Shopping & Culture on LA’s Olvera Street
June 24, 2008 by Mary Jo Manzanares
Filed under Art, Food & Beverage, Fun for Families & Kids, Music, Outdoor Activities, Shopping, Things to See & Do
Olvera Street (845 North Alameda Street, Los Angeles), also known as El Pueblo Historic Monument, is the birthplace of the City of Los Angeles. The block-long street, one of the oldest in the city, features historic buildings lining a traditional Mexican style plaza, and is home to one of the most colorful marketplaces that you’ll ever see.
The street was originally a short lane, called Wine Street. The lane was eventually extended, and the name changed to honor Agustin Olvera, the first county judge of Los Angeles. Although it became a dirty, unused alley for a period of time, the area was eventually re-habbed, closed off to vehicles, trees were planted, and a large wooden cross was put up at the south end of the street.
Olvera Street officially opened on Easter Sunday, 1930, and provided a place for Mexican American vendors to sell their goods, as well as to way to preserved their customs and culture. The first restaurant in the city to sell authentic Mexican food opened here in 1930. That restaurant, La Golondrina, is still there today.
In 1953 Olvera Street was designated as a California State Historic Landmark, and today it has become a center of Mexican commerce, culture and tourism. It attracts over two million visitors a year.
