Lost Chicano Urban Design: A Tour of LA’s Eastside
Friday Oct 10, 8am - noon
Transport: Meet at Rendezvous Court, Biltmore Hotel. We will ride the Metro together to 3 stops: Mariachi Plaza, ELA Civic Center, and Indiana, walking around each site.
Bring either a Metro pass or $5.25 for three Metro tickets. There will be an option to linger afterwards for lunch near Indiana Station.
Tour Maximum: 30 people
Cost: $10
Tour description:
In East Los Angeles, a 1960s-era emphasis on cultural memory and meaning became visible through a series of fine-grained urban design interventions led by Chicano artists, architects, and residents. The neighborhood evolved into a living representation of Aztlán—the mythical homeland of the Aztecs. Murals became the visual language of resistance and pride, transforming blank walls of public and private buildings into vibrant canvases. Public buildings embraced the aesthetics of Latin America’s international architecture movement, but with a distinct Chicano twist. Indigenous figures, now seen as Chicano political icons, appeared on both public and commercial buildings, transforming them into cultural landmarks. These structures told stories, blending images of the past with a vision of an idealized, utopian future. These structures remain even as the region has transformed into one part of a sprawling, polycentric Latinx metropolis.
Tour stops include the Edward R. Roybal Health Center (La Clinica de Colores),
Belvedere Park, the Pan-American Bank with its José Reyes Mexa mosaic mural, First Street Store, and Mariachi Plaza. Tourgoers may choose to stay for lunch at El Mercado de Los Angeles, Birria Los Socios, or Los Cinco Puntos.
Tour leader:
James Rojas is an urban planner who grew up in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles.