East Los Angeles

Large community in Los Angeles County, southwest California; population (1990) 126,400. It is locate to the east of the city of Los Angeles, on the opposite side of the Los Angeles River. It is one of the largest barrios in the USA, and has been overwhelmingly Hispanic since the 1910s; its original migrants from Los Angeles city centre were joined over the years by immigrants from Mexico and Central America. The area is noted for its murals depicting Mexican history and Chicano life; the Plaza de la Raza has a performing arts centre and cultural museum.

In 1943, East Los Angeles was the scene of the ‘zoot suit riots’ involving white servicemen and Mexican youths. Further rioting occurred in the 1970s, since which time a growing Hispanic community has expanded through Boyle Heights and neighbouring areas of Los Angeles, southwest into South Central, and east into Montebello, Pico Rivera, and other communities.