Walking Through California’s Layered Past

Shonda
March 4, 2026

As part of California 175 — What Connects California?, Zócalo Public Square, in collaboration with the Los Angeles Conservancy and in partnership with California Humanities, presents What History Lies Beneath DTLA’s Bright Lights? — a guided walking tour exploring Downtown Los Angeles’ layered and often overlooked histories.

California’s story is marked by moments of transformation, innovation, conflict, and resilience. Yet in the state’s drive to build anew, histories are often left unmarked or misunderstood. Downtown Los Angeles embodies this tension.

Beginning at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument and concluding in Little Tokyo, the 2.5-hour tour guides participants through approximately 1.8 miles of civic landscape — uncovering histories that continue to shape the city today.

Participants engage with stories of the Gabrielino-Tongva people prior to colonization; the 1871 massacre of Chinese residents; the endurance and cultural leadership of Japanese American communities; and the development of Union Station as a gateway to Southern California.

Public humanities invite us to learn not only through reading, but through encounter. Walking the streets where history unfolded creates a different kind of understanding — one rooted in place, presence, and shared inquiry.

By convening experts, historians, and community voices, the tour encourages participants to reflect on a central question: What histories must we remember to shape California’s next 175 years?

Programs like this illustrate how historical reflection strengthens civic imagination. When communities examine both the dark and bright chapters of their past, they become better equipped to build a more thoughtful and inclusive future.

California Humanities is proud to partner in initiatives that encourage dialogue, deepen historical understanding, and connect Californians to one another through place-based storytelling.

The tour is free and open to the public with a reservation.