By Mary O’KEEFE and Vanessa YNDA

On July 18, The Cool Group from the Fire House at St. Luke’s of The Mountains Episcopal Church took a field trip to Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles.

The temperature was already 80 degrees as the group started the free tour, which is offered by the City of Los Angeles. The tour taught the group about the displacement of the Tongva people, which spanned generations from 1769 to the 1850s, and the first settlers that were sent from Mexico through the Mission system. 

The walk included a tour of the Avila Adobe, the oldest house in Los Angeles and reportedly built in 1818, and continued to the viewing of the famous mural on Olvera Street, América Tropical (https://www.laconservancy.org/learn/historic-places/america-tropical/). It was painted by Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros in 1932. 

The story behind the mural was deeply moving to everyone, according to a group leader Vanessa Ynda. 

Cool Group members were all impressed with various aspects of the tour. For Kean, the mural was his favorite part of the day. 

Cian was impressed by the history of the area; he had dates memorized and impressed the group’s docent, who was leading the tour. Lorna’s favorite part was seeing the statue of King Carlos III of Spain who authorized the 1781 founding of El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Ángeles, noted by many as the birthplace of Los Angeles. 

El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument is near the site of the early Los Angeles pueblo or town where 44 settlers of Native American, African and European heritage journeyed more than one thousand miles across the desert from present-day northern Mexico and established a farming community in September 1781. Since that time, Los Angeles has been under the flags of Spain, Mexico and the United States and has grown into one of the world’s largest metropolitan areas. 

Today, as a department of the City of Los Angeles, El Pueblo is a living museum that continues to fulfill its unique role as the historic and symbolic heart of the city, according to the El Pueblo Historical Society’s website.

“I think my favorite part was learning about the history of the birthplace of Los Angeles, and the friendliness of the workers at Olvera Street,” said Michael. 

Many in the group were in awe of the beautiful courtyard of El Pueblo, which features the oldest grape vine in California. They were also happy to beat the heat for a while as relief was found within the thick walls of the adobe bricks, which were used to build most of El Pueblo and dramatically dropped the outside temperature.

  After enjoying food from La Luz del Día Restaurant and ice cream from Mr. Churro, the group headed home – but not before capturing a group photo in front of a gorgeous bougainvillea plant. 

The Cool Group is a group of young adults from The Fire House, many of whom have been meeting in person and on Zoom for over 12 years, Ynda said.

St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church is located at 2563 Foothill Blvd. in La Crescenta. For information on The Cool Group or St. Luke’s, call (818) 248-3539

Tours of Olvera Street and El Pueblo Historical Monument are offered free of charge. Guided tours are offered Thursday to Saturday, with start times beginning at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 12 p.m. (noon). Visit https://elpueblo.lacity.gov/tours or call (213) 485-6855 to book a tour or for more information.