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Mariachi Plaza is a plaza located in the Boyle Heights district of the city of Los Angeles, California. The plaza is known for its history as a center for
mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music that dates back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, t ...
music. Since the 1950s, mariachi musicians have gathered in hopes of being hired by visitors who are looking for a full band, trio or solo singer. The plaza resembles Mexico's famed
Plaza Garibaldi Plaza Garibaldi is located in historic downtown Mexico City, on Eje Central (Lázaro Cárdenas) between historic Calle República de Honduras and Calle República de Peru, a few blocks north of the Palacio de Bellas Artes. The original name of thi ...
in both form and function and is also a historic gateway to the neighborhood.


History

As early as the 1930s, the area between Boyle Avenue and Bailey Street functioned as an informal gathering place for mariachis seeking work. In the 1950s a mariachi named Juan M. Gonzalez, "El Cochero" (the Coachman), also known as the ''fundador'' (founder) of "La Boyle" is said to have stopped at the gas station that once stood on the corner and wandered around the neighborhood where he found $7 per week rooms to rent, and told his mariachi friends to join him there. Since then, musicians wait around the plaza and hotel—now an affordable living complex—to be hired. In the early 1980s the Department of Cultural Affairs and Metro formulated a plan to transform the gathering space into a legitimate public square. On November 22, 1992 (the feast day of
Saint Cecilia Saint Cecilia ( la, Sancta Caecilia), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman virgin martyr and is venerated in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox, Anglican Communion, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She b ...
) the groundbreaking for the new Plaza del Mariachi de Los Angeles took place. Six years later, in 1998, the State of Jalisco, Mexico funded the addition of a traditional Cantera stone
kiosk Historically, a kiosk () was a small garden pavilion open on some or all sides common in Iran, Persia, the Indian subcontinent, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward. Today, several examples of this type of kiosk still exist ...
which was designed, hand carved, and assemble by Guadalajaran stone artisan Juan Pablo Salas. The
kiosk Historically, a kiosk () was a small garden pavilion open on some or all sides common in Iran, Persia, the Indian subcontinent, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward. Today, several examples of this type of kiosk still exist ...
located in the plaza, similar to those found in Mexico. The kiosk is ornamental and has been criticized for its poor acoustics. In 2001, the State of Jalisco continued to support the developing plaza with the donation of seventeen wrought iron benches, representing municipalities in Jalisco.


Description

Mariachi plaza has taken on the identity as the historic gateway and is the location of many celebrations, festivals and community events. A bandstand was added in 2009. Local leaders hope to promote the plaza and for it to remain a sanctuary for musicians. Every November, the feast day of Santa Cecilia is celebrated at Mariachi Plaza with a procession of mariachis. The plaza is bounded by E. 1st Street to the south, N. Boyle Avenue to the west, and a small residential street named Pleasant Avenue to its north. It is surrounded by the East Los Angeles Interchange, and is located between Interstates 5, 10, and
101 101 may refer to: * 101 (number), the number * AD 101, a year in the 2nd century AD * 101 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC It may also refer to: Entertainment * ''101'' (album), a live album and documentary by Depeche Mode * "101" (song), a ...
. On Mexican Independence Day 2022, Boyle Heights honored Mexican ranchera legend
Vicente Fernández Vicente Fernández Gómez (17 February 1940 – 12 December 2021) was a Mexican singer, songwriter, actor, and film producer. Nicknamed "Chente" (short for Vicente), "El Charro de Huentitán" (The Charro from Huentitán), "El Ídolo de México ...
nickname, Chente. A purple curtain dropped, and a stretch of Bailey Street bordering Mariachi Plaza was renamed Vicente Fernández Street. The length of Vicente Fernández Street stretches about 400 feet from the edge of Mariachi Plaza to the gates of Adventist Health White Memorial Hospital (a two-block segment). It sits between 1st Street and Pennsylvania Avenue near the historic Mariachi Plaza.
Papel picado Papel picado ("perforated paper," "pecked paper") is a traditional Mexican decorative craft made by cutting elaborate designs into sheets of tissue paper. Papel picado is considered a Mexican folk art. The designs are commonly cut from as many ...
strung across, adorned Mariachi Plaza, where a crowd was serenaded by live musicians on loudspeakers. Fernández's widow, Maria del Refugio Abarca Villaseñor, known as “Doña Cuquita,” attended the unveiling ceremony, along with other local elected officials. Mariachi musicians and dancers perform at the naming ceremony, his legendary songs (English: The
state of nature The state of nature, in moral and political philosophy, religion, social contract theories and international law, is the hypothetical life of people before societies came into existence. Philosophers of the state of nature theory deduce that ther ...
) by songwriter José Ángel Espinoza. The songs name is an expression that has come to describe a scenario where life's contract imposes restrictions upon individuals that curtail their
natural rights Some philosophers distinguish two types of rights, natural rights and legal rights. * Natural rights are those that are not dependent on the laws or customs of any particular culture or government, and so are ''universal'', ''fundamental'' and ...
and "El Rey" (English: "The King") by José Alfredo Jiménez song at the closing ceremony. Fernández is the second ranchera legend whose name graces Bailey Street. Pioneering singer Lucha Reyes has a statue in Mariachi Plaza and signs along Bailey Street, placed in 2014, welcoming visitors to Avenida Lucha Reyes.


Transportation


Metro Rail station

The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority has a light rail subway station open in 2009 under the plaza on the Eastside extension of the Gold Line. The plaza has a direct route into
Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is ...
and a connection to other lines of the Metro. As of 2020, there is a proposal to redevelop the square, though it is highly contested by local residents and mariachis.Ohnsman, Alan and Gould, Jens Erik (March 12, 200
"Ay Caramba! Los Angeles Mariachis Play Blues After Forced Move"
Bloomberg News


Mariachi Plaza Metro Station Art/Design

Metro's Mariachi Plaza Station opened in 2009 as part of the Gold line eastside extension. The entrance to the station is located in what many consider to be the heart of the community. Its large scalloped canopy features Diamon-shaped glass cut outs, which reflect their festive colors onto the escalators below. The bronze sculpture below the canopy, title ″El Nino Perdido″, was created by Alejandro de la Loza an artist born in Mexico City and raised in Boyle Heights. When envisioning the piece, Loza took inspiration from the popular Mexican instrumental song "El Nino Perdido" (the lost child). A favorite among mariachis, the hundred year old song is centered around two trumpeters playing at distance from one another, one representing a parent and the other representing a lost child. At the end of the song, the two trumpeters will often meet face-to-face, signifying the reunion of the parent and the child. Additional works in the collection can be found below, within the station itself. Lucha Reyes (Maria de Luz Flores Aceves) has a statue in the plaza as she visited the city many times during her career. known as the "mother of ranchera music" stands behind the kiosk, acting as a muse to the local mariachis. Artist Juan Solis, born in Zacatecas, Mexico and raised in East Los Angeles was commissioned to paint two large panel murals. He painted figures of men and women in traditional folkloric dress, representing the cultural heritage of Mexico's various regions. On the second mural, he painted a mural of Our Lady of Guadalupe.


In popular culture

Owing to its musical history, several music videos have been filmed at Mariachi Plaza, such as the music videos for Lupita Infante's Cucurrucucú Paloma,
La Santa Cecilia La Santa Cecilia is an American band based in Los Angeles, California that plays a blend of cumbia, bossa nova, and boleros, among other styles. Saint Cecilia, La Santa Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians. The band seeks to represent a US b ...
's " Calaverita", Loona's " Butterfly", and
Beatriz Gonzalez Beatriz González (born 1938) is a Colombian painter, sculptor, critic, curator and art historian. González is often associated with the Pop Art movement. She is best known for her bright and colorful paintings depicting life in Colombia during ...
's "Los Laureles". A season 4 episode of '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' was filmed at Mariachi Plaza. The film ''
How to Be a Latin Lover ''How to Be a Latin Lover'' is a 2017 American comedy film directed by Ken Marino, written by Chris Spain and Jon Zack and stars Eugenio Derbez, Salma Hayek, Raphael Alejandro, Raquel Welch, Rob Riggle, Rob Huebel, Rob Corddry, Renée Taylor, Li ...
'' was partially filmed at Mariachi Plaza. Michael Connelly's crime thriller novel ''
The Burning Room ''The Burning Room'' is the 27th novel by American crime author Michael Connelly, and the seventeenth novel featuring Los Angeles Police Department detective Harry Bosch. The book was published by Little, Brown and Company on November 3, 2014 F ...
'' focuses on a murder which takes place at Mariachi Plaza.
Mariachi: A Tale of Three Lives
a short KCET-TV documentary, featured Mariachi Plaza. Starring Jose Hernandez, and El Cochero's son, Aguja.


References

{{Parks in Los Angeles Boyle Heights, Los Angeles Parks in Los Angeles Squares and plazas in Los Angeles Landmarks in Los Angeles Eastside Los Angeles