Olvera Street started out as a small alley named Wine Street, and was later renamed after the first Los Angeles County Judge, Agustin Olvera. Many historical buildings surround the plaza, including the Avila Adobe, built around 1818 by former mayor Francisco Avila, and the Pelanconi House, the oldest brick house in the city, built in 1855. In 1926, when Christine Sterling first saw this historical part of the city, she decided to create a campaign to revive the original culture that was missing after the Anglos displaced many of the original Mexican settlers. With the help of LA Times Moguls such as Chandler and Otis, who hoped to attract more residents to the area, Sterling decided to create a street with a rich Mexican marketplace in order to show off the heritage.
When I arrived at Olvera Street, there was a bustling festival adjacent to the alleyway. It was centered on a latino band singing and chanting "Viva Mexico!"
We turned the corner to enter Olvera street, and instantly the Mexican marketplace appeared, along with many other people, most of whom seemed like tourists. Each of the colorful stands were covered in trinkets and Mexican souvenirs, and along the outside there were mostly authentic Mexican restaurants, complete with mariachi bands.
While a tourist would most likely think that the street is a complete representation of the Los Angeles history and culture, Otis and Chandler helped Sterling create the street as part of a marketing scheme, and therefore it does not accurately portray the Mexican heritage of the early settlers. Today, it serves primarily as a tourist attraction--most of the "authentic" Mexican trinkets have a "MADE IN CHINA" sticker on the back of them.
It does, however, attract people to the area, serving its purpose and representing the interest of the public. The street is open to all, and therefore does not exclude anyone, allowing it to be a very diverse area. I spotted students from USC, an Asian family, a Latino family, and a Latin America family, all of whom seemed to come from different socioeconomic backgrounds.
And of course...I had to have some yummy Mexican food!!!
Overall, Olvera Street is a fun and interesting place, full of rich culture, vibrant shopping, good food, and great people-watching opportunities. I had a blast! :)
I'm entirely a newcomer to Los Angeles, so finally being able to attach a visual to one of the locations discussed in class is extremely helpful. Actually, this reminds me that I need to purchase a camera sooner or later, although I wouldn't be able to take any appropriate pictures at my location.
ReplyDeleteYou dive into the history of the nonviolent revolution to dominate Los Angeles. The boosters supplanted the dubious acquisition of land by establishing a facade of Hispanic culture, and your analysis of the somewhat ingenuine Mexican heritage supports that Anglo-Saxon seizure eradicated most of the preexisting Spanish tradition. From what I gather, though, Olvera Street presents an inviting atmosphere regardless, almost mimicking what the boosters tried to recreate when promoting Los Angeles.
Certainly, though, there must be some form of exclusion for Olvera Street. I do not know the main function of Olvera street - whether or not it includes outlets, souvenirs, or fonts of culture - but a certain level of alienation must keep some crowds of people away. Although most socioeconomic groups may be supported, the appeal of tourism when the entire experience is not authentic may fail to attract seekers of a more meaningful locale.
From the Grove:
ReplyDeleteI am from Texas, so this trip was such a blast for me! You should definitely get a camera, I am really into photography...I have my own company, Sweet Caroline Photography, and therefore I am sure that my friends that went with me were quite aggravated with the gazillion photos I took while there.
And thank you for bringing up the point about exclusion...I sat and thought about this for a while and couldn't come up with any obvious exclusion to the area. It would be interesting to speak to some other people about it, because I know that I am leaving someone out. I can only think that maybe someone might feel uncomfortable going here due to cultural conflicts, or possibly the transportation and parking of the area is alienating? I shall talk to the professor about this in my conference. Thanks for making me second guess this!
I went to Olvera Street as well and was able to partake in its vibrant culture. One of the things that I observed, however, was that it seems to be commercialized and mostly a tourist attraction. Do you think that the original Latino culture has been preserved or jeopardized? I love your pictures, by the way!
ReplyDeleteYou always have interesting details in your blogs! I commented before about you including the two definitions from Wikipedia and Urban Dictionary, and how I thought it was fascinating to contrast the two. This time, the detail about the Mexican trinkets displaying the "Made in China" tag depicts the whole idea about Olvera Street fictitiously representing the culture of Los Angeles. I have visited Olvera Street this past weekend, as well, and noticed only the surface of the street's purpose.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I noticed that flash photography is permitted in the Avila Adobe museum, which is fairly uncommon. Perhaps, photography is allowed because the objects in the museum are not the real items utilized in Los Angeles's past. Your depiction of the street's false representation of the culture and traditions of Los Angeles and its people explains the reasoning behind the allowing of photography, the tags, and the superficial method of marketing. With this allegation, do you also believe there is any connection between the overall artificiality of Olvera Street and Los Angeles's present culture?