Founded 90 Years Earlier By Community Advocacy, East Austin’s Parque Zaragoza Park Turns A New Page By Repeating History

Jen Massing Harris, PZNA Neighborhood Nose Contributor 

Though Parque Zaragoza was officially founded in 1931 when the City of Austin purchased 9.3 acres of land, it was in 1929 when the local hispanic community petitioned the City of Austin Parks & Recreation Department for a park of their own. 
In learning more about our community park's history, Parque Zaragoza Neighborhood Association follows a very long line of Community Advocates:
 
🦋1929, the League of United Latin American Citizens [LULAC] - advocate for employment, civil rights, and better education for Hispanic citizens
🦋1931, Zaragosa Park Board - 1st Members: Severino Guerra, Amador Candelas, and Miguel Guerrero
🦋1931, Mexican baseball league - before play field, teams played on a concrete slab with the bases painted onto the concrete.
🦋1932, Comites Patrióticos, Austin Branch - to promote Mexican patriotism and foster good relations between the two nations, largely through the celebrations of the #fiestas #CincodeMayo and Diez y Seis. First President was Amador Candelas.
🦋1933, Bathhouse and Pool built.
🦋1941, National Youth Administration, built on Bathhouse a community recreation center.
🦋1956, the Community starts Sunday afternoon baseball games and improves baseball field with wooden fence and bleachers in current baseball field location today.
🦋1981, The Zaragosa Recreation Center Advisory Board established petitioned for a new recreation center. 
🦋1980's: City of Austin increases acreage of park
🦋1988, City renamed to reflect the proper spelling of Zaragoza.
🦋1996, #CityofAustin opens today's Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center on Cinco de Mayo. 
🦋2017, Austin Parks Foundation awards $50,000 for Parque Zaragoza play field and park improvements.
🦋2017, Parque Zaragoza Neighborhood Park was designated a Lone Star Legacy Park by the Texas Recreation and Parks Society (TRAPS)
🦋2018, #ParqueZaragoza receives Ga Ga Pit thanks to City of Austin voters, Austin Parks and Recreation Department, Disney and the National Recreation and Park Association.
🦋2018 Park receives new playscape and play field improvements with help of Austin Parks Foundation, St. David's Foundation, RBI Austin, Austin Parks and Recreation Department

​There's still a lot of history missing from above. I hope to learn more. But I also hope that we as a community today can band together to make new park and shared public places improvements. This East Austin neighborhood's legacy shows us the roadmap and raises the bar for what we can next do.🦋💚💃👨‍👩‍👧‍👧🌳🌺🌈

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