Plaza Mexico is the largest Mexican themed mall in the US located at 3100 E Imperial Highway in Lynwood, Los Angeles, California 90262. It was originally built in 1972 as a Montgomery Ward shopping center. In March 1986 Montgomery Ward closed because they were losing money. The city of Lynwood offered them financing to stay but they still closed. Montgomery Ward allegedly gave the property to the city of Lynwood. The city of Lynwood also owned the large vacant property next door which they wanted to redevelop into a shopping center.
The property became a clearance center store. Later part of Montgomery Ward was demolished. By 1990 it reopened by the City of Lynwood as the Lynwood Marketplace. It was then 100 shops in two stories with allegedly 800,000 sf per an LA Times article.
Starting around 2001 or so Min and Donald Chae Korean immigrants began to turn it into the Plaza Mexico that we know today. The project reopened in 2002 after a $55,000,000 renovation. Per a 2005 LA Times article Lynwood Plaza Mexico replicated a traditional Mexican downtown. The plaza resembles Monte Albam, the ancient Indian ruins in Oaxaca. The shops have bold colors of typical provincial towns. There is a shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe. The Plaza clock tower replicates the facade of the government palace in Guadalajara. Stones and lamps were imported from Mexico. Tiles on the plaza contain occasional figures from loteria. The Governor of the state of Nayarit donated a statue in honor of Mexican mothers. Plaza México has replicas of the Angel of Independence of México City and the kiosk of the Zócalo of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato.
Chae stated he tried to make it into a Mexican "China Town." He hired Luis Felipe Nieto an archeologist and restoration expert from San Miguel Allender, Guanajuato, to advise him on Mexican designs and colors. Nieto passed away in 2024. Jon Jerde was the architect. Jerde was an architect for theme malls including Universal City Walk, Bellagio and the Wynn hotel. He passed away in 2015.
"Plaza Mexico is an iteration of a Jerde-influenced commercial center. This heavily Mexico-inspired outdoor shopping center, reaches for one of Jerde's most central placemaking ideals; to create authentic social engagement within a constructed, highly curated environment. Plaza Mexico's developer, M & D Regional Center LLC, two Korean brothers named Min and Donald Chae, attempted to build a culturally relevant, themed shopping center that would attract visitors and shoppers."
2021 Donald Chae's Plaza Mexico mall filed for bankruptcy right before a foreclosure sale. Property was sold in bankruptcy in 2022 for $164,000,000 to the Sterling Organization who owns it today.
Must sees at the mall.
The main entrance 33.92907608122274, -118.21479515463186
Fountain of Independence 33.929250716415645, -118.21448617989691
Carousel 33.92842989880324, -118.2135573785178
Aztec calendar stone next to carousel 33.92861835984562, -118.21352842649486
Pancho Villa statue and a few other statues in the outdoor corridors
Chapel de la Virgin de Guadalupe
Olmec head replica next to Ferris Wheel and Planet Fitness
Eat at one of the restaurants. Don't eat at the food court unless you just want cheap fast lower quality food in a very loud gaming environment. Be sure to explore the outdoor mall area with the carousel, fountains and Aztec stone. Don't just visit the large indoor mall building.
Today Plaza Mexico hosts many Mexican and Latino events including El Grito de la Independencia, El dia 12 de Deciembre, Mexican Independence day, Dia de Muertos, Cinco de Mayo and more. Mexican politicians and the Consul General of Mexico in Los Angeles have frequent events at the mall.
Physical description: APN 6171-001-054 Legal description MODJESKA PARK VAC STS, BLK 15, 18 AND POR OF BLK 16. Three buildings. Two were built 1972 and the third was built 2002. 475,209 sf lot. 248,925 sf improvements. It's currently owned by Svap III Plaza Mexico LLC out of Florida. Property last sold in 2022 for $164,000,000.
Other articles
LA Times "Non Latinos Mine Southland's Mexican Markets" December 2025
Print Magazine https://www.printmag.com/design-destinations/l-a-s-plaza-mexico-is-not-just-a-mall-but-a-city-within-a-city/
New York Times Magazine https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/01/magazine/latino-mall-los-angeles.html
The old Montgomery Ward in 1986.
Photos taken by Mary Cummins the author 09/30/2025.
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Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 42 years of experience.
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