An ICE agent piñata in L.A.’s Piñata District. (Photo by Alex Zaragoza/L.A. Material)
HORTENCIA BRICEÑO SPRAYED AN ICE AGENT in the face with aerosolized glue. As a thick, white trail of adhesive dripped down along his chin, she took a piece of black material and clapped it over his mouth. Then she stepped back, surveying her work with satisfaction: The masked federal enforcer was ready to be beaten to smithereens with a stick.
Briceño is not a militant insurgent. She is a piñata maker at Kennia’s Party Supply, which occupies a warehouse on Olympic Boulevard in downtown L.A. on a three-block corridor known as the Piñata District. This is where party hosts can purchase everything from bulk plates to novelty mugs shaped like erect penises. But a main attraction is the collection of piñatas of popular characters and cultural figures — and endless candy to fill them.
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