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They're Heading Home, With His Directions
A savvy sidewalk map seller tells Christmas travelers how to navigate the Mexican Consulate and get a driver permit.
By Sam Quinones
Times Staff Writer

December 5, 2005

Every weekday in December, beginning as early as 1 a.m., hundreds of immigrants line up outside the Mexican Consulate near downtown Los Angeles. Outfitted in heavy coats, cowboy hats and serapes, they come prepared for a long wait.

All are here for the same thing: to obtain a vehicle permit that will allow them to drive across the border for the Christmas holidays. It is the first stop in their annual trek home.

No one knows this better than Jose Luis Sanchez, who was among several vendors outside the consulate on 6th Street last week selling coffee, hot chocolate, rolls and umbrellas to those in line.

Few performed their job with the pizazz or ingenuity of Sanchez. After all, the consulate rush is also an annual ritual for this sidewalk entrepreneur.

Sanchez, 56, long ago found his niche selling detailed road maps of Mexico for $5. Infallibly gracious, he also has appointed himself the unofficial guide to consulate bureaucracy from 6 a.m. to noon â€â€