Las Memorias AIDS Monument

Dedicated in 2004 after eleven years of work by community activist Richard Zaldivar, Las Memorias AIDS Monument is the first publicly-funded memorial dedicated to those impacted by HIV/AIDS. This monument is also unique in its focus on the impact of HIV and AIDS within the Latinx community of Los Angeles. This location was selected owing to its centrality to the location of several of the most prominent AIDS clinics in Los Angeles during the height of the epidemic. Reflecting the art and culture of the Latinx Diaspora, the monument was designed to resemble a Quetzalcoatl serpent- the Aztec symbol for rebirth. Six large murals by local artists depict the impact of HIV/AIDS on the Latinx community and two granite slabs in the memorial bear the names of 360 individuals who died from AIDS-related complications. New names are added every year on December 1st- World AIDS Day.

A renovation and expansion project was completed in 2021 at the cost of over $800,000. The recent work included the addition of over one thousand names to reflect the lives lost in recent years.

Las Memorias AIDS Monument , The Wall Las Memorias. Accessed January 17th 2022. https://www.thewalllasmemorias.org/las_memorias_aids_monument.

Straube, Trenton. Over 1,000 Names Added to the Wall Las Memorias AIDS Monument, November 16th 2021. Accessed January 17th 2022. https://www.poz.com/article/1000-names-added-wall-las-memorias-aids-monument-hiv-world-aids-day.