El Pueblo: A Historical Tour Tracing the Early Development of Los Angeles

Time: 10 am - 12 pm
Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010
Location:
Meeting Place: at the east corner of Spring Street and Arcadia Street.
Cost: FREE but reservations are required by calling 213-229-8890 or e-mailing thesocalstudio@gmail.com.

This tour is guided by Monica Pelayo. At no other place is the history of the development of early Los Angeles more evident than within the 44-acres that comprise El Pueblo de los Angeles Historical Monument. Dating back to 1781, traces of Spanish, Mexican, and United States history chronicle the important social, cultural, and historical events connected with the region's humble beginnings, many of which directly dictated the planning, growth, and demographics of contemporary Los Angeles. Topics included are:

• The advent of Los Angeles' first agricultural period and the Rancho era
• The building of a transcontinental railroad and its subsequent population boom
• The engineering of an irrigation system and aqueduct
• The building of La Placita Church and the extension of El Camino Real
• The first formal comprehensive survey of Los Angeles (Lt. Ord's survey)
• Los Angeles' early attempt at heritage tourism through Christine Sterling's creation of Olvera Street
• The legacy and legend of the paiting and subsequent whitewashing of David Alfaro Siqueiros' mural America Tropical
• The growth of El Pueblo's Chinese, African American, and Italian communities
• Early labor protests and the effects of the Great Depression and Mexican Repatriation

Monica Pelayo is a Phd student in History at the University of Southern California. She is a native Los Angeleno with an avid interest in immigration, the Progressive Movement and urban landscape.