Tijuana Neighbourhood Guide

Colonia Mariano Matamoros Centro

Tijuana, Baja California

The Centre of the Matamoros Basin

Colonia Mariano Matamoros Centro sits in the La Presa delegación, 12.0 routed miles from the store. Residents here use a San Ysidro address for the U.S. orders that will not ship to a Mexican one, and collect several at a time.

  • Large Working Colonia
  • CBTIS 237
  • Scout Park
  • Ruta Matamoros

Border Intelligence Center

Official CBP Wait Times • Updated Automatically Throughout the Day

  • San Ysidro 110 min SENTRI 10 min Heavy delay
  • Otay Mesa 170 min SENTRI 25 min Heavy delay
  • Tecate 60 min Current wait Heavy delay
  • Pedestrian 30 min at San Ysidro Moderate delay
  • USD / MXN 17.0260 Exchange rate
  • Best crossing Tecate 60 min
  • Updated 6:51 pm Official CBP feed

Detailed Border Wait Times (CBP)

Port of Entry General Sentri Pedestrian
San Ysidro 110 min 10 min 30 min
Otay Mesa 170 min 25 min 90 min
Tecate 60 min 5 min

Estimated Total Travel Time

From
Colonia Mariano Matamoros Centro, Tijuana
Drive
19 minutes
Border wait
170 min
Total estimate
189 min

Drive time is an estimate; the border wait is live and changes through the day. Check again before you travel.

Plan Your Trip (opens Google Maps in a new tab)

Mexico Customs Official government resource

Returning to Mexico with purchases? Check Mexico's current traveller allowance (franquicia), declaration requirements and customs guidance before you cross.

Check Mexico Personal Allowance (Franquicia) — opens official Mexican customs traveller allowance (franquicia) information on the ANAM government website in a new tab

U.S. Border Wait Times Official government resource

Check live northbound passenger vehicle and pedestrian wait times at San Ysidro and Otay Mesa before you leave Tijuana.

Official CBP Wait Times — opens official U.S. Customs and Border Protection border wait times in a new tab

Trusted Traveler Programs Official government resource

SENTRI and Global Entry members use dedicated lanes at San Ysidro and Otay Mesa. Apply or renew through the official DHS portal.

SENTRI / Trusted Traveler — opens the official U.S. Department of Homeland Security Trusted Traveler Programs site in a new tab

Electronic I-94 Official government resource

Travellers entering the United States can obtain or review their electronic I-94 arrival record before crossing.

Electronic I-94 (U.S. Arrivals) — opens the official U.S. Customs and Border Protection I-94 service in a new tab

Vehicle Permits Official government resource

Driving beyond the Baja California free zone requires a temporary vehicle import permit, issued by Banjercito.

Banjercito Vehicle Permits — opens the official Banjercito temporary vehicle import permit site in a new tab

Medical FastLane Official government resource

Patients attending medical appointments across the border may use the Cruce Agil / Medical FastLane northbound lane.

Tijuana Medical FastLane / Cruce Agil — opens the official Tijuana SEDETI Medical FastLane information page in a new tab

Find your neighborhood Encuentra tu colonia

Start typing and go straight to your colonia — accents optional.

Browse all Tijuana neighborhoods

Colonia Mariano Matamoros Centro Quick Facts

  • Drive to San Ysidro 19 minutes
  • Major Shopping Plaza El Florido, Calimax
  • Parks & Recreation Parque de Angel

Welcome to Colonia Mariano Matamoros Centro, Tijuana

San Ysidro P.O. Box N Ship
380 E. San Ysidro Blvd., Ste. B, San Ysidro, CA 92173
Open today 9:00 am – 7:00 pm +1-619-213-6259
Distance
12 miles
Typical drive
19 minutes
Closest crossing
Otay Mesa

San Ysidro P.O. Box N Ship gives Colonia Mariano Matamoros Centro a real U.S. street address for the parcels American retailers will not send across the border — with notification on arrival and holding until you collect.

Map

About Colonia Mariano Matamoros Centro, Tijuana

Mariano Matamoros Centro is the middle section of one of the largest working-class settlements in Tijuana. Its 162 hectares sit where Calle Ruta Mariano Matamoros meets Boulevard Las Torres, with the Cerro Colorado rising on one side and the Matamoros Norte and Sur sections on the others.

The colonia has grown its own institutions rather than borrowing them. CBTIS 237 and the Centro de Estudios Bachillerato Integral del Noroeste provide upper-secondary education, the Instituto Metropolitano and Centro Escolar Tesoros del Saber the private alternatives, and an ACJ/YMCA the youth provision. The Parque Scout Mariano Matamoros and its kiosco, plus the Parque de Ángel and a community sports ground, give it public space that much of the basin lacks.

A Calimax and a Plaza El Florido cover daily shopping. What does not exist locally is range: specific appliance models, tools, parts, sizes. Households here order those from U.S. sellers, and almost all of those sellers stop at the border.

Colonia Mariano Matamoros Centro covers 162 hectares in the La Presa delegación, bordered by Cerro Colorado, Desarrollo Urbano Ejido Matamoros, Mariano Matamoros (Norte) and Mariano Matamoros (Sur). Calle Ruta Mariano Matamoros and Boulevard Las Torres carry the colonia, and the routed drive to the store is 12.0 miles — about 19 minutes of driving, with the border wait separate and reported live on this site.

  • CBTIS 237 and CEBIN campuses
  • Parque Scout Mariano Matamoros
  • Calimax and Plaza El Florido
  • Boulevard Las Torres frontage
  • One of the largest colonias in La Presa
  • Twelve routed miles to the store

Explore all Tijuana neighbourhoods

Neighbourhood insights

What makes Colonia Mariano Matamoros Centro, Tijuana distinctive?

Matamoros Centro is large enough to have built its own schools, parks and retail — it functions as a town within the city rather than a dormitory colonia.

Why do people here use a U.S. mailbox?

A San Ysidro address makes U.S. sellers reachable at all, and because the drive is nineteen minutes each way, most households here consolidate several orders into one collection.

Who uses the service most from this area?

Families ordering appliances, tools and school equipment, and small businesses along the ruta sourcing stock.

Nearby landmarks

The colonia's landmarks are the ones it built for itself: two upper-secondary campuses, a scout park with its kiosco, and the Calimax and Florido plaza on the ruta.

Shopping

  • Plaza El Florido

    The colonia's own supermarket trade, inside the colonia.

    Residents compare its shelves against U.S. sellers and order the difference to a border address.

    Approximately 1 minute by car

  • Calimax

    Everyday and bulk shopping for Colonia Mariano Matamoros Centro, inside the colonia.

    Bulk shopping happens here; range and price comparisons happen at a U.S. address.

    Approximately 1 minute by car

Government Services

  • Estación de Bomberos #11. El Dorado

    Municipal or federal offices serving Colonia Mariano Matamoros Centro, about 2.4 km outside the colonia.

    Businesses registering here often need a U.S. address for the supplies that follow.

    Approximately 3 minutes by car

Education

  • Centro de Bachillerato Tecnologico Industrial Y de Servicios Num. 237

    Teaching provision for the colonia, inside the colonia.

    School and course equipment is ordered to a U.S. address and collected at the border.

    Approximately 1 minute by car

  • Centro de Estudios Bachillerato Integral del Noroeste

    One of the colonia's school campuses, inside the colonia.

    Course materials and devices are cheapest from U.S. sellers, and those sellers need a U.S. address.

    Approximately 2 minutes by car

Parks & Recreation

  • Parque de Angel

    Recreation ground used by the colonia, inside the colonia.

    Kit and equipment for the clubs that use it come from U.S. retailers who will not ship south.

    Approximately 1 minute by car

Transportation

  • Otay Mesa Port of Entry

    The crossing most collections from Colonia Mariano Matamoros Centro use; the store is on the San Ysidro side.

    Routed drive only — border wait is separate, and the Border Intelligence Center reports it live.

    Approximately 12 minutes by car

Border crossing

The nearest crossing for Colonia Mariano Matamoros Centro, Tijuana is Otay Mesa. Wait times vary considerably by hour and by day, and both pedestrian and vehicle lanes are worth checking before you travel — the pedestrian lane is often much faster when you are collecting a parcel rather than moving goods by car.

Bring the documents the crossing requires of you. A mailbox adds no further requirement of its own: collecting mail is an ordinary errand on the U.S. side.

Driving directions

Toward the Otay Mesa crossing, then west along the U.S. side to the store.

Parking
Free parking directly outside the store. Matamoros Centro has street parking that is tight along the ruta and easier in the residential blocks.
Public transport
Calle Ruta Mariano Matamoros and Boulevard Las Torres carry the colonia west toward the Insurgentes corridor and the crossings.

Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)

Travel times

Distance
about 12 miles
Estimated driving time
19 minutes
Plus border wait
Varies at Otay Mesa, often by hours. Check current wait times before travelling.

Frequently Asked Questions

There are three Mariano Matamoros sections. Which is this?

This page covers the Centro section. Norte has its own page in this batch; Sur is a separate colonia not yet covered.

Twelve miles is a long trip — is it worth it?

Most customers here do not make the trip for one parcel. They let several orders accumulate in the box and collect them together.

What do I need to open a mailbox?

Identification and a completed mailbox agreement. The store will tell you exactly what to bring.

Do you accept UPS, USPS, FedEx and DHL?

All four, plus most regional carriers.

Is this a real street address or a PO box number?

A real street address in San Ysidro, which is what U.S. retailers and carriers require.

Why customers from Colonia Mariano Matamoros Centro, Tijuana choose us

  • A real U.S. mailing address

    A street address rather than a PO Box number, so retailers and carriers that refuse PO Boxes will still deliver.

  • Secure package receiving

    Parcels are signed for, logged and held securely until you collect them.

  • Border convenience

    Positioned for the Otay Mesa crossing, so collecting a parcel is an errand rather than an expedition.

  • Mail forwarding

    Have mail and parcels sent onward when collecting in person is not practical.

  • Digital mailbox

    See what has arrived without making the trip, and decide what to do with it.

  • Bilingual support

    Staff who work in English and Spanish, every day, for customers on both sides of the border.

  • Business services

    Notary, printing and a registered address businesses can use for supplier deliveries.

Why customers trust us

4.8 from 110 Google reviews

We Also Serve

Get a U.S. address for Colonia Mariano Matamoros Centro, Tijuana

San Ysidro P.O. Box N Ship gives you a real street address minutes from the border, with package receiving from every major carrier and bilingual support.

Questions? Contact the store