Chicano Park [Explored]

Yes, this is a mural painted on the one of the cement pillars of the Coronado Bridge. The murals are the main focus of this historic site in San Diego.

 

Around 1970 the, Coronado Bridge linking downtown San Diego with the peninsular/island of Coronado, was reaching the building stage. It was to go over the community of Barrio Logan where Mexican immigrants had lived since the early 1900's. Controversy was brewing as the members of the community felt they were being deemed as unimportant during the building of modern day San Diego.

 

I had just moved to San Diego and joined in the cause. The city leaders attempted to fool the community by saying that they could keep their park, but then bulldozers appeared one morning and word went out that the area was going to be used to house a Highway Patrol office.

 

Protest mounted and the area was occupied and demonstrations were frequent. I remember being part of several. Soon the city officials gave way and the area was indeed set aside as the promised park and Chicano artists offered to paint murals on the pillars.

 

Now, 40 years later, the area is home to the largest number of outdoor murals in the United States. Many of the murals interestingly enough are of communist leaders such as Fidel, Che and Ho. My thoughts all of these years later is that this area is what makes the sprawling area of San Diego of steel, glass and cement a city. The murals are stunning and each a lovely work of art.

Done