Macias 1

Breanna Macias
English 115
Professor Lawson
10 December 2016
Analysis Essay: Final Draft
Words: 1,204
The Cultural Events at Placita Olvera
In the city of Los Angeles there are many places that represent a culture or a variety of
cultures. Each place has its own theme and purpose of creating certain events. Each space has its
own people or it could be diverse. The place or space may have its socio-economic or political
issues that may be significant. Placita Olvera represents the Mexican culture in Los Angeles
which provides cultural events for Chicanos within the community and education on MexicanAmerican culture for people outside the Chicano community.
The Placita Olvera is on Alameda Street and North Main Street in the suburbs of
Downtown Los Angeles. Olvera Street is surrounded by Chinatown, a subway station, the Los
Angeles City Hall, the 101 freeway and the catholic church called Our Lady Queen of Angles. It
was founded by Christine Sterling between the early 1920s and late 1930s and she saved the land
from demolition (Sadler). Despite the risk of destruction Sterling had an idea of creating a
Mexican marketplace to attract the community and the tourists. The marketplace has been an
attraction since day one because millions of people visit yearly (Founding of Olvera). The
Placita Olvera is surrounded by a diverse community which then brings people from different
cultures and ethnicities.

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The marketplace is open to the public and is visited by people from around the world.
The Placita Olvera has various gift shops, restaurants, and historical museums. The gift shops
sell authentic handmade pottery, wallets, purses, huaraches (leather sandals), belts, toys, and art
all of which cannot be found in ordinary stores. The restaurants there also sell authentic Mexican
food. The restaurants sell various plates, but one of the main dishes sold are tacos that include
rice and beans. This particular dish makes Mexican food original because it is a traditional plate
that is served at every Mexican restaurant. In addition, the restaurant has mariachi which is a
group of men or women that sing to you and your family while enjoying a delicious meal. The
historical museums give the visitors information and a background history of what Placita Olvera
used to be before it became a marketplace. The Placita Olvera is not only a marketplace it also
holds cultural events.
Cultural events such as festivals, parades, and concerts are created to celebrate Mexican
holidays. The events are created because they are a form of expression and respect to its culture.
In the Los Angeles community, Placita Olvera has become a significant location because it is
the birthplace of Los Angeles (Visit Olvera Street). Events that honor such holidays like Los
Tres Reyes, Blessing of the Animals, Los Angeles City Birth, Cinco de Mayo, Mexican
Independence Day, Dia de los Muertos, The Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and Las Posadas
are held year round (Casa Blanca Mexican). There are different holidays every month and
each celebration has its own purpose. These events are not only created for those in the Mexican
culture to celebrate, they are also created for those outside the culture. The visitors are welcomed
to interact and join the events.
In the month of October, the traditional holiday that is celebrated is Dia de los Muertos
(Day of the Dead). Dia de los Muertos is a holiday that is celebrated to honor the lives of family

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members that have passed away. For over 30 years, the merchants on Olvera Street have
celebrated Dia de los Muertos (Dia de los). This event has become a tradition for the Placita
Olvera as its a huge aspect of the Mexican culture. During this event, the people of the
community gather together in the plaza park where the events take place to celebrate. People also
paint their faces to resemble skulls, build altars at the graveside and decorate them with bright
marigold flowers, candles, photos and memorabilia (Trausch). By creating altars of that
members favorite items, such as food or objects, they celebrate the lives and honor those that
have passed on. The altars usually contain a photo of someone in their family that has passed or
someone they admire. The Placita Olvera is decorated with all of these beautiful altars that are
decorated by people from around the Los Angeles. The event of Dia de los Muertos is a cultural
event that has made a positive impact on society because it allows the people of the community
to come together to celebrate.
El Pueblo de Los Angeles, is a special plaza at the center of Placita Olvera where all
the events are celebrated (Las Angelitas). In this particular area, there is a kiosko (kiosk) that is
decorated with papel picado that is hung from end to another (Las Angelitas). Papel picado is
decorative tissue paper that is cut to have various patterns and colors and is hung up on walls or
on strings to decorate ceilings. Inside the kiosko there are Aztec dancers, that include men,
women, and children of carious ages, that perform throughout the day during various events.
Their outfits are special because they are different colors, patterns, and sizes. The dancers dress
with colorful clothing and headdresses with colorful feathers. Some of the dancers even paint
their body to blend in with their outfit or to extend the patterns. To complete their outfits, they
wear seed leggings called chachayotls, that make a rattling noise when they dance (Schultz).
Their traditional dances are coordinated to follow the beat of the wooden drums which are

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played by their fellow instructors. These Aztec dancers are significant to the Mexican heritage
because it keeps the ritual alive to honor their ancestral culture and to preserve the history of
the Mexican identity (Why did Aztecs). The Aztec dancers contribute to the cultural events at
Placita Olvera because it is important to keep the traditional events alive by celebrating each one
of them.
Each and every one of these events are important to society because celebrating the
holidays in Mexican culture is a way to respect Mexican roots (Casa Blanca Mexican). Every
event has its own meaning and reasoning for celebration. The community celebrates cultural
holidays because it helps keep the traditions alive. The Placita Olvera create events like these to
give the visitors the opportunity to see for themselves how important these traditions are for our
community and to teach them about the Mexican culture. Others outside the Chicano community
are encouraged to attend any of the events and are welcomed to celebrate, enjoy, and learn about
the important aspects of the Mexican culture. Placita Olvera is a cultural place in Los Angeles
that is known to keep the Mexican traditions alive.
In the city of Los Angeles, there are various locations that have a social and cultural
significance that may be important to our society. The Placita Olvera is a place where Mexican
cultural events are organized for the people in and out of the Chicano community. The Placita
Olvera marketplace is a beautiful place to visit with family and friends to enjoy traditional
events, eat delicious authentic Mexican food, visit historical museums, and purchase authentic
gifts at the gift shops. The marketplace itself is open year round to everyone that is interested in
learning about the Mexican culture.

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Works Cited
Casa Blanca Mexican Restaurant. "Mexican Culture: Celebrate the Mexican Holidays."
Casa Blanca Mexican Restaurant. Casa Blanca Mexican Restaurant, 12 Dec. 2012. Web.
23 Oct. 2016.
"Dia De Los Muertos." Olvera Street Merchants Association Foundation.
OSMAF, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
"Founding of Olvera Street." El Pueblo De Los Angeles Historical Monument.
Elpubelo.lacity.org, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
Las Angelitas. "Attractions." Olvera Street - The Original Los Angeles.
Olivera-Street.webbly.com, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
Sadler, Penny. "The Color and Culture of Olvera Street - Adventures of a ..."
Adventures of a Carry-On. Adventures of a Carry-On, 23 Aug. 2012. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
Schultz, Becky Olvera. "Aztec Dancers." Pow Wow Power. Powwow-power.com, n.d.
Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
Trausch, John D. "Olvera Street's Day of the Dead History."
Welcome to Olvera Street. Olvera-Street.com, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
"Visit Olvera Street." Welcome to Olvera Street. Olvera-Street.com, n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
"Why Did Aztecs Dance?" Danza Azteca: Step by Step. Danzaazteca.wordpress.com,
29 May 2009. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.