Plaza Mexicana
Two months before opening day of Expo ‘74, fair planner King Cole had a big problem. The Mexico Council of Tourism had signed a participation contract back in August, and Expo had accommodated them accordingly. A 4200-square-foot pavilion was waiting in the shadow of the clock tower, ready to display “accomplishments of Mexican civilizations, archaeological wonders, and cultural aspects of Mexico’s environment.” (Spokesman-Review, April 2, 1974). But that pavilion was an empty shell - Mexico had not arranged for a contractor to design the interior of their pavilion, hired an architect, or announced the pavilion’s theme.
Cole traveled to Mexico City to deal with this crisis personally. When he returned in early April, he reported that the Mexico Council of Tourism had officially withdrawn from the fair, but promised that Mexico would still be represented at the fair in some form. A week later, he signed a contract with J. D. Gardea of San Antonio, Texas, to create Plaza Mexicana. This would be primarily a Mexican restaurant, but with some space reserved at the pavilion for cultural elements. Specifically, Gardea was expected to set aside 500 square feet for archaeological exhibits and at least 100 square feet for the Department of Tourism of Mexico. He was also required to produce three or more artisans to work in the merchandise area and to arrange a mariachi band to perform throughout the day.
Ultimately, the mariachis turned out to be the most challenging item on that ambitious list of requirements. Gardea initially attempted to recruit a band from Jalisco, but was unable to arrange visas for them. Instead, he hired Los Charros de Jalisco, a ten-piece mariachi band from Los Angeles. They took up their musical duties at Plaza Mexicana before the end of May. (Later that year, the leader of Los Charros de Jalisco, Pepe Martinez, provided a Spokesman-Review reporter with a great background on the origins, evolution, and unique features of mariachi music.)
When the Chronicle interviewed various young people about the fair, apparently “the Mexican pavilion was frequently described as a ‘rip-off.’” One fairgoer said, “You go in, wind around a couple of aisles, and then bang, there’s a cash register.” A survey of 77 fairgoers in October found that “No one said he enjoyed the Mormon Pavilion, the Mexican Pavilion, Burlington Northern or Waterworld.” On the other hand, the Spokane Chronicle reported: “After a modest, troubled beginning, the Plaza Mexicana has become one of the most popular places on the fair grounds.” Ray L. Peterson, the manager of Plaza Mexicana, indicated that 2500 people had visited the restaurant and bar the previous Saturday.
Based on this feedback, it seems like Plaza Mexicana was a great restaurant, just not a great national pavilion. Unfortunately, it was presented in many official materials as a national pavilion, rather than a restaurant with some extra elements. The official souvenir brochure says “Mexico highlights its famed mariachi bands as well as archaeological wonders” between talking about the USSR pavilion and the Republic of China pavilion. Similarly, the official site map lists Plaza Mexicana among the pavilions rather than the other restaurants. Plaza Mexicana was also in a building that had been designed (and scaled) for a proper national pavilion. While the Expo organizers may have hoped that this approach would help Plaza Mexicana fill in for the official Mexico Pavilion, it clearly raised expectations too high for some attendees.
