YOU ARE HERE – Tovaangar / El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula / Los Angeles

YOU ARE HERE, a map of Los Angeles, uses an evocative representation of topography, language, and land use over time to make visible the movement and histories of the peoples who have long called this place home. Native plants, animals, and a sacred oak as cosmic tree orienting the cardinal directions intermingle with references to uprisings amid past epidemics in Los Angeles, under a rainbow presenting a view of our past, present, and hope for the future. Viewers are invited to pause and locate places and personal histories within this monumental, multilingual map of our city.
Rodriguez’s style is informed by a number of sources, including early colonial painted
manuscripts from Mexico. YOU ARE HERE is firmly rooted in research about Los Angeles—its communities, history, maps, and primary documents—while leveraging
varied intergenerational relationships with scholars and historians, including the late Tongva elder Julia Bogany.