Since arriving in Los Angeles time has gone so fast that it has taken me a while to process all that has happened over the last few days. Today I met with some of the descendants of the original eleven families that founded El Pueblo de Los Angeles. They belong to an organisation called Los Pobladores that was founded in 1981, when the City was commemorating its 200th anniversary.
Thanks to Robert Welham I had the chance to interview and photograph Rose Ramirez, Paul Guzman and Jeri Garcia at Olvera Street, the original settlement which has grown to become the metropolis of todays LA. If you happen to be near Olvera Street this Saturday you should check out `The Blessing of the Animals´, and old tradition that is revived every year where people bring along their pets or livestock to be blessed with holy water.
I will also like to thank Rose for bringing her granddaughter Luna, who at only 4 years old prove to be an invaluable assistant, giving Matt some much needed time off from holding the reflector!
I was also lucky to meet with both Irene Sepúlveda and Valerie Welham yesterday in Yorba Linda, a town founded with a land grant given to Bernardo Yorba in 1834.