This page comes from the final product of CHST 125B at UCSB, offered during the Summer Quarter of 2007 by Prof. Gerardo Aldana y V. The course focused on mural production within Chican@ culture. Because of the engaged nature of Chican@ muralism, this course asked students to participate in the construction of their own codex history. Students worked in teams entrusted with: i) producing line drawings of one version of each necessary figure; ii) digitizing the line drawings and laying them out on (Photoshop) codex pages, replicating the same figures as necessary; iii) adding color to the codex pages; and iv) writing up the accompanying narrative.
The following, then, consists of a codex representation (with explanation) of the history of Chicano Park in Barrio Logan, San Diego, California, produced by: Alyssa Alonzo, Juan Alvarado, Janet Avalos, Ivan Becerra, Jessica Blum, Kari Bravo, Guadalupe Castellanos, Adriana Castillo, Jason Franklin, Michelle Frias, Juan Carlos Garcia, David Gieda, Ana Maria Guzman, Rosa Haro, Shannon Heliker, Orlando Lopez, Charlene Nguyen, Linh Nguyen, Ana Orellana, Nikkia Pannell, Narda Rosales, and Melody Serra. (Research by the class drew in part from work readily available at SDSU.)
The first page of the codex emphasizes the story of creation of the arts with the central figure of 9-Wind of the Mixtec tradition who is equivalent to Quetzalcoatl (the plumed serpent) of the Aztec tradition.In the first frame the birth of 9-Wind is rendered and his importance is crucial because he is considered the patron of the arts and creativity which sets the basis for the entire codex and the importance that art plays within the Chican@ culture.
The second frame depicts 9-Wind instructing a few indigenous people how to create art in different artistic styles. There are three individuals that are rendered as a painter, a scribe, and an artisan. All along the central image of this frame there are icons of flowers and speech scrolls, which symbolize ‘flor y canto,’ which within the Chican@ culture is important because it reflects the importance of the arts and their celebration.
In the third and final frame of the first page, 9-Wind and Tonantzin meet and that sets the basis for the beginning of a new civilization and a new age, which, will be the foundation for the entire codex.
The second codex page begins with Aztec figure Tonantzin giving birth to the human civilization. These humans will become wanderers and explorers of the lands by migrating into unknown lands and establishing their community. The second codex page ends with the building of a temple and a new life.
In the first frame of the second codex page Tonantzin, the center figure, is giving birth to Coyolxauhqui and Huitzilopochtli. In Aztec mythology, Tonantzin is a lunar mother goddess. As the Aztec Goddess of the Earth, she brought the corn into life and therefore became Mother of the Corn. Tonantzin is being used as a mixed representation of the Virgen de Guadalupe, since she will later be transformed into the Virgen de Guadalupe herself. In this same aspect she became the mother of Coyolxauhqui and Huitzilopochtli as they are created by the power of her hands. The people on the left side of the border are adapting to their homeland while the footprints depicted on the other side of the border represent the migration across the border into an unknown land by the majority of the newly created civilization of humans.
In the second frame the newly migrated people have now crossed the border and are exploring the new lands. Nothing is known about these lands, as the symbol of travel is depicted in the bottom right with a question mark attached on top. Nothing is known except that it is the place to settle in according to the symbol of the cactus. This new land is important because it will lead to the establishment of a new civilization in an unknown land.
In the third frame the migration has been complete and this new civilization is creating a new life by beginning to build a temple. In this time temples were of great importance because they were both used as a place to honor their Gods and as a symbol of a new establishment. The symbol on the top left represents the wind, which reflects back to the creation of the world from the previous page. The two symbols on the bottom, below the building of the temple represent water. Water is a major source for survival and these symbols represent fertility and working grounds for the building of a new life. This frame foreshadows a new life that will lead to establishment of Chicano Park.
On the third page of the codex, the civilization is in full bloom with the finalizing of the temple that was beginning to be constructed in the second codex page.
The first frame depicts the Templo Mayor being established, which was the first endeavor that the people of the new civilization began in order to establish themselves and begin their lives in their new homeland. The Templo Mayor is being held up and sustained by Cuauhtemoc who is was the last Aztec emperor and has come to play a crucial role in Chican@ culture. It is also in this frame that Coyolxauhqui (the moon goddess) who represents a female leader and Huitzilopochtili (the sun god) who represents a male leader are both talking to the community and emphasizing the importance of organizing.
In the second frame, Cuauhtemoc in continuing to sustain and hold up the Templo Mayor, it is also important to see the resemblance of this image with that of “el Mundo” in the Mexican Board game “La Loteria” which depicts a strong man that is holding up the globe of the world. It is also in this frame that we see the rebirth of Coyolxauhqui as Dolores Huerta and Huitzilopochtli as Cesar Chavez who are both co-founders of the United Farm Workers (UFW). Along with them are a female college student and a male farm worker and together the four individuals are holding and raising a UFW flag. It is important to note how this image is similar to the image found in the mural by Alex Maya titled “United Farm Workers”.
The third and final frame shows the UFW flag completely erected and the four figures of Dolores Huerta, Cesar Chavez, a female college student and a male farmworker celebrating their accomplishment. Cuauhtemoc is continuing to sustain the Templo Mayor, which also is symbolic of the importance of foundation and pride of one’s roots.
On the fourth codex page, the historical process of why the community of Logan Heights saw the need for a Chicano Park is depicted. Some actions of the city of San Diego created changes in the community and created tension between community members and the government.In the first frame, Logan Heights, one of the oldest established Chicano communities in San Diego, California, is depicted as a flourishing community. Initially, the community reached all the way to the ocean and enjoyed coastal access. Logan Heights continued to increase in population through World War II.
In the second frame, the community sees a change with the beginning of World War II. The United States Navy occupies the coast and the community is denied access to the waterfront. This creates tensions between the community and the government.
In the third frame, Logan Heights, once a purely residential area, becomes mixed, allowing industrial plants and junkyards to appear in the community. This creates air pollution and the community is industrialized.
In the fourth frame, the construction of Interstate 5 bisects Barrio Logan from the larger community of Logan Heights. The people of Logan Heights become further hostile to government changes imposed on their community.
In the fifth frame, the community of Logan Heights has changed. While the community once reached the waterfront, it is now denied access. The once residential area is now industrialized and the construction of Interstate 5 has further bisected the community.
On the fifth codex page, the community of Logan Heights, devastated by the changes in their community, commit to the creation of a Chicano park. Led by various community members, the first stages of the creation and planning of the park begin, but not before the Logan residents struggle to secure a place for the park in their community.
In the first frame, the population of Logan Heights has decreased and residents are devastated by the changes in their community. Community leaders mourn the loss of their once vibrant community.
In the second frame, community leaders, including Mario Solis (represented by a sun stone headdress), Mike Amador (represented by a heart headdress), Jose Gomez (depicted in ball court attire), and Laura Rodriguez, a community elder (represented by a snake headdress) meet to draw up plans for a Chicano Park.
In frame three, these community leaders take their idea for a Chicano Park to Leon Williams, member of San Diego City Council. Williams is receptive to the idea of the proposed park. The City Council essentially promises the land to the Barrio Logan and Chicano community.
In frame four, Mario Solis and the other community leaders realize the California Highway Patrol has built a small office where Chicano Park was supposed to be built.
In frame five, Mario Solis goes door to door to recruit residents of Barrio Logan and students from local community college San Diego City College and San Diego State University, in hopes of gathering support for the park.
In frame 6, the formal struggle for a park in Barrio Logan begins on April 22, 1970 when community members and local college students occupy the land under the approach ramps after they learned that a California Highway Patrol station would be built there. They occupied the site for twelve days and demanded a park be created. The occupiers began using shovels and rakes to prepare the ground for the planting of grass, shrubs, and flowers.
The sixth page of the codex depicts the actual making of Chicano Park and is titled “Building a Community.” The title refers to the actual construction of the park as well as the coming together of the local Chican@ community to build it.
The first panel of the page tells the story of the community of Barrio Logan protesting the building of the interstate highway and of the construction of a California Highway Patrol station in the land allotted for their park. The protesters are depicted as part of the murals on the pylons as an attempt to show community unity and strength.
The second panel depicts the painting of the various murals in Chicano Park. The painting of the bridge pylons in the park marked the beginning of its transformation. Soon the bridge would be part of the park itself. The significance of the community painting the bridge pylons is that they brought their own culture and values into a public community space.
Panel three tells the story of the planting of vegetation and decoration of the park. The people of the community decided to decorate the park with a desert theme and included cactus, agave, and desert flowers. The Aztec sun shines above the women who are planting cactus in the new cactus garden.
Panel four depicts another mass gathering of the community. This time, the community is joined in celebration and holding hands. They are celebrating the Pyramid Kiosk, which was given to them by the city of San Diego. Furthermore, they are celebrating the completion of their park. The Pyramid Kiosk is a tribute to the Aztec heritage of the Chican@ people, as it is a replica of an ancient Aztec pyramid.
The center Panel shows a tri-face Aztec figure, who represents men and women as one. This idea reinforces the fact that the community came together as one to celebrate and remember their heritage. The figure is reminiscent of the Siqueiros figure in “Tropical America,” however, instead of representing a crucified indigenous figure, the figure is empowered. Above its hands is the symbol for place, or land, which has been given back to the community, as well as regained. The figure and symbol are what Chicano park has become from the hard work and common strength of a community that wanted to regain its culture.
In the last codex page, there are three different frames. Together they tell the story of what happened after Chicano Park was created, in other words what the park was used for and how it continued to be a space in which Chican@s could unite to celebrate their cultural identity and heritage.
The first frame (on the left) depicts one of the original male artists painting the mural “Cosmic Clowns.” This mural was painted by Mario Torero, Pablo de la Rosa, Tomas Casteneda, and Felipe Barboza, in 1974. The frame also depicts a female artist, representative of the younger generation, restoring that same mural years later. This frame shows that the park served as a space in which artists of all generations could explore their culture through artistic expression.
The second frame (in the center) depicts Chicano Park Day, an annual celebration that has occurred ever since 1971 to commemorate the park takeover on April 22, 1970. In 2007, the 37th Chicano Park Day was celebrated. Therefore, this frame shows the typical Mixtec codex representation of a man receiving something; in this case he is receiving the symbolic representation of 37 years. The importance of music is also implied through the depiction of a man playing the drums. We also see many people holding hands and dancing the traditional dances that have been passed down for generations. In addition, we see a characteristic Mixtec representation of a woman cooking, symbolizing the importance of food in this annual tradition. This frame thereby shows that Chicano Park Day symbolizes the Chican@ community unifying to save a culture and to explore its cultural roots.
The third and last frame (on the right) depicts how Chicano Park (being represented by the pyramid that is in the middle of the park) is also a space in which Chican@s could unite and protest about issues that they are passionate about. In this particular frame, an Aztec dancer is leading a group of people who are protesting for immigration rights and against deportation. We see a speech scroll and barbed wire in front of him. This emblematically states that he is protesting against deportation, referencing Rupert Garcia’s poster called “Cesen la Deportación,” created in 1973. This last frame shows the current issues that Chican@s face and how the park is being used as a space for the Chican@ community to come together and stand up for its rights. For decades it has been a place where Chican@s could explore their cultural roots as well as unify to bring forth justice and equality for their community, and it continues to serve that purpose today.
