Statue of Mexican singer, actor Antonio Aguilar unveiled at Olvera Street
Although the fountain was already at Olvera Street, the statue and its base were built specifically for the Antonio Aguilar statue.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — A statue of Mexican musician and actor Antonio Aguilar was unveiled on Sunday at Olvera Street as part of the weekend's celebrations in honor of Mexican Independence Day. The 18-foot, bronze statue of Aguilar features him sitting on a horse -- a fitting depiction of the performer who died in 2007, and was known as "El Charro de Mexico" (the Mexican Cowboy).
The ceremony and concert included Councilman José Huizar, some of Aguilar's family members and the sculpture's designer, L.A. artist Dan Medina. The Los Angeles Times reports that the performer's son, Antonio Aguilar Jr., said at Sunday's event: "I think that he did something very important for our community, to make Mexican Americans and Salvadoran Americans and Guatemalan Americans and everybody proud of their heritage and not to be embarrassed to speak their language."
The statue was erected in the middle of an already existing fountain off of Alameda Street at the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument. The figure was built on top of a base crafted in Zacatecas, Mexico -- Aguilar's hometown.
According to Huizar's office, when Aguilar first came to Los Angeles in 1940 he slept on benches at Olvera Street for a few nights, before making a name for himself with his corridos and musical rodeos, and eventually climbing his way to fame and working with everyone from John Wayne to Rock Hudson.
"Antonio opened the doors of the United States and Latin America for us," famous Mexican performer Vicente Fernandez told music magazine, Billboard.
Aguilar recorded more than 150 albums, acted in even more films and married film star and singer Flor Silvestre, who he met on set in the late 1950s.
“He personifies the immigrant experience here in Los Angeles and reminds us all that if we work hard, we can achieve anything," said Huizar in a statement. "His statue is a tribute to the American Dream and I'm proud to have helped make this lasting tribute a reality.”
Huizar's office told the L.A. Times that the statue cost about $200,000 to create; the city contributed $50,000 and the rest came from private donors including the Guadalajara Foundation and Sigue Corp.
William Crandell on September 17, 2012, at 08:39PM – #1
Fabulous.
And how about an equestrian statue of Winfield Scott Hancock at the southeast corner of Third and Main? That is where he lived and worked for two years before the start of the U.S. Civil War. He was only an army captain then, but later, as a general, he made the greatest difference at both the Battle of Chancellorsville and the Battle of Gettysburg and the U.S. would not now be as it now exists if not for his accomplishments at those two battles.
One of the great legends of the Civil War emanates from the site of his residence in downtown L.A. Anyone who has read Michael Shaara's Pulitzer Prize winning 'The Killer Angels' or seen the 1993 movie ' Gettysburg' will be familiar with the legend.
After the war, as commander in charge of the northern occupation of the military district encompassing New Orleans, Hancock issued general order number forty which in effect validated and preserved the civil rights of defeated southerners and those orders have ever since been hailed as reinforcing the American Constitution as well as validating the country's tradition of civilian control of the nation's military forces.
Hancock was defeated in the presidential election of 1880 by what is still the narrowest margin (popular vote) in American history. He and his wife made a return visit to L.A. on New Year's Day 1884. There was a parade from River Station to the Nadeau Hotel, where the L.A. Times is now located. It was the largest celebration to that point in the city's history. Mayor Thom accompanied the Hancocks to their old one story brick dwelling house. It was nearly covered over by a climbing rose that Hancock had planted a quarter century before. Seeing their old home, the couple wept. And it was Thom who had been their landlord, had built the residence expressly for their use and ironically, was also present at the conflict at Gettysburg - on the Confederate side, along with generals Lewis Armistead and Richard Garnett, who both had served under Hancock here in southern California.
Here's to suggest that readers familiarize themselves with the legend of Third and Main. With that, they will always recall the memory of Winfield Hancock. Read the book. See the movie. A memorial to Hancock and his compatriots should be constructed at the southeast corner of Third and Main. Box out Lady Bird's Coral Trees and incorporate them within a new setting. Call it Hancock Square!