Cahuenga

Los Angeles artist Margaret Garcia set out to make momentous history visible with her work in tile at the Metro Red Line Universal City Station. You can imagine that "Universal" is not the original name of this place. Campo de Cahuenga was the name in 1847 when John C. Fremont and Andres Pico signed the treaty of Capitulation here, ending hostilities in California in the Mexican-American War and preparing for the yielding of "California" to the U.S.A. The territory would become not just the state of California, but also Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona, and part of Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. Garcia's brilliant tiles cover several panels with the remembrance of the peoples who met, struggled and sought peace and honor in this land, the indigenous Gabrielinos, the Mexican and African settlers and the U.S. immigrants. Edward F. Beale, a hero of the U.S. forces, went on to a storied career in the west. Beale Air Force Base is his namesake. Note: the original lead photo for this article is here.