TOPANGA
Hernan Azocar
T
he Santa Monica mountains on the northwest of Los Angeles shelter a range of different communities founded on the late sixties by people who were looking for a refuge from the hustle and bustle of urban life. One of them is the legendary Topanga, a small town located at 1000 feet in the Topanga Canyon. Famous in the 60s as the seat of drop-out, counter-culture lifestyle, the today’s Topanga is bounded on three sides by State Park or conservancy lands, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean and a small strip of Malibu, which is the main community to the west. The Chumash indians considered Topanga a sacred, economic, and cultural meeting place for tribes all along the coast. Centuries later Topanga (“a place above” in the indigenous language) host around 8000 inhabitants for whom the natural surroundings are an important part of the their culture and lifestyle The ultimate event to experience the sense of community and belonging of these neo-hippies is Topanga’s Earth Day. Once in a year, during the Easter festivity over 4000 people gather here to honor her without shame or subterfuge. Along with performing poets, bands and musicians Topanga Earth Day presents a range of alternative expressions and knowledge such as solar cookers, edible landscapes, healing, meditation, organic food, among others. And lots of music, peace and love. For the long lasting hippie culture in the area and surroundings this is the ultimate opportunity to renew it spirit by the cathartic dancing between the wind and the oak leaves. The smell of incense and herbs is all over the place. As if time had stopped in the late sixties, the Earth Day in Topanga is an unique display of a movement born here in California, and the utopia that wanted to show the world an alternative to death and despair.