‘A little piece of Mexico’: Placita MX highlights Latino roots in Sacramento
Tucked away off 24th Street near K Street in downtown Sacramento is a small plaza, removed from the busy noise of midtown. Once you step inside, you’ll see walls covered in vibrant murals, including one of the Virgin Mary, and doors painted a bright blue.
This is Placita MX, a shopping plaza filled with colorful crafts, jewelry and art from various Latin American countries. The plaza, which is filled with all Latino-owned businesses, is run by Cantina Alley, a Mexican restaurant that operates nearby at 2320 Jazz Alley.
Placita MX started as a place for community bonding, said Oscar Escobar, Cantina Alley’s general manager. What was once an abandoned church is now a hub to spotlight “heritage and community.”
“In the midtown area, you need places where it’s family-oriented, but also at the same time, it allows you to showcase your roots, your background, and your heritage,” Escobar said.
For Bel Reyes, Placita MX has been just that—a place to celebrate her heritage as the owner of Centro Temazcal, a Mesoamerican Indigenous healing center. She said the business is an “aspect of (her) heart.”
Temazcal is a traditional sweat lodge used for physical and spiritual purification. Reyes said her business sells incense, sage, palo santo wood, and copal, an aromatic tree resin. Centro Temazcal also offers calming essential oils and Indigenous artwork.
“It was always things I integrated on a personal level,” Reyes said. “Then, through my work, there are healing center practices that we integrate in the work we’re a part of, working both with young people, families, and communities.”
Indigenous healing techniques were passed down to Reyes throughout her childhood. She learned about the benefits of Temazcal from her mother, her abuela, and her own personal experiences, she said. Her family is from Guanajuato, in central Mexico, while Reyes was raised in Del Paso Heights.
“Centro Temazcal really focuses on Indigenous items that bring a sense of calmness and peace,” Reyes said. “...it’s a community-like practice of healing, relieving different toxicities that we internalize going in day to day.”
A community approach
Placita MX opened in 2019, not too long after Cantina Alley’s opening in 2017, Escobar said. Described as the “little piece of Mexico in the heart of midtown Sacramento,” the plaza is home to seven shops spread across two stories, offering a cultural walking and shopping experience, according to its social media. Other businesses within the Placita include Kulture, Arte Studio, Arte Sumac, Urban Art Jewelry, Keepin it Paisa and Chulo Baby.
Throughout California, Latino businesses like the ones at Placita MX figure heavily when it comes to the state’s economic landscape. Hispanics and Latinos make up 40% of California’s population, and 30% of residents in Sacramento County, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Statewide, there are more than 815,000 Hispanic and or Latino-owned businesses, according to the California Chamber of Commerce.
But because of increased tariffs and ICE raids, Latino businesses nationwide have expressed concerns about the future. Escobar said, no matter what, the shopping center will remain strong in its community mission.
“Our intention was, and never has been, to get political,” Escobar said. “However, I feel like you should show who you are and share who you are. Our approach is just community, and that’s the best approach that you can do.”
“We have to defend ourselves, however we showcase who we are,” he added. “The Latino community, it’s all about loving your neighbor, loving each other, and then helping the community for what they need.”
Placita MX is open from Tuesdays to Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
