The Spanish Village was built in 1935 and designed to resemble a traditional Spanish village in Spain. It was orginally made for the second California Pacific International Exposition. Converted to temporary barracks during WWII, it was reclaimed by artists in 1947.

The entrance as seen from behind the Natural History Museum A kiosk described the village and events scheduled. The pink outfits were for a walk that had just ended.

The painted tiles were one prized feature of the Spanish Village. Unfortunately, a long rain soaked winter had diminished their impact.

The Spanish Village was open seven days a week (except Christmas, Thanksgivings, and New Years days). It opens at 11:00 a.m. and closes at 4:00 p.m. There is no entry fee and is near parking and far from public transportation.

One shop displayed pottery in the window. Notice the bench in front and the lavish display of living flowers.

A pleasant gazebo stood in the center of Village Place.

Numbers on the arch-way wall made it easy to find any artist by room number. In essence, each artist had an individual combined office, studio and sales room.

A concrete turtle was just outside one shop. It had been painted in a manner befitting the theme of Spanish Village. In this closeup you can see the wear that has begun to degrade the painted tiles.

One shop had decorated itself with a string of small lights surrounding an open window frame. Rain had caused the yellow plastic to fail creating a nice abstract look.

Someone had decorated the back fence with plastic flowers. This fence separated the Spanish Village from the children's railroad that ran just outside the zoo.

Because of the rain that Sunday, the paintings and other art were displayed set back under protective overhangs and umbrellas. As could be seen, this area could resemble a fine outdoor art festival on a more sunny day.

A young boy hurried past the open art studios. He was protected by a large red umbrella held tight so as to almost hide his head. Behind him, an open art studio door was ignored.

A religious tract had been discarded on the wet concrete that morning. Perhaps a loss of interest after Sunday church services. Bright red flower buds accented the scene.

On a sunny day, this table would have children seated exploring the world of arts and crafts. On a rainy day, the wet blue table was sadly empty.