DENVER – La Raza Park in north Denver has become the city’s third historic cultural district, a win for Chicano advocates fighting to preserve a bit of neighborhood history in an ever-changing Denver.
Denver City Council voted Monday night to approve the designation, an effort led by District 1 councilwoman Amanda P. Sandoval. The designation comes at the recommendation of a first-of-its-kind Latino/Chicano Historical Context Study led by the city’s Landmark Preservation division.
The small park, occupying only a block of land between Osage and Navajo Streets, may not be as prominent as Cheesman or Washington parks further south, but its history is just as important.
The park, originally called Columbus Park in recognition of the Italian immigrants who had settled in that part of Denver before in the earlier half the 20th century, holds Denver’s only kiosko, the Plaza de la Raza (The Plaza of the People), “El Viaje” (The Journey) – a mural found within the kiosk’s ceiling pained by Denver artist David Ocelotl Garcia – and the “La Raza Unida” (A United People) sculpture by the world-renowned artist Emanuel Martinez.
As the city grew and demographics changed, however, the area became a haven for the city’s burgeoning Chicano movement as Mexican-Americans gathered there to build community, organize, and rally for equal rights and better opportunities.
In late 2020, when Denver7 reported on the park’s renaming to La Raza Park, neighbors near the park said even though the park was called Columbus Park, they knew it only as La Raza Park, due to its storied history.
“It serves as home to many community activities including Día De Los Muertos, Xupantla (the Summer Solstice), La Raza Park Day, quinceañeras, and family picnics,” said Andrew Blanco, a council aide for Sandoval’s office.
He said the historic cultural district designation “will ensure that the vast history and culture of the park will forever be preserved and acknowledged.
La Raza Park joins La Alma Lincoln Park and Five Points as the city's historic cultural districts.
