How Calle 24 is keeping Latino culture alive in the Mission
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The Latino Cultural District encompasses 24th Street from Mission to Potrero Streets. Photo: Nadia Lopez/Axios
Colorful murals, cumbia beats and the scent of fresh pan dulce give 24th Street in the Mission District its vibrant character as San Francisco's epicenter for Latino culture.
Why it matters: Today, the neighborhood remains a vital anchor for both new locales and long-standing Latino-owned businesses that preserve its cultural identity.
Context: Gentrification in the 1990s galvanized community leaders to organize and protect the Mission's identity — a movement that led to the creation of the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District.
- Calle 24 executive director Susana Rojas told Axios the idea emerged after visiting neighborhoods with rich cultural legacies, such as Chinatown and North Beach.
- Formally recognized by the Board of Supervisors in 2014, the designation enables preservation initiatives and assistance programs for legacy businesses.
What they're saying: "It has been a labor of love," Rojas told Axios. "That's the common denominator for all the people that have lasted so many years in our community."
Here are a few:
Luz de Luna: When owner Denise Gonzales opened her boutique specializing in handmade crafts, jewelry and vibrant Day of the Dead merchandise in 2012, she said there weren't many shops like it.
- "I have a passion for old things, ethnic things, folklore. This is a store that has been created with a lot of love and more than anything, to demonstrate our culture and art," she told Axios in Spanish.
La Palma Mexicatessen: A neighborhood staple since 1953, pressing fresh tortillas daily and offering tamales, chiles rellenos, salsas and house-made masa to generations of locals.
The Brava Theater: This historic women-led performing arts space champions Latina stories and showcases productions on immigration, identity and belonging.
La Victoria: This panadería, which opened in 1951, was among the first in the Mission to serve traditional pan dulce and cafecito while doubling as a gathering place for organizers and artists.
Discodelic Disco Viajantes: More than a decade after the beloved record stores Discolandia and ¡Musica Latina! closed, their spirits live on in this newer vinyl shop specializing in Latin American music.
- The store, which opened in late 2023, draws collectors, immigrants, nostalgic listeners and first- and second-generation Latinos seeking to connect with their roots.
- "For us, it's a point of joy to be able to connect people back to these cultural lifelines," shop clerk Jesus Iñiguez told Axios.
Medicine for Nightmares: Co-owner Josiah Luis Alderete is a self-described Chicano and Mission native who opened the bookstore in 2021 to continue the neighborhood's rich literary legacy and create a space where underrepresented groups can see themselves reflected in literature.
- The store showcases authors from across Latin America printed in Spanish and other languages, and many of the Latino writers who helped shape the Bay Area's literary movements, including Alejandro Murguía and Leticia Hernandez.
- The store also hosts bilingual poetry nights, reading series, zine release parties and open‑mics — events Alderete said are crucial to fostering community at a time when gentrification continues to displace residents.
- "The gentrification and displacement didn't stop the Mission from being the Mission. We're still here," Alderete told Axios.
