Rosarito is a coastal resort city in the Mexican state of Baja California located approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of the U.S. border in Rosarito Beach Municipality. Often mistakenly called Rosarito Beach because of the well-known Rosarito Beach Hotel, the town of Rosarito is one part of the municipality named Playas de Rosarito (“Beaches of Rosarito”).
It is the westernmost municipal seat in Mexico, slightly farther west than neighboring Tijuana, which lies inland to its north-northeast. As of 2010, the city had a population of 65,278.
Evidence of the presence of Paleo-Indians in the region has been dated as early as 2,000 BC By 1,000 BC, a group emerged that is recognizable as the Yuman ancestors of the Kumeyaay, who continued to inhabit the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula at the time of European contact.[4] The Kumeyaay referred to the area now known as Rosarito Beach as Wa-cuatay, which translates to “big houses” in the Kumeyaay language.