17 Olvera St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
17 Olvera St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Olvera Street is in the oldest part of Downtown Los Angeles, California, USA, and is part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument. Many of the Plaza District's Historic Buildings are on Olvera Street, including the Avila Adobe (1818), the Pelanconi House (1857), and the Sepulveda House (1887). The tree-shaded, pedestrian mall marketplace with craft shops, restaurants and roving troubadours is a popular tourist destination.HistoryEarly daysLos Angeles was founded in 1781 by Spanish pobladores (settlers), on a site southeast of today's Olvera Street near the Los Angeles River. They consisted of 11 families — 44 men, women, and children — and were accompanied by a few Spanish soldiers. They had come from nearby Mission San Gabriel Arcángel to establish a secular pueblo on the banks of the Porciúncula River at the Indian village of Yang-na. The new town was named El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles. Priests from San Gabriel established an asistencia (a sub-mission), the Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles Asistencia, to tend to their religious needs. The pueblo eventually built its own parish church, known today as the "Old Plaza Church." Unpredictable flooding forced the settlers to abandon the original site and move to higher ground in the early 1800s.
The Avila Adobe was built in 1818 by Francisco Avila and has the distinction of being the oldest standing residence in Los Angeles, California. It is located in the paseo of historical Olvera Street, a part of Los Angeles Plaza Historic District, a California State Historic Park. The building itself is registered as California Historical Landmark #145, while the entire historic district is both listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument.The Plaza is the third location of the original Spanish settlement El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Ángeles sobre el Río Porciúncula, the first two having been washed out by flooding from the swollen Río Porciúncula (Los Angeles River). The Avila Adobe was one of the settlement's first houses to share street frontage in the Pueblo de Los Angeles of Spanish colonial Alta California.The walls of the Avila Adobe are 2.5- thick and are built from sun-baked adobe bricks. The original ceilings were 15ft high and supported by beams of cottonwood, which was available along the banks of the Los Angeles River. Though the roof appears slanted today, the original roof was flat. Tar (Spanish: brea) was brought up from the La Brea Tar Pits, located near the north boundary line of Avila's Rancho Las Cienegas. The tar was mixed with rocks and horsehair, a common binder in exterior building material, and applied to beams of the roof as a sealant from inclement weather.
Located at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, is the premier venue for the expression of traditional and contemporary art and culture from the Mexican, and Mexican American perspective.
Jai & Jai is a Gallery and Studio based in Chinatown, Los Angeles.
Mexican food with a specialty in taquitos with guacamole sauce.
Mexican Handcrafts, Clothing, Folkloric customs , dancing boots and shoes and silver jewelry from Taxco. Retail & wholesale.
Founded in 1971 by married couple, Manuel & Camerina Murillo, this unique shop of handcrafted leather goods and exquisite imports from Mexico has always been a favorite of Olvera Street. The business grew as did the years and soon Manuel's son, Armando, would inherit the business as owner/management/artisan. Currently being run by Armando and his business oriented wife Lupita, Murillo Leather Goods has never been in better shape! Come down to the world famous Mexican marketplace and immerse yourself in this tastefully handcrafted quality leather. From bohemian hippie-style goods to imported handcrafts & leather jewelry, you will surely come back for more!