CHICANO PARK MURALS

Chicano Park

San Diego, California

Opened April 22, 1970

Barrio Logan Heights aka Chicano Park is located in south east San Diego. The mural down park is referred to by many as “el ombligo”, or “the center of the world”.

This park has a deep history and has come close to being torn down by the city several times. The cities politicians once referred the park as “The Tumor” and fought hard to have this unique park leveled with bull dozers.

Fortunately Logan Heights residence fought back harder and on April 22, 1970 just as bull dozers were about to pulverize the park, local residence formed a human chain around the entire park to protect it. Their efforts worked and the city withdrew its plot to destroy on of San Diego’s most prized possessions.

Tourists from all over the world come to San Diego specifically to photograph Chicano Park.

Quotes

“Website photography is the mural painting of modern times.”

Chicano Park Documentary - By Jerry Gonzalez

"La palabra Chicano"

By. C.A.

The word Chicano is probably one of the most controversial words in the Hispanic community.

I’ve unintentionally offended my fellow Mexican Americans many times over by referring to them by this word. But then again I've met a lot of Mexican Americans who actually prefer to be called a Chicano. I for one think it’s a pretty cool word so I don’t mind at all when people refer me as being Chicano.

Here is what I’ve learned about the word Chicano as I’ve traveled both Mexico and other parts of the United States. I’ll start off with Texas.

Texas is a pretty diverse state, and Hispanics there view the word differently, depending in what part of this huge state you live in.

I’ve observed that in San Antonio, Dallas and Houston, Hispanics prefer to be called Tejanos or Mexicanos. They are easily offended by the word Chicano.

Now in El Paso Texas it’s actually okay to use the word Chicano since Hispanics in El Paso are similar to the Chicanos of Southern California.

Now in California Chicano is a pretty cool and popular word so you can’t go wrong by using this word. In Mexico it’s alright too and native Mexicans will refer any Mexican American as a Chicano or “pocho Americano”.

The word Chicano actually originated in Mexico several hundred years ago. According to one explanation, the pre-Columbian tribes in Mexico called themselves Meshicas, and the Spaniards, employing the letter x (which at that time represented a sh and ch sound), spelled it Mexicas. The Indians later referred to themselves as Meshicanos and even as Shicanos, thus giving birth to the term Chicano.

So why get offended over a word our indiginous ansestors created?