In a busy place like Los Angeles, sometimes it’s easy to drive or stroll right past important art and design.

That’s why for years now, urban planner James Rojas has led tours of L.A.’s Eastside, pointing out the murals, landmarks and architecture formed by Chicano and Latino culture .

“I think the stories of these spaces are really critical,” Rojas, who grew up in Boyle Heights, told LAist. “You want to create the awareness for people that, ‘Hey, these spaces aren’t just neutral. They have stories behind them.’”

The story of one building

Take, for example, the Pan American Bank building in Wellington Heights, which the L.A. Conservancy notes is the oldest Latinx-owned bank in California.

Founded by Romana Acosta Bañuelos in 1964, it served as a place where Mexicans and Mexica

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