When the sun comes up over the uniquely industrial-cum-residential neighborhood of Boyle Heights, just east of downtown Los Angeles, artist Ernesto Yerena gets up and greets the day. He's welcomed by a symphony of auditory sounds: there's the tamale lady loudly announcing her presence, the chattering of the neighborhood women watering their plants, and the ringihong of bicycle bells. “There’ an element that feels like you’re in ‘Little Mexico,’” he says. “I see a lot of hand-painted signage for restaurants or grocery markets; a lot of them are in Spanish. It reminds me of the border, where I’m from, with the Mexican American community.”
