Greetings From ‘Mexicoland'
Skip to content Sections The California issue A Los Angeles shopping plaza is a preview of California's Latino future. Credit... Give this article ...
Skip to content Sections The California issue A Los Angeles shopping plaza is a preview of California's Latino future. Credit... Give this article By Héctor Tobar Photographs by Deb Leal June 1, 2023 Stepping through the ornate facade of a faux City Hall, I enter the indoor swap meet at Plaza Mexico, the kitschy shopping center that's a landmark of California's resurgent Latino identity. I'm in the town of Lynwood, but the vibe is nothing like the WASPy Los Angeles of my 1970s youth. At the traffic circle that serves as the Plaza's entrance, I find a copy of the Angel of Independence, a famous monument in Mexico City that commemorates the beginning of Mexico's fight for secession from Spain.