From a block away I could hear the Mexican music from the bandstand in the center of La Placita at the historic Pueblo de Los Angeles near Union Station. Hundreds of people had gathered in the area and it felt just like a central plaza in a small Mexican town. And the music was almost non-stop thanks to the Olvera Street Merchants Association which sponsors entertainment in the Plaza during summer months in 2018. Supposedly it is for tourists, but it is very obvious that locals love it, too!
It is an old tradition in Mexico to gather in the central plaza of the town or city to talk with friends and do some people-watching. This custom has been transferred to some parts of Los Angeles. Dozens of people were dancing to the sounds of a Mexican DJ up on the bandstand in the middle of the plaza.
Further away there were women dancing with women and solo people dancing by themselves. The music really called people to the “dance floor”.
After a while the DJ folded up his speakers and left. Before long one of the Native American/Mexican Indian dance troops started beating their drums and dancing. Their costumes look a lot more Mexican Indian than North American Indian to me, but who am I to judge? They look cool!
And when I wandered away from the bandstand down a narrow lane on Olvera St. what did I find but two mariachis. The rest of the band and a singer were inside the restaurant.
If all that dancing and music has made people hungry, there is a vendor selling slices of melons across the street in front of La Placita church, a church that has been in that location for over 240 years.
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