— Founded in 1781
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| This is an old postcard of Overa Street. |
Captain Rivera y Moncada and 45 other men, women, and children started a tiny community that they called El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reyna de Los Angeles de Porciuncula. This means “the town of Our Lady, queen of the angels of Porciuncula.” You may ask what Porciuncula means... It is the name of an Italian church and translates roughly to “a very small parcel of land” in Italian. What we now call the Los Angeles River was named Porciuncula in honor of that church in 1769, and so the new town used the river name in its name to help people know its location.
L.A. grew from just 46 people in 1781 to almost four million people today! It is the second largest city in the U.S. (New York City is larger), but it is only the 48th to 50th largest city in the world—ten cities in China alone outnumber Los Angeles! (Wow!)
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| The oldest home in Los Angeles, located on Olvera Street. |
The oldest part of L.A., founded by those 46 Spanish settlers, is today part of a historical landmark. Called Olvera Street, it is a colorful Mexican marketplace and the setting for Mexican music, dancing, and holiday celebrations.
Olvera Street is a fun place to visit!
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