By Edith Loyola 
In the heart of San José’s Northside neighborhood, a group of local artists has finally received approval to paint a Chicano-themed mural on the handball court wall at Backesto Park. This artistic initiative, which honors Mexican American identity, was pushed forward despite several community and administrative hurdles that initially delayed its progress.
According to Analyn Bones, one of the artists involved, the mural aims to represent diverse cultural expressions—from elements of San José’s Chicano movement to references to local Indigenous communities. The intention, she explained, is to pay tribute to the multiple layers of identity that coexist in the city.
“The three of us artists have different styles. I paint portraits and cars, Alfonso focuses more on people, colors, and nature, and John García specializes in the Nahuatl language,” Bones said, describing the richness of approaches behind the collaborative design.
However, the planning process turned out to be longer than anticipated, largely due to opposition from the 13th Street Neighborhood Advisory Committee, whose members claimed they had prior plans for the wall dating back to before the pandemic. In their view, the Chicano project did not fully reflect the neighborhood’s diversity.
In response to these critiques, the artists decided to adapt the original design. Following a community meeting held on April 16, they removed a repeated phrase (“Brown is beautiful”) and added palm trees and softer tones in an effort to address concerns about inclusion and aesthetic balance.
As a result of these tensions, the mural’s approval went through a contentious vote in the San José Arts Commission. Initially, the commission voted 5 to 3 to delay the decision until May or June. However, after a wave of outcry from supporters present at the meeting, the commissioners reconsidered and, in a surprise turn, unanimously voted in favor of the project.
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“I believe last night’s recommendation to approve was the right one, based on the facts,” said mural coordinator Ramón Castillo. “There was nothing inclusive about trying to exclude people who are already often excluded,” he added firmly.
Nonetheless, some residents and members of the Neighborhood Advisory Committee expressed feeling excluded from the initial process. Lynne Rosenthal, vice chair of the commission, acknowledged these concerns, stating that various groups in Northside were not adequately informed about the project.
“Several groups and individuals from Northside attended [the earlier meeting] and noted that they received very little or no notice or inclusion in the proposed and presented project,” Rosenthal said, as reported by San José Spotlight.
As a way to address the dissatisfaction, the commission also approved exploring the possibility of assigning another location within the park for additional murals, open to other community proposals.
It is also worth noting that the mural will not be funded with public money. As clarified by Ramón Castillo, he will personally finance the project as a gesture of personal commitment to his community.
“I’m using a portion of my recent financial settlement to pay for this mural,” he shared, emphasizing that the effort is fueled by love for the art and the neighborhood.
Likewise, Analyn Bones confirmed that there is no set date yet for the start of the work, as they are still waiting for a formal contract to grant them legal access to the park.
Finally, some residents expressed support for the initiative, hoping that the mural will bring beauty and positive messages. One such supporter is José Hernández, a local resident, who stated:
“Anything that’s painted and decently done, because sometimes there’s bad graffiti with bad messages, and we have to be careful for the kids.”