Parque Zaragoza

Ignacio Zaragoza left Texas as a boy: after the Revolution his father, an infantryman, moved the family from Goliad to Matamoros, then Monterrey, where Ignacio tried the seminary. He joined the Nuevo Leon militia as a sergeant in 1853, fought for the liberals of the Plan de Ayutla and through the War of the Reform, and became Juarez's minister of war in 1861. He resigned to lead the Army of the East and turned back the French at Puebla on May 5, 1862. He died of typhoid that September, and Juarez made Cinco de Mayo a national holiday.

What the plaque says

Parque Zaragoza Austin's Tejano (Mexican-American) population expanded substantially in the early 1900s, and racial segregation concentrated the growth in East Austin. Sustaining the community's cultural identity became increasingly important. Recognizing the need for recreational space in which to celebrate their heritage, community leaders petitioned the City of Austin for a neighborhood park. In 1931, the city purchased land at this site for that purpose. The new park was named for Gen. Ignacio Seguin Zaragoza, the hero of the Battle of Puebla (Cinco de Mayo 1862), who was born in the Mexican village of Presidio de la Bahía del Espíritu Santo (present-day Goliad, Texas). The park soon emerged as a cultural hub. Local Tejano business and civic leaders established a board to organize activities and celebrations held at the park. A Comité Patriotico formed to foster goodwill locally and internationally through celebrations centered on the park, including the Fiestas Patrias of Diez y Seis de Septiembre and Cinco de Mayo, which featured music, dancing, speeches and coronations. Conjunto, a native form of Tejano music, predominated at these gatherings, often serving as the embodiment of the community's desire for greater acceptance through recognition of its own distinct culture and legacy. Beginning in 1931, organized baseball games brought large crowds from surrounding communities. The local community treated each game as a cultural celebration, complete with food and music. Later, the community officially organized Sunday games in the park. In 1941, residents employed by the national youth administration built a recreation center. In 1996, at the Cinco de Mayo celebration, a new recreation center was dedicated. Today, Parque Zaragoza still serves as a reminder of a proud heritage. (2015)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Texas State Cemetery — 0.9 mi
  A hill east of the Capitol that began with one general's grave in 1851 and now holds Stephen F. Austin, governors, Barbara Jordan and more than 2,000 Confederate veterans and widows.
• George Washington Carver Museum — 1.0 mi
  East Austin's museum of Black history and culture, grown from a segregated branch library moved across town in 1933, with a permanent exhibit on Juneteenth at its core.
• French Legation State Historic Site — 1.3 mi
  A raised pine house built in 1840 and 1841 for France's envoy to the Republic of Texas, who left Austin in a rage over a neighbor's pigs before it was finished.
• Texas State Capitol — 2.0 mi
  Austin's fourth statehouse, a Renaissance Revival capitol of 1888 that stands 311 feet to its Goddess of Liberty and was restored after the 1983 fire.

More markers nearby

• Zavala Elementary School — 0.6 mi
• Tillotson College — 0.7 mi
• Blackshear Elementary School — 0.7 mi
• The Herrera Family — 0.8 mi