“It’s going to be a very beautiful place for the mariachis to meet.” said Cindy
Reifler, lead violinist of the all-female Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles.
Plaza Rises in Cradle of Mariachi Music
Sculptor Pablo Salas wanted to leave a piece of Mexico in Los Angeles.
Salas’ legacy will be Mariachi Plaza, an eye-catching, 40-foot-tall domed
structure built on a Boyle Heights corner that for decades has been a
renowned gathering spot for mariachis.
The striking stone plaza–which will be dedicated Sunday on the Catholic
feast of St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music–is certain to become an instant
city landmark.
The project, first discussed by city officials 15 years ago, brought together
funding and cooperation from the city, the MTA and the Mexican state of
Jalisco... but the key was Salas with what he accomplished–and more.
The grizzled, 60-year-old artist is one of the most gifted sculptors in Mexico
and has worked on restoring centuries-old cathedrals and countless other
projects. He was commissioned to build Mariachi Plaza by the state of Jalisco.
He said his goal at the intersection of 1st and Boyle streets was to transform
a barren concrete corner into “the heart of the community,”
much like the plazas in Mexico.
The artisan directed a crew in Mexico that unearthed 40 tons of cantera, a
quarry stone that the pre-Columbian Toltecs used to erect some of their
imposing pyramids.
Then, following his design, Salas sculpted the stone for the distinctive plaza.
“We really wanted to give the mariachis a dignified place in the very cradle of
mariachi music [in Los Angeles],” said Al Nodal, director of the city’s Cultural
Affairs Department.
Adorning the top of the blue-tiled dome is a sculpture chiseled by
Salas of St. Cecilia.
Salas, along with four fellow workers from Guadalajara and a 10-person local
team, have labored since July to finish their work in time for the Sunday opening.
The unassuming Salas is often confused for just another hired hand by those
who are unaware that he is a famed sculptor.
Underneath Salas’ rough exterior lies a soulful musician. He and his Guadalajara
co-workers make up a jarocho trio and perform for friends. Salas works the quarry
stone with his chisel and hammer with the same ease that he plucks rhythms out of
his jarana, a small Mexican guitar that is popular in the southern state of Veracruz.
Jalisco Gov. Alberto Cardenas Jimenez kept the promise of one of his predecessors
in the early 1990s to donate the stone to the plaza as a gift to Los Angeles, said City
Councilman Richard Alatorre, who added that construction of the structure is one of
his dreams come true.
In January, the cantera was unearthed from Jalisco’s Santa Lucia Mountains. It took
Salas three months to shape the Tuscan-style columns, as well as the dome and the
stage.
Once the stones were cut, they were trucked from Jalisco to Los Angeles, said
Alatorre spokeswoman Luisa Campano.
A joint venture by the MTA and the Cultural Affairs Department funded local
construction.
The MTA’s Eastside subway extension had been projected to include a station at
1st and Boyle, where riders could have departed to view Mariachi Plaza and its
strolling musicians, MTA spokesman Ricardo Felix said.
Once it became doubtful that the subway would be extended to Boyle Heights,
“we got tired of waiting so we decided to go ahead,” Alatorre said.
The MTA put $420,000 into the project, using funds from its improved pedestrian
environment program, Felix said. The City Council voted to match 20% of the transit
agency’s funding with about $80,000.
Altogether, including the donated materials, “it’s a million-dollar project,”
Alatorre said.
Most residents and business owners in the neighborhood have high hopes for the
plaza, especially the more than 1,000 mariachis who live on the Eastside. The area is
their well-known hangout, where clients go to hire them to play for weddings, birthday
parties or quinceaneras (special celebrations for girls turning 15).
Most of the mariachis are enthusiastic about this Sunday’s grand opening, which
will include ceremonies and entertainment from noon to 5 p.m. On Tuesday a priest
will celebrate a midday open-air Mass at the plaza, to be followed by mariachi
entertainment.
It is hoped that the plaza will help upgrade the neighborhood, which as been plagued
with graffiti, vandalism and periodic nighttime crime.
“It really lends an aura of respectability to the area. It’s not going to look like a run-down
place anymore” said Cindy Reifler, lead violinist of the all-female Mariachi Reyna de Los
Angeles. “It’s going to be a very beautiful place for the mariachis to meet.”
