Discover Latino Heritage Landmarks in Los Angeles
Since its founding on Sep. 4, 1781 by 44 settlers known as Los Pobladores, Los Angeles has a long and rich history rooted in the Mexican diaspora. Read on for some of the most important Latino heritage landmarks in LA.
Downtown LA
El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument
Designated as “the birthplace of Los Angeles,” El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument is a historic district located at the oldest section of the city in Downtown LA. The district, which encompasses Olvera Street, was the city's center under Spanish rule through most of the 19th century. The area was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1970 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
Located at the heart of the monument, Yaanga Park (formerly Los Angeles Plaza Park) is the site of numerous festivals and celebrations. Built in the 1820s, the plaza was at one time the city's commercial and social center. Yaanga Park is a monument to LA’s original 44 settlers (Los Pobladores) and the four soldiers who accompanied them. A large plaque that lists their names, and later plaques dedicated to the individual 11 families, were placed in the ground encircling the gazebo at the center of the plaza.
Avila Adobe
The Avila Adobe was built in 1818 and is the oldest surviving residence in Los Angeles. It is located in the paseo of Olvera Street and was built by a wealthy cattle rancher, Francisco Avila. Its adobe walls are 2.5 to 3 feet thick. U.S. Navy Commodore Robert Stockton took it over as his temporary headquarters when the United States first occupied the city in 1846. The adobe is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is California State Landmark No. 145.
"América Tropical"
Upon his expulsion from Mexico in 1932 for radical political militancy, artist David Alfaro Siqueiros came to Los Angeles for six months. During that brief time, he completed three murals - the most significant one was América Tropical, a controversial political piece signifying the struggle against Imperialism which marked a developmental shift in the artist's career.
Known formally as América Tropical: Oprimida y Destrozada por los Imperialismos (Tropical America: Oppressed and Destroyed by Imperialism), the mural was his first outdoor work and the first outdoor mural in the U.S. that created a public place. Working primarily at night, Siqueiros painted with an airbrush after the design had been outlined on the wall with a projector. Made of cement rather than traditional plaster, the fresco was completed the night before its dedication on Oct. 9, 1932. At its dedication, illustrator and later President of the National Society of Mural Painters, Dean Cornwell predicted "it would stimulate the execution of murals on similar blank walls." But it wasn’t until the 1960s that murals began appearing in urban neighborhoods across the nation. After being whitewashed a year after its completion, the mural was rediscovered in the '70s as the whitewash began to peel off. Thanks to the Getty Foundation, the mural was restored and an interpretive center was created, including a public viewing platform.
LA Plaza De Cultura y Artes
Renowned as one of the nation's premier centers of Mexican American culture, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes features interactive exhibits and exciting programs that invite visitors to explore as well as contribute to the ongoing story of Mexican Americans in LA and beyond. Located near the site where Los Angeles was founded in 1781, LA Plaza's 2.2-acre campus includes two historic and renovated buildings (the Vickrey-Brunswig Building and Plaza House) surrounded by 30,000 square feet of public gardens.
The centerpiece of LA Plaza's culinary programs, LA Cocina de Gloria Molina is a 2,500 square-foot teaching kitchen and flexible event space that spotlights the history, culture, and influence of Mexican and Mexican American cuisine. Experiences include culturally rooted cooking classes, talks and tastings, and cooking demonstrations.
24th Street Theatre
Founded in 1997, 24th Street Theatre is known for producing some of the best Spanish language theatre in Los Angeles, having repeatedly earned Critics’ Choice status by the media. Their special Teatro Nuevo initiative came about after noticing that while the neighborhood’s kids attended afterschool programs, their parents stayed away from the serious productions. Teatro Nuevo was launched in 2003 and now produces events that include music, visual art exhibits by Latino artists, Spanish language film screenings and live theatre. 24th Street collaborates internationally with the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador as well as the Mexican government and theatres in Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador and Ecuador.
Piñata District
Birthday party planners in the know head to the colorful stretch of East Olympic Boulevard known as the Piñata District in search of the quintessential kids party prop. Shoppers will find piñatas of every color, stripe, celebrities and sports teams that can be found in stock or custom-made. On weekends the half-mile area turns into a lively party, with food vendors and authentic Mexican wares.
East LA
Mariachi Plaza
Located in Boyle Heights, Mariachi Plaza serves as a historic gateway to the neighborhood and a gathering place for a variety of cultural events, from music festivals to CicLAvia bike rides. Since the 1950s (and as early as the '30s), mariachi musicians have gathered here in the hopes of being hired by visitors who are looking for a full band, trio, or solo singer. On Sunday afternoons, local vendors and live musicians gather for an open-air market.
For more than 30 years, Mariachi Plaza has been the site of the annual Mariachi Festival & Fiesta de Santa Cecilia, a free public event held every November.
Mariachi Plaza is easily accessed via its namesake station on the Metro E Line. The station's entrance features a distinctive scalloped canopy with diamond-shaped glass cutouts that cast a spectrum of colors onto the escalators below.
Candelas Guitars
The story of Candelas Guitars is a true Mexican American success story. From its humble beginnings in Torreón, Mexico to a border shop in Tijuana and then to their final destination in Los Angeles, Candelas Guitars has continually handcrafted Classical, Acoustic, Flamenco, Mariachi and Bajo Sexto guitars that have always been considered the best - yet special efforts have made the instruments accessible to musicians who couldn’t otherwise afford them. Helmed by third-generation luthier Tomás Delgado, world-class performers such as Andres Segovia, Celedonio Romero, Charo, Jackson Browne, Jose Feliciano, Los Lobos, Ozomatli and Quetzal have performed with Candelas guitars. There’s even a Candelas guitar that Feliciano played at the 1968 World Series in the collection of the Smithsonian.
Chicano Resource Center
Located in the East LA Library, the Chicano Resource Center (CRC) was established in 1976 to serve the information needs of the Mexican American community and to make information about the history and culture of this group available to the general public. The multimedia collection spans subjects like immigration, the Chicano Movement, mural art, biographies, folklore and the history of Mexico. The collection comprises books, journals, online databases, subject notebooks, videos, audio CDs and microforms - many of the materials are available for checkout. Artifacts from the Chicano Movement include political posters and periodicals such as La Raza, Con Safos and Aztlan. The CRC is also home to pamphlet files on more than 750 topics that cover Chicano Movement events, Latino leaders and East LA history.
El Mercado de Los Angeles
El Mercado de Los Angeles (known familiarly as El Mercadito) is a traditional Latin community gathering place where you can find authentic Mexican goods, religious relics, live mariachi music and numerous dining options. Founded in 1968 on the former site of the Boyle Heights Lumber Company, the two-story stucco building at one time served the local Mexican, Japanese and Italian communities. In 1991, artist Jose-Luis Gonzalez designed and installed a bas-relief, mosaic tile mural called Mayan Rain God. The must-see mural depicts the ancient Mayan deity in a largely serpentine form.
NOTE: if you're walking to El Mercadito from the Metro E Line stop at Indiana, follow the parking signs to enter through the nearby alley.
La Mascota Bakery
Serving Boyle Heights since 1952, La Mascota Bakery remained practically unchanged until a few years ago, when third-generation owners Francisco and Patty Aparicio gave the space a facelift. Not to worry, baked goods like tamales and pan dulce are better than ever. The famed tamales are available year-round with six filling options: Red Chile with Pork, Red Chile with Beef, Green Chile with Chicken, Green Chile with Cheese, "Vegetal" (Veggies in Banana Leaf), and Dulce con Piña (Sweet with Pineapple).
Mariscos Jalisco
In his 2012 LA Times review of Mariscos Jalisco, the late, great Jonathan Gold described Raul Ortega as "a rock star among taco chefs" and wrote, "In some circles, admitting that you live in Los Angeles but haven’t visited Mariscos Jalisco is like confessing that you’ve never been to Dodger Stadium, or driven through the four-level freeway interchange, or eaten a corn dog on Muscle Beach — inexcusable, really." Ortega launched his acclaimed taco truck in Boyle Heights in 2001. Fans from near and far queue up for the signature Tacos de Camaron (Shrimp Tacos), along with the Tostada Poseidon (shrimp ceviche, octopus, spicy red aguachile) and Ceviches. Ortega has since expanded to locations in Downtown LA, La Cienega in Mid-City and Pomona.
Whittier Boulevard Sign
Spanning the Los Angeles River in Downtown LA to Brea in Orange County, Whittier Boulevard is world-renowned as a mecca for generations of lowriders. Located on Whittier between Arizona and McDonnell Avenues, the Whittier Boulevard Sign (aka "El Arco") was erected in 1986 and has since become a centerpiece of the weekly Sunday cruises. In 2019, Motor Trend said the 65-foot arch "cemented the legacy of [Whittier Boulevard] as the most iconic boulevard in lowriding."
The Valley
Campo de Cahuenga
Known as "the birthplace of California," the Campo de Cahuenga is the site of the signing of the Treaty of Cahuenga in 1847, a ceasefire agreement that ended the conflict over the territory between the United States and Mexico.
Located off Lankershim Boulevard at the Universal City/Studio City Station of the Metro B Line, the Campo features a replica of the adobe that stood on the site at the time of the Treaty’s signing. The modern adobe serves as an interpretive center that features displays of artifacts including the original Treaty of Cahuenga. The outdoor space and gardens host public events like the annual re-enactment of the treaty signing.
The Campo de Cahuenga is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, California Historical Landmark and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
Catalina Verdugo Adobe
One of the oldest buildings in Glendale, the Catalina Verdugo Adobe is estimated to have been built in 1828. The adobe was reportedly built for rancher José María Verdugo's blind daughter, Catalina. Verdugo's 36,400-acre Rancho San Rafael spanned present-day Glendale, Burbank, La Cañada Flintridge, Los Feliz, Eagle Rock, Highland Park and West Pasadena. Today, the adobe is a living museum with authentic period furnishings. The public is invited to picnic in the 1.3-acre park.
Located 30 yards from the adobe, the Oak of Peace was the site where two opposing armies (Mexican/Californios and American) came together to end the conflict of war. Two days after that meeting, the Treaty of Cahuenga was signed at the Campo de Cahuenga (see above). The oak died of tree rot in 1987 and a new Oak of Peace was planted in 2023.
The Catalina Verdugo Adobe was designated California Historical Landmark No. 637 in 1958; and, along with the Oak of Peace, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
"The Great Wall of Los Angeles"
In a December 2021 Los Angeles Times article, Carolina A. Miranda wrote, "There are few artists who can claim they have shaped the literal landscape of Los Angeles. Artist Judy Baca is one of them." A world-class visual artist and co-founder of the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC), Baca is best known for The Great Wall of Los Angeles, a monumental half-mile long mural that depicts the history of California.
Painted on the west wall of the Tujunga Flood Control Channel in North Hollywood, The Great Wall of Los Angeles is one of the largest murals in the world - more than 13 feet high and stretching 2,754 feet. The mural is bounded by Oxnard Street to the north, Coldwater Canyon Boulevard to the east, Burbank Boulevard to the south, and the Coldwater Canyon Extension (aka Lancer Lane) to the west. Painted from 1974 to 1984 by more than 400 youth and their families from diverse backgrounds, the mural is arranged in chronological segments from prehistoric times through the 1960s. According to the National Park Service, the scenes "emphasize the role played by Native Americans, Latinos (focusing on those with Mexican heritage, sometimes self-identified as Chicano/a), African Americans, Asian Americans, and Jewish Americans in creating California’s culture."
A $5 million grant from the Mellon Foundation will double the mural's length and extend its timeline through 2020. The expansion is expected to be completed by 2028, in time for the Summer Olympics.
Ritchie Valens Grave
Tragically killed in 1959 at age 17 in a wintry plane crash alongside two other music legends, Ritchie Valens (aka Ritchie Valenzuela) was one of Rock and Roll's first Latino superstars and has inspired countless musicians around the world. A native of Pacoima in the Valley, Valens is buried at San Fernando Mission Cemetery, which is the final resting place of notable figures such as entertainer Bob Hope and his wife Dolores, and actors Walter Brennan, Chuck Connors and William Frawley.
Actor Lou Diamond Phillips portrayed Valens in the 1987 film, La Bamba, named after his hit song. Valens received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1990, and in 2001 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
