It was a sad sight for Jorge Contreras: rows of blue, yellow and orange puestos, or market stalls, on Olvera Street were shuttered. Nineteenth-century brick buildings that house restaurants, shops and museums were closed, too. La Plaza, typically teeming with people, was empty and quiet.
“This place is not meant to feel sad,” the 55-year-old hat seller said. “It’s supposed to be a place of dance and celebration.”
For nearly a century, Olvera Street merchants — many of them now descendants of original vendors — have sold handcrafted items such as pottery, candles and Mexican folk art. Their survival is intertwined with tourism and cultural events such as Day of the Dead, Blessing of the Animals and Las Posadas, a nine-day Christmas celebration.
But the economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening the future of Olvera Street. Tourism has nearly dried up. Stay-at-home orders and other restrictions prevent people from gathering at the plaza and narrow street. Even though restaurants can sell takeout orders, it’s difficult to do so from a marketplace that is enclosed by several streets that require people to park and walk to the eateries.
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