Ingrid Hernandez
Dr. Alejandra Castañeda
4.5 Course Project: Chicano stories: Chicano Park and/or Immigrant Stories
August 1, 2025

The Chicano way “Movement and Murals”

Under a freeway overpass in Barrio Logan, San Diego, are the stories of the past told by artists of a time when the Chicanos came alive. The Coronado bridge holds stories that the people will never forget—a history of struggles, resilience, and pride, 'Chicano pride'. The pillars stand firm, resisting adversity and discrimination. Rooted firmly in the foundation of Mother Earth, claiming a location in its native land, 'Aztlán', they call it. Nobody knows for sure its exact location; however, the Chicanos know this is their piece of history. The Chicano movement of the 1960s and 1970s was a pivotal period in the fight for civil rights and the assertion of cultural identity. This report outlines the key events and significant milestones of the Chicano Movement, as well as the impact of art on the entire community. 

We can roll back the clock to a decade when life seemed nostalgic: young men and women seeking a voice. They were not asking for much, to speak their native language in School. To learn about their heritage through Chicano studies. To have teachers who supported, promoted, and encouraged them to achieve more. They are the children of the unheard. The ones the Anglo has tried to erase. 

Beneath blue-colored skies, heat and cold that were not for the weak, young men worked in the fields to supply food for a growing nation. In these fields, there is another struggle. The Anglo feel empowered to treat the workers as second-class citizens. Low wages, long working hours, pushed to a point of unhealthy and inhumane working conditions—a time when certain groups were underserved, overlooked, and underappreciated.

Before the Chicano Movement gained momentum, Mexican Americans lived between two cultural identities—neither entirely accepted in Anglo-American society nor fully connected to their Indigenous roots. César Chávez and Dolores Huerta, two ordinary yet extraordinary individuals, emerged as leaders for farmworkers who faced exploitation, low wages, and unsafe conditions in the fields. In 1962, together they formed the United Farm Workers Union. They advocated for fair wages, humane working conditions, and dignity for agricultural laborers.

While the United Farm Workers were working hard to bring the farm workers a better future, students of Mexican descent were fighting for a better future for themselves. Educational reform was born; Chicano students organized walkouts and protests to demand better educational opportunities. Known as the "blowout" in 1968, more than 10,000 Chicano students in high School and middle School walked out of class and actively participated in a protest against the inequalities they faced, and to reform the school system. They were asking for bilingual classes, Chicano history, and literature—a chance for higher education, and for teachers to stop pushing students into military or low-level jobs.

The 1960s and 1970s were a pivotal moment for Chicanos; ordinary people found their voice through grassroots protest, and organizations that worked to change how Mexican Americans were treated and perceived by society. Chicano Park became a place for the community to change the voice of Mexican Americans to remember their history, celebrate their culture, and gather with friends and family. As Marco Anguiano of the Chicano Park Steering Committee wrote in The Battle of Chicano Park: A Brief History of the Takeover, "By claiming Chicano Park, the descendants of the Aztecs, the Chicano Mexicano people, begin a project of historical reclamation. We have returned to Aztlán—our home." The park became a canvas where artists told the stories of the Chicano struggle and pride through vibrant murals. Among these artists is Victor Ochoa, one of Chicano Park's founding muralists. While studying at San Diego State University, Ochoa joined community members to stop bulldozers from turning the land into a police station. He later helped paint some of the park's earliest and most iconic murals, using art as a powerful form of resistance and cultural expression.

Victor Ochoa – Mural Maestro of Chicano Park- was born August 2, 1948, in East LA. Victor is an activist and Chicano muralist. Wikipedia, "Victor Ochoa. "He is considered one of the pioneers of San Diego's Chicano art movement. Ochoa is also a teacher of art and Chicano heritage. His work has been shown nationally and internationally, including at the Venice Biennial, at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego." In 1955, Victor's parents were not U.S. citizens. Immigration officials visited his home and gave his family three days to leave the United States. His family rented a truck and he moved to Tijuana. In the 6th grade, after a few years, he returned to Los Angeles and moved in with his grandmother. He attended Montebello High School. Victor loved School and started drawing at the age of five. During Victor's first year of high School, he was missing his parents, so he moved in with an Aunt in San Diego, California. During this time, he started to get involved in the civil rights movement. Chicanosauruz at the Border | Victor Ochoa | TEDxUCSD "While he was working at a screen printing shop, he was asked to deliver hand-crafted posters for the movement. He met with Cesar Chavez to hand \over his hand-created posters at a grocery store parking lot; he looked up to Cesar Chavez." Victor was also involved in arguing with the Mayor about the Chicano Park takeover. He felt fortunate to be involved in the movements.

Victor Ochoa has been painting murals at Chicano Park for 50 years now. The murals represent much to Chicano History. The murals are tied to cultural identity, showcasing activists and heroes. They are not only decorations, they are a form of expression for the community. Many artists, from young to old, have contributed to the artwork. One of the newest installations is  The Anastasio Hernandez Rojas Mural Project in Chicano Park. Led by master muralist Victor Ochoa, local community artists painted the mural on the 50-foot tall pillars that hold up the Coronado Bridge. Anastasio Hernandez Rojas is featured prominently at the center of the mural, ensconced in an eclipse, which symbolizes the transition from life to that which lies beyond." This is just one of the many murals that stand tall in Chicano Park. This mural in particular has a sense of descent.

In conclusion, Chicano Park is a place I have driven by thousands of times, watching lowriders cruise through and proudly display their beautifully restored cars while families gather to play and celebrate their culture.Chicano Park is an iconic and beautiful place to take a relaxing stroll. Still today, the murals are upkept by Victor Ochoa and other artists to continue the legacy and to tell the stories of the Chicanos' resistance, resilience, determination, and not to hide their struggles but to highlight and to show the strength the Mexican American people have within themselves.