Santa Ana To Restore Historic Chicano Murals
The project is about preserving Chicano heritage for future generations.
Santa Ana is taking action to preserve its iconic murals, which are among the largest and most significant collections in Southern California.
Rooted in the Chicano movement of the 1960s, they have long been a symbol of the city’s cultural identity. But over the years, many murals—especially those along Civic Center Drive—have been damaged, faded, or painted over.
The push to restore these murals gained momentum when local activists, including City Councilmember Johnathan Hernandez, began advocating for their preservation.
Hernandez, who had campaigned on protecting Santa Ana's mural heritage, discovered that the wall hosting the murals was public property, providing a key legal foundation for the restoration effort.
With this in hand, the Artesia Pilar Neighborhood applied for and successfully secured a city art grant to fund the restoration. Community members also pitched in with additional donations, raising enough money to get the project off the ground.
Now, with funding in place, the restoration is underway. The project is not only about revitalizing the murals but also about preserving the city’s Chicano heritage for future generations.
It’s a community-driven effort to safeguard an important piece of Santa Ana’s history and ensure these works of art remain visible and relevant in the years to come.
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