The Plaza de César Chávez (commonly known as the Plaza) is a plaza in downtown San José, California. It was originally named Liberty Square during the Mexican-American War. It has been renamed to honor César Chávez, who had an office nearby with his United Farm Workers union. The plaza’s location is at the intersection of Market Street and Alum Rock Avenue. It had gone through many changes since its opening in 1847, with most of them occurring after World War II when it became more popular for various events such as concerts and festivals. Information can be found here.
The Plaza de César Chávez in San Jose, California, is an important landmark for Mexican-Americans created to celebrate the state’s agricultural history. The plaza was originally called Peralta Park after Antonio Perez Peralta, who owned much of downtown San Jose during Spanish rule. After World War Two, the city wanted to develop the area and proposed splitting it into a large park with two drives running through it or several smaller parks connected by roadways. Local community members advocated instead for a civic center on the land, which would combine cultural facilities such as museums and theaters with public services like libraries and government offices, including courts and police headquarters. See here for information about Kelley Park in San Jose, CA: The Sanctuary of the Central Valley.
