Statsraad Lehmkuhl visits Ensenada, November 16–17, 2025
Ensenada, which means inlet in Spanish, lies in a wide bay just south of the border between Mexico and the United States. It has an excellent harbor, the second busiest in Mexico, but the city is perhaps best known as a tourist destination.
The Prohibition era
The city’s rise to fame began during the Prohibition era in the United States, from 1920 to 1933, when the production, import, transport, and sale of alcoholic beverages were banned. Party-loving Americans flocked across the border, and the city’s first hotel, Hotel Riviera del Pacífico, opened to welcome them.
The cocktail Margarita is said to have been created at this hotel.
The hotel closed its operations in 1964, but can still be visited today, it now serves as a cultural center and museum.
Capital for a short time
Like the rest of the Pacific coast, the bay where Ensenada now stands was inhabited by Indigenous peoples when the Spaniards arrived in 1542. The first Europeans to settle were monks, arriving in the late 1600s.
In 1882, the town became the capital of the short-lived Republic of Baja California and grew alongside the mining activity in the surrounding mountains.
The War of Independence between Mexico and Spain, from 1810 to 1821, took a heavy toll, and by 1930 the city’s population had dropped to just 5,000.
Tourists continued to visit even after Prohibition ended in the U.S., and by 1950 the population had risen to 20,000.
Marine research
Today, Ensenada is home to about 330,000 people. In addition to its harbor and tourism industry, the city is a center for marine research, oceanography, and biotechnology.
It is also an important fishing port, and the surrounding region produces grapes, olives, wheat, and vegetables.
A pleasant climate
The climate is pleasant all year round, with maximum temperatures between 25 and 27°C from July to October, and between 20 and 23°C for the rest of the year.
The region is dry, with an average annual rainfall of only 280 millimeters—most of it falling between December and March.
Normal maximum temperature in November: 23.2 °C
Normal rainfall in November: 19.6 mm