Miguel Rodriguez

Rodriguez 1

English115HON
Professor Lawson
28 October 2016
Project Space Essay: Final Draft
Word Count: 1,220
La Placita Olvera
The Mexican culture is evidently seen throughout the city of Los Angeles, California,
whether it is visiting Boyle Heights or attending a Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) festival
at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Although Boyle Heights and the Day of the Dead festival gives
the public a taste of the Mexican culture, an attraction that mainly expresses the rich Mexican
culture is the historical monument called El Pueblo de Los Angeles, or otherwise known as La
Placita Olvera. Since the county of Los Angeles alone contains 4.9 million Hispanics (Brown and
Lopez), La Placita Olvera provides these Hispanics, who once immigrated from their homeland
to seek a better lifestyle for themselves and their children, a place to reunite with their culture
and homeland by the availability of their restaurants and tienditas (marketplace).
The vision of Christine Sterling, a young woman who once lived in the year of 1928,
created the concept of La Placita Olvera because she dreamed of constructing a "Mexican
marketplace near the Avila Adobe where people could learn about Los Angeles' Spanish and
Mexican heritage (Founding of Olvera). Sterlings dream became a reality in the year of
1930 when she invited artisans and craftspeople to open the "Mexican Marketplace Olvera
Street, in order to secure the protection of this historical site and the culture of California
(Brief History). Thanks to Sterlings vision, Olvera Street lures both tourists and Los Angeles
residents, attracting over two million people a year (Founding of Olvera).

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As you begin your journey at Olvera Street, you are immediately welcomed by the smell
of tamales, beef taquitos and chile rellenos. The smell of these mouth-watering Mexican dishes is
produced by a small restaurant called Cielito Lindo. Cielito Lindo, which is one of the five
restaurants located in La Placita, is able to provide the people that walk through the streets of
Olvera with authentic Mexican cuisine due to their world famous taquitos, spinach and cheese
tamal, chile rellenos, burritos and the classic cinnamon-vanilla rice beverage known as horchata.
In addition, this restaurant also allows Hispanics to reminisce about their homeland meals.
Walking by Cielito Lindo, you could see the excitement in the faces of the people and hear their
enthusiasm as they begin to order their authentic meal in Spanish.
A particular tiendita that exhibits colorful dresses can be seen just straight ahead of
Cielito Lindo. This marketplace sells traditional Day of the Dead dresses. The colors of these
dresses range from emerald with crimson, bright orange, white and turquoise roses located on the
shoulders, to charcoal with bright yellow and milk-white bird-like figures scattered throughout
the dress, to the basic electric blue with magenta dress. The majority of the people that occupied
this marketplace were of Spanish descent, eagerly examining each dress, since this tiendita
provides the people of Mexico to, once again, witness traditional Mexico clothing.
Across from this clothing shop lays a Mexican snack shop that sells camote (candied
sweet potatoes), dulce de calabaza (Mexican pumpkin candy), bolitas de tamarindo (tamarind
sweet balls), and churros. Although these types of snacks are not very common in the United
States, the line for this marketplace was unbelievably large. The sight of this snack shop gives
every Hispanic joy, since they have the opportunity to retry their favorite treat. Cruising through
Olvera Street, candied sweet potatoes, Mexican pumpkin candy and tamarind sweet balls can be
seen in the hands of the public.

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Casa California, which is another tiendita in La Placita Olvera, provides the public with
religious paintings and statues such as The Last Supper, Madonna And Child, The Virgin Mary,
Michael the Archangel and the birth of Jesus Christ. Although this marketplace consists of
Mexican wrestling masks similar to the one of Rey Mysterio, a Mexican-American who was
once a part of the World Wrestling Entertainment or otherwise known as the WWE, Day of the
Dead coloring books and Day of the Dead skulls, the theme of this marketplace is religious due
to all of religious paintings, statues and rosary beads, which are located near the exit, they
exhibit. Due to this theme, this marketplace appeals more to the people of the Mexican culture
since the majority of the people of Mexico are catholic, as mentioned by Alison Lesley in her
article which states that 81% of Mexican adults identify themselves as Catholics (qtd. in Lesley).
Furthermore, Casa California gives Mexicans, who recently immigrated to the United States, an
opportunity to decorate their house or apartment with religious paintings and statues, which were
aforementioned, to showcase their religion identity and support their cultures religion.
As you step foot into Murillo Leather, which is another tiendita in La Placita Olvera, the
smell of leather instantly welcomes you, since this is a marketplace where custom handmade
belts, leather purses, tequila holsters and wallets are sold. This marketplace serves as a place
where Hispanic men could express their appreciation towards their homeland, since every
product in this shop contains a Mexico flag. Murillo Leather definitely gives their products a
touch of Mexico since the notable flag can be spotted on the strap of belts and on the side of
tequila holsters. In addition, Hispanic men could be seen with a bright smile, as they joyfully
wait in line to purchase these custom handmade items.
The aroma of carnitas, chicharron and picadillo fills the atmosphere as you pass by Luz
Del Dia, which is another restaurant in La Placita Olvera. Similar to Cielito Lindo, Luz Del Dia

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intends to provide the public with authentic Mexican cuisine, but, however, they differ in sense
of who they attract. Due to Luz Del Dias convivial environment, most families are attracted to
this restaurant, whereas Cielito Lindo mostly attracts single individuals who are looking for a
quick meal. In addition, Hispanic families can be heard singing songs of Vicente Fernandez,
Alejandro Fernandez and Javier Solis along with the Mariachi. The duet between the families
and the Mariachi is one of the many ways this restaurants produces a convivial environment.
Furthermore, interviewing one individual who was waiting in line mentioned, in Spanish, how
this restaurant reminded him of the foods his mother and grandmother used to cook for him when
he was a child (Unknown). Through the Mexican dishes of Luz Del Dia, this individual is
provided with the opportunity to once again reunite with his favorite homeland (Mexico) meals.
Whether it is purchasing authentic Mexican cuisine from Cielito Lindo or Luz Del Dia,
traditional Mexican clothing from the clothing shop that exhibits traditional Day of the Dead
dresses, usual Mexican snacks from the Mexican snack shop, religious paintings/statues from
Casa California or custom handmade items from Murillo Leather, these tienditas, which are
located in La Placita Olvera, all provide the people of Mexico with a chance to reunite with their
culture and homeland. La Placita Olvera provides Mexican immigrants with a warm and
welcoming environment due to all of their restaurants and marketplace they present. In addition,
since La Placita Olvera is heavily connected with the Mexican culture, Mexican immigrants will
never feel peculiar when walking through the streets of Olvera, but rather, feel welcomed and
accepted. Whenever Mexican immigrants feel distant from their homeland, the restaurants and
shops in La Placita Olvera could eliminate the anxiety of them wanting to return to their native
country.

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Works Cited
Brown, Anna, and Mark Hugo Lopez. "Mapping the Latino Population, By State, County and
City." Pew Research Centers Hispanic Trends Project, 29 Aug. 2013. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
Brief History." Calle Olvera: The Oldest Part of Los Angeles. Calle Olvera, 2014. Web. 24 Oct.
2016.
"Founding of Olvera Street. El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, City of Los
Angeles, 2016. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
Lesley, Alison. "81% of Mexican Adults Are Catholic & More Facts on Religion in Mexico."
World Religion News. World Religion News.com, 16 Feb. 2016. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
Unknown. Personal interview. 9 Oct. 2016