Rutas Transnacionales: El Corredor Oaxaqueño

Oaxacan indigenous migration to the United States can be traced back as early as the Bracero Program (1942-1964). Furthermore, with the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994, a large portion of rural, indigenous farmworkers were displaced from their lands (Fox & Rivera-Salgado, 2004). Because of this, at the turn of the 20 ^th  century, more and more indigenous peoples from Oaxaca either moved to cities within Mexico or to the U.S.

As a result, a large population of indigenous Oaxacan groups have rooted themselves in the state of California. With an estimate of at least  200,000 Oaxacans residing in Los Angeles , it is not surprising to see why the community endearingly claims “Oaxacalifornia” as their home. After all, Oaxacalifornia describes a hybrid, transnational culture and region that challenges the real and imagined borders put in place by nation-states. Born as an idea of nostalgia and seeking solidarity and belonging, Oaxacalifornia transcends territorial divisions and creates a network of Oaxaqueños across cities in California.  

As a result of Oaxacan migration, it is said that California is also Oaxacalifornia; describing a binational culture, a region both real due to the large migrant population but also imagined"

The transborder community of Oaxaqueños living in L.A. has given life to a vibrant community of Oaxacan businesses and restaurants that stretches across Pico Blvd. At the intersection of Normandie Ave. and Pico Blvd., you can find Peter Pan Market, a store that represents the cultural mosaic of L.A. and sells products from Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Just a street over, Maqueos Music Academy keeps Oaxacan traditional music alive by teaching second-generation Oaxacans about the music and instruments brought over by their elders from Oaxaca.

Rutas Transnacionales is a UHI (Urban Humanities Initiative)-based project that hopes to aid the Oaxacan community’s efforts in advocating for a Oaxacan Corridor. These are ideas and starting points for the community to imagine how they could be represented in public space.

• The Oaxacan Corridor seeks to preserve Oaxacan indigenous culture by honoring the migrant experience of those who have come to Southern California and built a transnational community extending beyond geopolitical borders.

• The Oaxacan Corridor, on Pico Blvd. between Westmoreland Ave. and Crenshaw Blvd., would increase the number of Oaxacan businesses and the revenue they earn. A Oaxacan Corridor would also increase production and necessary imports from Oaxaca– like the mole negro, mole rojo, tlayudas, and epazote–needed by Oaxacan restaurants in L.A.

In honoring the Indigenous migrant experience and political identity of the Oaxacan community in L.A., we must first acknowledge the communities indigenous to the LA Basin and the original stewards of this land such as the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples.

• Alebrijes are created by artist, Pedro Linares.
• Alebrijes workshop in the U.S. conducted by Pedro Linares and Judith Bronowski is attended by Oaxacan woodcarver, Manuel Jiménez Ramírez.  
• Jiménez used wood from the copal tree instead of papier mache to create Oaxacan alebrijes.
• The huipil patterns used in the banners are from huipiles used by women in the isthmus region of Oaxaca, Tehuantepec.
• According to Don Mauro, "Women are always active in cultural events, art, marches and are starting to take leadership roles [in the Oaxacan community]." We wanted to honor their labor.

There are significant Oaxacan communities in different parts of Mexico as well as across states like California, Oregon, and Washington. A community spanning both sides of the border like this can be thought of as anti-nationalist–while acknowledging the undeniable violence of the border.

• Columns physically mark where Oaxacalifornia exists/can exist.
• Relation to obelisks that mark border.
• Potential for Corridor to extend beyond LA to rural communities across and beyond California.
• Columns will integrate lighting, increasing public safety, especially for women, after dark.

Oaxacan migration is not fixed in a geographical location but rather flows between countries, borders, and states. There are many actions that transcend borders of nations: remittances, labor, activism, movement, art, tequio.

The column pattern designed was largely inspired by Mitla, a sacred archeological site by the Zapotec and with the architectural influence of the Mixtec . The name Mitla is derived from the Nahuatl name Mictlán, meaning the “place of the dead”. The patterns of Mitla are like no other archeological sites in Mesoamerica, making them unique to Oaxaca’s rich culture.

These site-specific interventions draw on the existing urban fabric of Pico Blvd., using existing colors along the street to amplify the presence of Oaxacan businesses along the corridor.

The painted sidewalks and crosswalks highlight the pedestrian experience and the sidewalk as the zone where life on the corridor occurs. Columns along the street could have QR codes that link to information about the businesses, or the histories of the murals. These interventions are at the sites of 2 existing murals, but community artists could be encouraged to create additional artwork along the corridor.

“Se ve, se siente, Oaxaca está presente”

Following the release of L.A. City Council members’ racist remarks towards Oaxacans in October 2022, hundreds of people from the Oaxacan community mobilized politically and marched in protest. Years of coming together in events like El festival de primavera (March 21st), El convite (June 30), La Guelaguetza (August 6th), and organizations like  ORO (Organización Regional de Oaxaca) , have created a transnational community that celebrates and honors their indigenous roots.

Standing in resilience and solidarity, Oaxacans make up a critical part of L.A.'s social and urban fabric–one that is rooted in giving back to the community and the general welfare of one another.