Ensenada is a municipality in the Mexican state of Baja California. It is the fourth-largest municipality in the country, with a land area of in 2020, making slightly smaller than the state of Hidalgo and larger than five other Mexican states.
Located offshore, Cedros Island and Guadalupe Island are part of the municipality, making Ensenada the westernmost municipality in Mexico and Latin America.
Incorporated on 15 May 1882 as the northern partido of the Baja California Territory, it became a municipality of the state of Baja California on 29 December 1953.
The municipality shares borders with every other municipality in the state: Tijuana, Playas de Rosarito and Tecate to the north, Mexicali and San Felipe to the east and southeast and San Quintín to the south. Its municipal seat is Ensenada, a port lying near the northwest corner of the municipality.
In 2009 a massive project was announced to build what would be Mexico's largest port in Punta Colonet, a largely uninhabited area south of the city of Ensenada, but as of 2025 no construction has begun.
In February 2020, San Quintín separated from Ensenada and became Baja California's sixth municipality. Prior to this, Ensenada was the country's largest municipality. In January 2022, Puertecitos separated from Ensenada to San Felipe and became Baja California's seventh municipality, further reducing the size of Ensenada Municipality.
Subdivisions The Ensenada municipality is administratively subdivided into 17 boroughs: Ensenada La Misión El Porvenir Francisco Zarco (Guadalupe) San Antonio de las Minas El Sauzal Real del Castillo Maneadero Santo Tomás Eréndira San Vicente Valle de la Trinidad Colonet Isla de Cedros Sector Centro Sector Noroeste Chapultepec
Demographics
As of 2020, the municipality had a total population of 443,807 in 1,698 localities.
Ensenada, the seat, has 330,652 residents, and the following are the largest urban communities: Rodolfo Sánchez Taboada (Maneadero) (27,969) El Sauzal de Rodríguez (11,371) El Zorrillo (8,522) San Vicente (5,062) Valle de Guadalupe (4,334) Valle de la Trinidad (3,381) Punta Colonet (3,095) Ojos Negros (2,707) Poblado Héroes de Chapultepec (2,360).
Government Municipal presidents Term Municipal president Political partyNotesMunicipal presidents of Ensenada, Northern District of Baja California1888-1889 Emilio Legaspy Círculo Nacional PorfiristaPorfirist National Circle; the adjective "Porfirist" stands for the proper name of dictator Porfirio Díaz.1889 Ricardo P. Eaton Círculo Nacional Porfirista1889 Juan F. Montenegro Círculo Nacional PorfiristaActing municipal president1889-1891 Rodolfo F. Nieto Círculo Nacional Porfirista1891-1896 Ismael Sánchez Círculo Nacional Porfirista1896-1897 José María Obando Círculo Nacional Porfirista1897-1901 Carlos A. Guijosa Círculo Nacional Porfirista1901 Alejandro Guerrero y Porres Círculo Nacional Porfirista1901-1902 Enrique Ferniza Círculo Nacional Porfirista Acting municipal president1902-1903 Alejandro Guerrero y Porres Círculo Nacional PorfiristaResumed1903-1907 Eulogio Romero Círculo Nacional Porfirista1907-1911 Manuel Labastida Castro Círculo Nacional PorfiristaMunicipal presidents of Ensenada, Northern Territory of Baja California1911-1915 David Zárate Zazueta 1915-1916 Eugenie G. Beraud 1916-1920 Antonio Ptacnik 1920-1921 Othón P. Blanco 1921 Ramón Moyron, Jr. 1921-1922 David Zárate Zazueta 1922-1923 Ramón Moyron, Jr. 1923-1924 Luis G. Beltrán 1924 Andrés E. Núñez 1924-1925 Percy Hussong 1925-1926 Gustavo Appel 1926-1927 Manuel Robles Linares Municipal Council1927-1928 Daniel Goldbaum First councilmanDelegation of Government1928 Daniel Goldbaum First delegate1929-1932 David Zárate Zazueta PNR Second delegate1932-1936 Antonio Ortiz Ortega PNR Third delegate1936-1944 Juan Julio Dunn Legaspy PNR PRM Fourth delegate1944-1945 Braulio Maldonado Sánchez PRM Fifth delegateConstitutionally elected municipal presidents01/12/1953-1956 David Ojeda Ochoa PRI 1956-31/10/1956 Víctor Salazar PRI Acting municipal president01/11/1956-31/10/1959 Santos B. Cota PRI 01/11/1959-31/10/1962 Elpidio Berlanga de León PRI 01/11/1962-31/10/1965 Adolfo Ramírez Méndez PRI 01/11/1965-31/10/1968 Jorge Olguín Hermida PRI 01/11/1968-31/10/1971 Guilebaldo Silva Cota PRI 01/11/1971-31/10/1974 Octavio Pérez Pazuengo PRI 01/11/1974-31/10/1977 Jorge Moreno Bonet PRI 01/11/1977-31/10/1980 Luis González Ruiz PRI 01/11/1980-31/10/1983 Raúl Ramírez Funcke PRI 01/11/1983-31/10/1986 David Ojeda OchoaSocialist Workers' Party, PST First municipal president out of an opposition party01/11/1986-19/04/1989 Ernesto Ruffo Appel PAN He applied for a temporary leave in order to run for the state governor office, which he got20/04/1989-31/10/1989 Enrique Chapela Zapién PAN Acting municipal president01/11/1989-31/10/1992 Jesús del Palacio Lafontaine PAN 01/11/1992-31/10/1995 Óscar Sánchez del Palacio PAN 01/11/1995-31/10/1998 Manuel Montenegro Espinoza PRI 01/11/1998-2001 Daniel Quintero Peña PRI He applied for a temporary leave in order to seek the state governor office, which he didn't get2001-31/10/2001 Ricardo Arjona GoldbaumPRI Acting municipal president01/11/2001-31/10/2004 Jorge Antonio Catalán Sosa PAN PVEM Alliance for Baja California01/11/2004-31/10/2007 César Mancillas Amador PAN 01/11/2007-31/10/2010 Pablo Alejo López Núñez PAN Panal PES Alliance for Baja California01/11/2010-31/10/2013 Enrique Pelayo Torres PRI PVEM Coalition For a Responsible Government01/11/2013-31/10/2016 Gilberto Hirata Chico PRI PT PVEM PES Coalition Compromise for Baja California01/11/2016-30/09/2019 Marco Antonio Novelo Osuna PRI PT PVEM Panal Coalition PRI-PT-PVEM-Panal01/10/2019-30/09/2021Armando Ayala RoblesMorena 01/10/2021-28/02/2024He was reelected on 06/06/202101/03/2024-30/09/2024 Carlos Ibarra Aguiar Acting municipal president01/10/2024- Claudia Agatón Muñiz
See also Punta Colonet, Baja California Maneadero
Notes
References Ensenada: Its background, founding, and early development http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/84winter/ensenada.htm Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005 INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática Los Municipios con Mayor y Menor Extensión Territorial Instituto Nacional para el Federalismo y el Desarrollo Municipal Subdivisions (delegaciones)
External links
Ayuntamiento de Ensenada Official government website. Property frenzy in Baja California, Diane Lindquist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 April 2006. Article on planned port construction at Punta Colonet.