Tijuana Cultural Center

The Tijuana Cultural Center (CECUT) opened its doors October 20, 1982, with over a million visitors a year. This touristic attraction has been the main center for the regional arts, and represents one the most important in the northwest of the country. It is located in the Zona Río district of Tijuana, Mexico.

Panorama of the Tijuana Cultural Center

The complex features an OMNIMAX theatre, with a 360-degree projector that gives one the impression of being inside the movie. It has a capacity of 308 seats and is popularly known as "La Bola" (the ball) because of its spherical shape. It was designed by architects Pedro Ramirez Vazques and Manuel Rossen Morrison. Also, this is the current and only IMAX Theater in Tijuana.

Since its opening in '82 it has been the main attraction for the cultural centre and on October that same year it premiered the movie "El Pueblo del Sol" which was made especially for the opening. The movie featured images from the most representative regions of Mexico and got very good reviews. It lasted 13 years as the only movie showing and at full capacity. Today, the centre offers up to three different movies playing daily and it premieres an average of four movies per year.

The center contains a big explanade that can gather up to 6,000 people and is often used for concerts, festivals, performances, and expos of different sorts. It is considered the heart of the centre since it is located exactly at the center.

There is also permanent exhibition, called "Museo de las californias" which stores over 200 pieces and is a walk through the history of the Baja Peninsula and the state of California from the prehistoric period until the first half of the 20th century. Also a pre-Hispanic garden, called "Jardin Caracol (Snail Garden)", that contains sculptures from the different regions of the mesoamerican cultures that inhabited south Mexico before the arrival of the Spanish Army. Visitors can have the experience of going through the exhibition while enjoing a coffee since there is a little coffee shop in the garden.

There is also a scenic theatre which has a room for around a thousand visitors and it is mostly used for private concerts and plays. There are also lecture rooms, video room, café, and a bookshop. There are several spaces for temporary small exhibits.

In September 2008, on the eve of its 26th anniversary, CECUT opened its doors to a brand new building called "El Cubo" (The Cube), so named because of the contrast between the popular name of the omnimax theatre "The Ball". This represented the very important opportunity for CECUT to start receiving International Exhibitions, and since then it has been the home for exhibitions that have traveled from other countries including Buda Guanyin, Gabriel Figueroa, Alice Rahon, Venus en Tijuana, Proyecto Civico, and Animated Painting among others.

Nowadays this important institution has different programs for all ages, since classes for early stimulation for kids around 2 months and 2 years, plastic arts and artisan workshops for children from 5 to 15 years and concerts, conferences, movies, documentaries, exhibitions, and all kind of services for the whole family to enjoy the day and spend a nice time learning.

CECUT its conveniently located no more than 5 minutes from the San Diego-Tijuana International Border and the prices are really adequate for everyone.

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  View of CECUT Imax Theater

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  Panoramic view of Tijuana Cultural Center

External links

• Tijuana Cultural Center