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New Historic Park for San Diego
Iipay ~ Tipai Kumeyaay Mut Niihepok (Land of the First People)
November/December 2021
 Entrance to the new park, corner of Taylor and Juan Streets. Photo by Sandé Lollis |
 Photo by Sandé Lollis |
 Tile representation of the river and various elements that existed in it. Courtesy California State Parks |
In 2006, SOHO Executive Director Bruce Coons wrote an impassioned, history-rich appeal to San Diegans to write and speak out against Caltrans's plan to sell its surplus Old Town office property—a 2.5-acre site at the corner of Juan and Taylor Streets. Caltrans had already promised the Old Town Planning Group that the land would go to Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. For thousands of years this land had been a Kumeyaay settlement along the San Diego River.
SOHO contacted then-Assemblyman Juan Vargas, who, aided by the late Senator James Mills, introduced a bill, with SOHO's backing, for California to acquire the property to expand the park and interpret this "lost" corner to honor Kumeyaay heritage and culture and the river connection. SOHO continued to lead this charge for many years, and at significant cost. When Caltrans committed to sell the property to private buyers, SOHO successfully litigated to cancel the sale.
SOHO worked with political leaders then-Senator Christine Kehoe and the current Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins, who took the lead. Park supervisors Clay Phillips and Richard Dennison worked rigorously in expanding public support, and advocating for a rare opportunity to reclaim a unique part of our heritage.
Now, 15 years later, this seminal vision is a reality. On October 26, 2021, Old Town San Diego Historic State Park celebrated its first expansion in more than a quarter century: a new outdoor public gathering area, Iipay ~ Tipai Kumeyaay Mut Niihepok (Land of the First People). Members of Kumeyaay Nation, which straddles the U.S.-Mexico border, guided the effort, working with parks staff, artists, historians, and other stakeholders.
Serving as a natural front entrance to Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, this prominent corner now bears the fruits of a native garden and native knowledge. A large round mosaic represents the summer sky and Kumeyaay cosmology. Benches bear brilliant paintings of local animals and landscapes. Stone markers depict the animals with their Kumeyaay names. A dry riverbed evokes the former location of the San Diego river.
The eloquent Kumayaay response to this new sacred place: "We stand upon thousands of generations of Kumeyaay footsteps, in honor and respect to that history and the ancient values they passed down to us. We celebrate the dedication of this tranquil, welcoming space where our ancestors lived, loved, died, and wrote our history in the land," said Johnny Eagle Spirit Elliott, Chairman of the Kumeyaay Diegueño Land Conservancy.
Land of the First People digital story map in Kumeyaay, Spanish, and English with 10 stops.
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park has long been the most visited of the California state historic parks. SOHO congratulates the Kumeyaay Nation and the park on this meaningful first step in sharing Kumeyaay culture and heritage with a broader, most appreciative audience.
Read more
State Parks expands Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
and honors the Land of the First People
Some project history highlighting SOHO's role
Call to Action, 2006
Making History, 2006
A Cultural Landscape, 2006
Old Town on new path with acquisition of old Caltrans building, 2013
Old Town State Park Gains 2.5 Acres!, 2018
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