Dia de los Muertos - in the Covid era

Dia de los Muertos is a celebration and remembrance of those family members that have passed.  Public gatherings at the cemeteries are forbidden this year, but public displays are encouraged.

My younger brother is in town with his wife Junita, a wonderful gal from Mazatlán. We walked Old Town State Park, observing the decorations and family displays.

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Marigold are the official flower used with the displays.  The park is awash with the gold colors.

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and enjoying lunch at Casa de Maria.

Fran, Juanita and Marty

We also wanted to visit Chicano Park (a National Landmark) as the local news had a segment on the updating and cleanup of the murals ,,, and Juanita has not been there before.  

Indeed many of the pillars remain in various stages of repainting.  Some just getting a facelift and others being redone completely.

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The Mexican Revolution and their continuing struggles are well depicted here.

Many remembrance displays were at Chicano Park.

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We did have an afternoon walk at the Liberty Station Art Walk.  This year the event was held on the larger North Promenade, with masks required.  The larger venue  accommodated Social Distancing.

This multi section paintings are interesting and apparently very profitable as there were a lot of them.

Wind art around the fountain was a nice touch.

I liked the clever idea of letting the paint run off the canvas and onto the frame, as if melting.

I enjoy the local subjects of the artists, not so much for their excellent efforts, but for my familiarity of subjects and their professional display of them.  

Scripps Pier

So this was my favorite, just kick off the flip flops and walk in the sand.

Did I mention Juanita is a fabulous cook!  This 'cena' (dinner) is her chicken enchiladas, with her (from scratch) rice and beans.  Sure hope she teaches Fran her secret for beans!
!Me gusto mucho!

Amigos Car Club - Chicano Park

 Amigos Car Club of San Diego, was at the Bomb Fest at Mission Bay.  The club received special recognition for providing positive role models to the barrio youth.

The club was rewarded with its own pillar in Chicano Park to express the positive image of Lowriders and support of their history and the Chicano culture that they represent.

I saw on the news that many of the murals in the park are being refreshed and I suspected there would be a few cars from the club at the dedication of the pillar, it was time to revisit Chicano Park.  

This beauty leads the parade on the pillar.

a soccer-mom lowrider with 3rd row seating, follows on the pillar.

Pickup trucks too can be lowriding bombs, this Chevy is next on the pillar.

check out the truck bed with the hydraulic tanks.

Perhaps the most unusual, impressive, Bomb at the show belongs to club founder ‘Rigo’ Reyes.   It’s a 1929 Willys Knight in immaculate condition.

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Well all the cars were immaculate, but it's not often I get to see a Willys Knight.

I mentioned that some of the murals are being restored as seen here by the white undercoat waiting for this overpass to be completed.

Work at the park and Senior Center has been completed and the vibrant colors restored.

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Around 2PM the decedents of Azlan arrived in traditional Aztec dress to bless the pillar.
With drums, incense, dance and dueling conch shell horns.  

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The ceremony took about an hour, now that's not something we get to see everyday!

Chicano Park - a National Historic Park

I was a bit surprised that Marty enthusiastically wanted to visit Chicano Park.  I figured he would see enough Mexican Murals while he is in Mazatlan.  As his Spanish is way better than my Span-glish, I knew he could help with the translations.

I last posted on Chicano Park in January 2017 shortly after it was named a National Historic Landmark.  That blog can be found HERE.  Since that time Chicano Park has been undergoing renovations to restore the vibrant colors of the murals.

Birth of Chicano Park April 22, 1970


The History Mural has been restored to it’s vibrant colors


The Herb Garden has also been restored since my last visit.


Many murals depict the Aztec influence over their domain of Azlan.  Present day Mexico, California, Arizona and parts of Nevada, Utah and New Mexico.



Frida Kahlo with the men in life Rivera, Orozico and Siqueiros
"I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim”  ~Frida Kahlo


Another new (to-me) mural
“Not even one more death:, “Love, Yes you can” “Love has no boundaries”


General Emiliano Zapata


“The land belongs to those who work it with their own hands” ~Emiliano Zapata


New murals in process and one recently completed


I really don’t get the Che connection with Mexico, but he indeed was a revolutionary.


This is an interesting mural on the decisions that need to be made.  Basically an education or continue to work the land.


“To the Bay”,  the collective barrios would like to continue the murals to San Diego Bay.


This young man has to be one of the youngest kids in the skate park.




We are always up for a good Margarita so we stopped in Old Town on the way home.  Ever since Daddy-O’s closed in Pacific Beach a few years ago, we have been in search of the best chicken tortilla soup available. This one at Outback Steakhouse is pretty good


I dropped Marty at the CBX (Cross Border Express) where he can walk across the border to the TJ airport to head home to Mazatlan.  If you want details on the CBX you will find my post HERE.


No Bad Days!