In 1922, Natalia Barraza immigrated to the United States alone. In 1922, Natalia Barraza immigrated to the United States alone. She had grown up in Tecuala, a small town in Nayarit, Mexico. Although she immigrated not being able to write, read, or speak English, Barraza opened up El Nayarit, a Mexican restaurant formerly located in the Echo Park community Los Angeles. With time, the restaurant became a well-established community hub for immigrants, the LGBTQ community, and women.
Molina called El Nayarit, her grandmother's restaurant, an urban anchor, which helped many undocumented Latinos build a community outside of t…
Doña Natalia’s ad for the Nayarit in El Eco, circa June 1965. Photo by Hemeroteca Nacional de México, Instituto de Investigaciones Bibliográfi…
Nayarit workers out on the town, at Casa Escobar in Santa Monica, circa 1968. Left to right: Honario (last name unknown), dishwasher; Refugio …