SAN DIEGO — Under a tangle of bridges and overpasses and just east of downtown San Diego, lies Chicano Park.
A dense jungle of painted murals, giving splashes of color to what would otherwise be gray columns under the freeway. The park is very important to the neighborhood of Barrio Logan, a predominantly Latino community.
The painted pillars are not just for show, but they tell an important story about the people who have resided there. Culture, revolutionaries, current events and stories of struggles past are featured proudly throughout the park.
"Here is our fort, it's a museum without walls, it's in the open, it's under the sun!" says Mario Torero, an artist and tour guide for those visiting Chicano Park. To him, the park is a symbol of something that is quintessentially American - a fight and a struggle for rights and acceptance.
"It's been 50 years" he says "We've built a legacy - more than that we have built a whole movement. An American movement!"
Next year Chicano Park will celebrate its 50th anniversary on April 22nd.
