LOS ANGELES — Antonio Villaraigosa vowed yesterday to be "a mayor for all Los Angeles" after his election as the city's first Hispanic mayor since 1872, a milestone in a city where Latinos now have political clout to match their burgeoning numbers.

The changing of the guard was evident as Villaraigosa walked up to the podium at his victory party amid chants of "Si, se puede," Spanish for "Yes, we can." He then promised to "bring this great city together" and thanked the people who inspired him during his rise from the barrio to mayor of the nation's second-largest city.

Villaraigosa, 52, defeated Mayor James Hahn by an unexpectedly wide margin Tuesday, 59 percent to 41 percent.

"I've said to people, 'I'm an American of Mexican descent and I intend to be a mayor for all Los Angeles,' " he said yesterday while visiting a vocational school. "In this diverse city, that's the only way it can work."

The victory by one Democrat over another came more than a decade after Hispanics became the city's biggest ethnic group. Los Angeles is now 48 percent Hispanic, 31 percent white, 11 percent Asian and 10 percent black.

"Clearly this is an opportunity at the very least for a new kind of multiracial coalition. This is different: Latinos in the lead with African Americans playing a key role with white liberals and Jews," said Franklin Gilliam Jr., a political scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles. "It's a different kind of pecking order."

When he is sworn in July 1, Villaraigosa will become the first Hispanic mayor of Los Angeles in 133 years. Back then, it was a town of 5,000 people on the edge of the Western frontier.

Raised in Los Angeles by a single mother, Villaraigosa grew up on the edge of poverty, dropped out of high school and once had a "Born to Raise Hell" tattoo, which he later removed.

Inspired by a teacher to resume his education, he eventually earned a law degree and was elected to the state Assembly in 1994, where he quickly became speaker. Forced out by term limits in 2000, he ran unsuccessfully against Hahn for mayor in 2001 then was elected to the City Council in 2003.

"I stand here today because people believed in me," he said in his victory speech.

Villaraigosa's challenge will be uniting the city's diverse and often-competing ethnic groups. He now must carry through with solutions to the problems he discussed on the campaign trail: gangs, a lack of affordable housing, and worsening traffic.

"The challenge is governing. How is he going to do this when he is under tremendous pressure from his own community, plus African Americans who abandoned Hahn?" Gilliam said.

Hahn, the scion of a prominent political family, was turned out of office despite job growth and a falling crime rate. His first term was tainted by corruption allegations at City Hall. He lost black support because he backed the ouster of Police Chief Bernard Parks, who is black. And he was hurt by his reserved demeanor.

He becomes the first Los Angeles mayor in 32 years to be bounced from office.

"Once you recognize that you're a public servant, that means you're someone's employee," Hahn said yesterday at his campaign headquarters. "The employer makes hiring and firing decisions, and I accept that decision."