Born & Razed: What’s the future of business, immigration, culture for Olvera Street?

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Olvera Street is a market, a commercial theme park, and a living museum — full of restaurants, shops, and stalls overflowing with candy, Mexican handicrafts, and cheap souvenirs. Most businesses have been in the same family for generations.

Olvera Street is a market, a commercial theme park, and a living museum — full of restaurants, shops, and stalls overflowing with candy, Mexican handicrafts, and cheap souvenirs. Most businesses have been in the same family for generations. Photo by Shutterstock.

Olvera Street is an LA tourist attraction that’s been around for 92 years. When it turns 100, will any of its legacy businesses still be here?

After meeting Cesar Chavez in the 1970s, Father Luis Olivares adopted a more radical ministry, and made his La Placita church the heart of the sanctuary movement in SoCal.

The Tellez family’s Aztec dance group, In Tlanextli Tlacopan, has been performing at Olvera Street every Sunday for two decades — to share and preserve their culture.

From this Episode:

Credits

Host:

Steve Chiotakis

Producers:

Christian Bordal, Jenna Kagel, Giuliana Mayo