Take a stroll through SAN’s terminals, and you’re bound to run into Latin flavors and influences. That’s only natural - we’re just 22 miles away from the international border with Mexico and the northernmost tip of Latin America!

Below, we’ve divided them into categories for when you’re looking for your next drink or dish at SAN with a Latin punch, or a colorful gift to take back home. 

Art 

Huichol and Tepehuano yarn paintings - Terminal 2 West, gate 35 

More than 60 different colors of yarn were used to make these art pieces. They tell stories of indigenous deities and other mythological folklore in the style of the Huichol and Tepehuán tribes from the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains in Mexico. 

‘Afflicted Mementos’ by the De La Torre brothers (La Curva Estudios) - Terminal 2 East, gate 27

Glass gems and plastic castings form together to show various travel mementos around the world by the Baja California-San Diego-based artists. They include sites in Latin America like Peru’s Machu Picchu, pyramid ruins, and the famous Tijuana donkeys.

Food & Drinks

Try the Mexicali flatbread at The Prado Restaurant in Terminal 2, gate 26 with Argentine chimichurri, guajillo beef, and roasted green chiles. Or try the street tacos at Banker’s Hill Restaurant in Terminal 1 with salsa fresca and avocado crema. If you want something fast, QDOBA at Sunset Cove in Terminal 2 offers counter-serve tacos and burritos. 

Caipirinha: A Brazilian cocktail made of sugar, lime, ice, and cachaça. Served at Bankers Hill Restaurant in Terminal 1.

Michelada: A Mexican beer drink with lime juice, chili, and tomato juice. Served at Urban Crave in Terminal 2 West, gate 48.

Sangrias, Mojitos, and Margaritas: The Prado Restaurant in Terminal 2, gate 26 has a large bar with a large selection of cocktails.

Gifts

‘Catrinas’ are now mostly associated with ‘Día de Muertos’ or Day of the Dead festivities, but the skeleton figures were born during the Mexican Revolution. A political satirist named José Guadalupe Posada drew from Aztec imagery of ‘calaveras’ to create skeleton figures. He fashioned La Catrina to illustrate his political spoofs and social commentary in Mexico’s penny press of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Now, even SAN has its very own La Catrina doll with San Diego proudly emblazoned on her. Sold at select gift stores in Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. 

You’ll find Mexican pottery, ribbon dolls, and more at Old Town News & Market in Terminal 2 East, gate 26. The shop is named after San Diego’s historic Old Town Center.

Flights

SAN offers seasonal nonstop flights to destinations in Mexico like Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, and Cancún. From these destinations, you can travel to neighboring hip Mexican beach towns like Todos Santos, Bacalar, Playa Del Carmen, Tulum, and Sayulita.