The carreta was established in the late '60s by Jesus "Don Chuy" Hernandez and Trancito “Tancho” Hernandez. It has been in the Hernandez family since then. It is currently at risk of being removed from La Placita Olvera due to the recent death of the matriarch, Trancito Hernandez, and a termination of the merchant contract with the city of Los Angeles. We are fighting to keep this business open and keep this historic LA landmark within our family legacy, and we need your help. 

Have you ever had your photo taken at the burro at Olvera Street? A visit to Olvera Street is an essential LA experience. A Sunday afternoon visit to the plaza looks a lot like taking a walk through the cobblestone streets of one of the oldest if not the oldest maintained streets in Los Angeles. You visit the kiosko and watch the Aztec dancers, buy a churro, listen to music, visit the free museums, and you end the day by taking a photo at the burro commemorating your visit to Placita. It is more than just a photo opportunity, La Carreta represents family, cultural pride, tradition, and the American dream achieved by our grandparents, who were proud Mexican immigrants.

Our grandfather Jesus, "Don Chuy" Hernandez, (1930-1997) was born in Durango, Mexico in 1930 to Nicolas and Florencia Hernandez. As a young adult, Jesus Hernandez traveled from state to state with his father selling birria with the Mexican State Fair, where he met and married Trancito, "Tancho" Velazquez (1933-2024). Natural born vagabonds, Jesus and his wife traveled from Tijuana, Mexico to Los Angeles, California where they began their own business at Placita Olvera creating custom name-plate jewelry, bending gold plated wire and engraving gold- plated rings out of a small briefcase next to the restaurant El Paseo. They also trained canaries to read your fortune, their “Pajaritos de la Buena Suerte” which brought good luck to all who paid them a visit. In 1970, they acquired el puesto C2 at Placita Olvera and Hernandez Imports was created, but their legacy didn’t end there. Inspired by the original burro and carretas in Tijuana where they lived, they built and painted their very own brightly colored carreta, fashioned it with sombreros, serapes, their old guns, belts and holsters, their pet donkey Cirila, and finally, hand-painted La Placita Olvera in the most impeccable calligraphy. 

El burrito and caretta has quickly become an LA landmark. From celebrities, movie cameos, LA mayors, and people from all walks of life have visited Olvera Street to make beautiful memories & captured them with a photo at the burrito. This is a family owned business that celebrates and represents Mexican culture and traditions in Los Angeles and should be preserved as a landmark. Please help us save our burrito and keep our LA traditions alive. 

Que viva los commerciantes y viva la calle Olvera!