Two Historic Parks Make Family Learning Fun

Forget the history classes of yesteryear that focused on linear timelines and colorless fact lists. In two of this city’s more notable parks, San Diego’s version of history comes alive daily, with dramatic pageantry and vivid outdoor art. What’s even more relevant, in this month of Mexican Independence Day, is that both parks convey the pride and tradition of the Hispanic people.

The site of Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, “the birthplace of California,” was originally occupied by Kumeyaay Indians, nearly 9000 years ago. The first Spanish settlers came in 1769, when Father Junipero Serra established the first of his chain of 21 missions. At the base of Presidio Hill, a small Mexican community called “El Pueblo de San Diego” became established. When Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821, the land became part of that country. It wasn’t until 1848 and the Mexican War that “Old Town” belonged to California. When “New Town,” (what is now downtown San Diego) began to be built in 1868, the original area fell out of fashion and into decline.

San Diego’s bicentennial brought renewed public interest in the historical site, and in 1968 the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation established it as a park to preserve the site’s rich heritage. Today’s exciting park and the vibrant community of Old California and Mexico-themed shops and restaurants surrounding it testify to the hard work and influence of early settlers and modern entrepreneurs alike.

Old Town today includes a main plaza, exhibits, museums and living history demonstrations. A free weekly Saturday Artisan Market from 9 to 4 is a shopper’s dream, with jewelry, pottery, clothing and art of many media. Almost every weekend in September brings a special celebration, complete with free historical reenactments and tours.

Labor Day weekend features a 3-day event commemorating the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the Overland mail service in San Diego. 

If you are lucky enough to be in town on September 15 and 16, you can participate in the weekend festivities celebrating Mexican Independence Day.

The annual Art Festival Old Town San Diego the following weekend, September 22 and 23, features over 150 national and international contemporary artists, as well as food and live entertainment.

For more info on Old Town history, events and surrounding shops and restaurants, go to www.oldtownsandiegoguide.com or www.oldtownsandiego.org. Old Town San Diego is alive and well, proud of its art and its history.

Chicano Park, Barrio Logan in southeast San Diego is a testament to the pride and perseverance of San Diego’s Mexican population. First settled by Mexican-Americans in the late 1800s, the area formerly known as Logan Heights once boasted a population of nearly 20,000 and was the second largest Chicano Barrio community on the west coast. The community lost its waterfront with the advent of World War II and the incoming shipyards and Navy buildings.When the war ended, city zoning laws changed to bring in unattractive industries and junkyards. Interstate highway 5 and the Coronado bridge pylons bisected what was left of the residential neighborhood in the 1960s, nearly destroying its traditions and culture. Thanks to determined Chicano community leaders, neighbors who were saddened by the loss of their vital community organized and protested, demanding the city grant them space for a park in which to gather, play and promote their heritage.

In June, 1969, the city agreed to grant a 1.8-acre parcel under the pylons for the park. Instead, a year later, the city began grading the land in preparation for building a highway patrol office on the park site. On April 22, 1970, neighborhood residents, joined by students from SDSU, gathered to protest and to claim the land for the park they had been promised.

In July of that year, they prevailed and the park, with its unattractive cement bridge pylons, was theirs. Meanwhile, local Chicano artists had established themselves in San Diego and one of them, Salvador Torres, led the movement to realize his dream for a park of murals. Mexican artist Victor Ochoa was another significant leader in organizing the artists who painted the murals. Today, several phases of the mural project completed by dozens of artists have transformed the ugly concrete into a brilliant and beautiful massive symbol of Chicano pride and history.

Designated San Diego’s Historical Site #143 in 1980, Chicano Park is one of the world’s largest outdoor public art galleries, visited by millions of people from all over the world.

 To visit this amazing display, go to Chicano Park, located off Interstate 5 --Cesar Chavez Parkway exit-- under the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge. First, download an informative map showing each mural’s location and artist info at www.chicanopark.org.

For more info about the park and its history and to view the murals online, go to: www.chicanoparksandiego.com.