind the series: the Instituto Municipal de Cultura (Ensenada’s municipal culture institute), the Ensenada Historical Archive, and the Casa de la Cultura. Those interested can register by calling 664-241-9515 or emailing ahensenada@gmail.com.
Sessions will be conducted in Spanish. No cost or materials are required to attend.
This story was first reported by Jornada BC.