Chicano Park serves as a cornerstone of community
Chicano Park: it’s a park that holds immense cultural significance for a certain population in San Diego because of its location and its history. Located in the Barrio Logan area, it is the heart of the area for its astonishing murals and the efforts it took to make it a safe space for the Latine community surrounding it.
Early developments of the park came in the 1960s when the California Department of Transportation built the I-5 freeway through the area, splitting the neighborhood in two. To unite the two communities once again, residents were promised a park under the Coronado Bridge, which came with complications as the city would delay construction of the site for years to come.
The park finally came to be in 1971 with the help of the Chicano Park Steering Committee which pressured city and state agencies to develop a sacred space for the community surrounding the Barrio Logan area.
Dr. Alberto Lopez Pulido holds the Vice Chair position of the Chicano Park Steering Committee, overseeing the park. Through his role, Pulido emphasizes the importance of showing outsiders of the community the beauty of Chicane culture.
“Usually what we do is we give [visitors] a tour of the park and we’ll take them into the museum and teach them about things they’ve never heard of and try to give a positive experience for them. A lot of their stereotypes and attitudes are very negative so there’s always the goal of changing that,” said Pulido.
Pulido is one of many community members who hold a deep connection to Chicano Park – to him, it means community and self-determination. Having grown up in San Diego, left for 20 years and returned in the early 2000s, Pulido considers Chicano Park a sacred place that helped him reconnect with the community that he was once a part of years before he moved.
"What's amazing about art is that it can make us all feel different things." - Itzel Villa-Jimenez
“Whatever we set our minds to do, regardless of our resources and our abilities, we can do it if we really believe in it,” Pulido said. “That to me has been the example of the park.”
Iztel Villa-Jimenez is a member of the Latine community who shows great appreciation for the cultural significance that the park brings to everyone and not just Chicanes.
“As a tourist attraction, there is a cultural exchange of communities, and people can take it as a learning experience about Chicano history and activism. As a gathering place, you can gain a sense of pride in your culture,” Villa-Jimenez said. “It can serve as an inspiration for your daily life and goals. Seeing the determination and the work of the community makes me motivated to do my best and use the opportunities that I was given thanks to past movements.”
The murals of Chicano Park are a significant part of what makes the park unique to any other landmark in San Diego. The murals depict strong themes and messages that are associated with Chicane culture.
One mural, “Historical Mural,” located on the side of the park shows historical figures and resistance movements. To Villa-Jimenez, it evokes an empowering feeling as it showcases the power of the community.
“What's amazing about art is that it can make us all feel different things. We all perceive and interpret things differently, but that's what makes it special,” Villa-Jimenez said.
The mural titled, “In Lak’ech,” is specifically significant to Pulido as well. To Pulido, it reminds him of our empathy for humanity in its entirety.
“‘In Lak’ech’ is a Mayan concept and it refers to our interrelatedness as people, so the fact that you and I just met doesn’t mean we don’t have an interdependency as people or as humanity. It has to do with who we are as humans, our care for each other, our empathy,” Pulido said.
The beauty of Chicano Park comes from its underlying history, artwork that decorates the space and the community that finds value within it. The community that cherishes the park for its purpose and value is what will keep Chicano Park thriving for generations to come.
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