Archeological Explorations in Downtown's Mayan Theatre
The exotic architecture is spectacular, but it's some pencil stub scribblings on a plain cement wall that really blew our mind
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For our latest post that’s hidden from the rest of the internet, we’d like to take you into the hidden recesses of the most exuberant of the historic theaters in Downtown Los Angeles, The Mayan (architects Morgan, Walls and Clements, with iconography by Francisco Cornejo adapted from archeological sources, 1927).
Pre-COVID, the Mayan operated as a nightclub, with mood lighting that made it difficult for visitors to fully appreciate its complicated symbolic scheme and the rich colors of its decorative tile, wall paintings and painted stage curtain.
But two summers ago, while we were scouting locations for Richard’s 50th birthday tour in association with the Huntington’s exhibition Architects of a Golden Age, the owners welcomed us inside for a rare daylight tour. Ultimately, scheduling conflicts didn’t allow the tour group to explore the theater’s interior, but they admired the façade as part of a breakneck day’s exploring.
This summer, we’re mostly staying inside with the cats, and not out scouting cool landmarks for Richard’s 2020 birthday tour, which has us feeling a little blue. So we dug back into our photo archives to explore the Mayan Theatre again.
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