A Look at San Francisco’s Mission District for Hispanic Heritage Month

In light of conservative societal adversities, America’s immigrant communities become the pulse to a city’s cultural heart. Without Chinatown’s, Little Italy’s, and various barrios, modern society’s cultural output would be entirely dependent on tiktok dances and the latest Starbucks creation. One such neighborhood that’s still breathing life into a wider metropolis is the Latin and indigenous influence of San Francisco’s historic Mission District.

As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, LATV’s Cultura Shock took a virtually guided tour with SF native and Mission District resident Sharon Herrera for first-hand insight into the Latin immigrant influence.

“I myself am an immigrant…and it was truly beautiful to see so many people, especially from Central America. That we come from different countries and that we can share the space with each other. That’s the most beautiful thing about the Mission District.” – Sharon Herrera

The Mission District’s history stretches back long before the United States became a country. The area of present day Dolores Park was originally the Chutchui settlement of Ramaytush Ohlone Native Americans. Spanish colonizers established the Mission San Francisco de Asís in 1776, which is San Francisco’s oldest building still standing. The larger Mission Dolores Basilica, to the right of the former, was built in 1918.

During the mid-1900s a wave Mexican immigrants relocated to the area, whose influence is recognized by the statue of Miguel Hidalgo and a replica of the Mexican Liberty Bell in Dolores Park. In the second half of the 20th century, the district again saw a surge of migrants from Central America as a result of civil wars that were happening in countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua.

Mural on the wall of The Women’s Building in the Mission District.

The district’s Latin character especially evident in the artwork and murals that adorn streets such as Balmy Alley or The Women’s Building (Edificio de Mujeres). In the case of Balmy Alley, the artwork is a result of Women’s artist/activist collective Las Mujeres Muralistas and initiatives such as the PLACA Project to commemorate Native and Latin American cultures. Residents of Balmy Alley must agree to keep the artwork on their walls to this day before leasing.

Part of ‘The Culture Contains The Seed of Resistance’ mural in Balmy Alley by Miranda Bergman and O’Bien Thiele 1984.

Today, the Mission District faces with rapid gentrification, which threatens to displace the area’s long time residents.

“We have a lot of gentrification happening in The Mission, and prior to the pandemic, white people moving into the neighborhoods due to Silicon Valley. We have these big corporations. We are competing with these big companies and these big salaries, yet we still conserve our culture.” – Sharon Herrera

Herrera works for the San Francisco Latino Task Force. A non-profit organization that mobilizes community resources, economic assistance, and even providing vaccination sites to combat local spread of COVID-19.

“It takes the community to save the community. Nobody else is going to come and save us, not even the city of San Francisco. We have to mobilize ourselves to make sure to provide the best resources to our communities and to protect them against anything.” – SH

If the history of the Mission District shows us anything, it’s the resiliency of those who call it home and their collective passion to protecting its cultural legacy (including its supersized – mission style burritos).