Santa Monica Digital Archive Preserves Generations Of Mexican American History

SANTA MONICA, CA — A photograph of a neighborhood grocery store on what was then Pennsylvania Avenue offers a small window into a much larger piece of Santa Monica history now being preserved online.

The image of El Retono Grocery, operated by the J.C. Garcia family at 1809 Pennsylvania Ave., now Olympic Boulevard, is among the family photographs featured in the Santa Monica Public Library's Mexican Presence in Santa Monica digital collection.

The city highlighted the collection Wednesday as Santa Monica prepares to mark Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.

The archive documents the cultural history, genealogy and influence of Mexican American families in Santa Monica through historic photographs and oral histories collected from community members.

According to the library, the collection is being co-produced with members of Santa Monica's Mexican American community, who are recording oral histories and scanning photographs to create a repository of primary-source material for research, exhibits and educational projects.

The goal is to make the influence of Mexican American families throughout Santa Monica's history more widely known. The project was publicly introduced during Santa Monica's 150th anniversary celebrations in September 2025 as an effort by community members to document generations of Mexican American history in the city.

The Santa Monica Conservancy later described the Sept. 20 event as a pilot of the library's new Mexican Presence in Santa Monica collection, bringing together images and oral histories from generations of Mexican American families.

A History Dating Back To 1839

Among those represented are the Márquez and Reyes families, whose history in the area predates the founding of the modern city by decades. Francisco Márquez and Ysidro Reyes applied for title to Rancho Boca de Santa Monica in 1838 and received the land grant in 1839.

The 6,656-acre rancho encompassed what is now Santa Monica Canyon, Pacific Palisades and parts of Topanga Canyon, according to the Santa Monica Conservancy.

Márquez, who was born in Mexico and arrived in Los Angeles in 1820 while the region was still under Spanish rule, later moved with his family to Santa Monica Canyon. Reyes, a Los Angeles native, established his home near what is now Seventh Street and Adelaide Drive.

The families would eventually be joined when Márquez's youngest son, Pascual, married Reyes' daughter Michaela. Their descendants and family histories are among those being documented through the Mexican Presence project.

Preserving Family Stories

In October 2025, the Santa Monica Conservancy and Santa Monica Public Library held a program devoted to the Márquez-Reyes family, featuring Sharon Reyes and historian Nina Fresco.

The event included exhibition panels examining Rancho-era life in Santa Monica and a discussion featuring historic photographs from Reyes' personal collection that the Conservancy described as never previously seen publicly.

Other photographs associated with the Mexican Presence project include images from the Angie Márquez Collection and J.C. Garcia family, while photographs from the collection are already being used to illustrate other accounts of Santa Monica history.

Santa Monica officials drew renewed attention to the digital collection Wednesday following a City Council proclamation recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month. The council issued the proclamation Tuesday in partnership with the Mexican Presence in Santa Monica Project Committee.

The city is also planning a series of library and community events during Hispanic Heritage Month, including Mexican folklórico dance and music, bilingual storytimes and other cultural programming.

The digital archive, meanwhile, gives residents a way to explore photographs and firsthand accounts documenting generations of Mexican American life in Santa Monica beyond the monthlong celebration. The Mexican Presence in Santa Monica collection can be viewed through the Santa Monica Public Library's digital collections website.