Read this story in Spanish.Walking through Parque Zaragoza is like taking a trip through the history of Austin.It was founded along Boggy Creek in 1931 as the first public park for the city's Mexican-American community.Zaragoza quickly became a cultural hub, where people gathered to watch baseball games, listen to Tejano music performed by local legends, and celebrate holidays like Cinco de Mayo and 16 de Septiembre.“There was always something to do at Parque Zaragoza because it was the place where everyone went, you know, the Mexican-American community,” says David Capuchino, who was a park supervisor from 1986 to 2005.But as community leaders aged and gentrification changed the makeup of the neighborhood, the annual festivals and traditions began to fade.Now a new group of volunteers is trying to bring back some of those traditions, starting this weekend.The volunteers, who call themselves Friends of Parque Zaragoza, celebrate the park's 90th anniversary on Saturday.Raúl Álvarez, a former member of the Austin City Council, leads the group.He says that the use of the park has decreased during the pandemic, and he hopes that holding more community events will help change this situation."We're trying to create reasons for people to use the park and recreation center again," he said, "but also to document ... the historical importance of this facility, not just to East Austin, but to the community at large."The park has recently been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and a new plaque indicating this recognition will be unveiled during Saturday's celebrations.The event, which will be held from 1 to 5 pm, will also feature live mariachi and ensemble music, a treasure hunt, and basketball and disc golf games.On the eve of the anniversary celebration, the city of Austin released a short documentary entitled "Zaragoza Park: Community, Culture and Resilience," which tells the story of the park.The park's origins date back to the city's racist policies.In the 1920s, the City Council passed restrictive housing measures that pushed Austin's black and Hispanic residents into underserved areas on the east side.Latino leaders wanted a public space for the Mexican-American community to gather and began urging the city to create a park for them.His efforts were successful.In 1931, the park opened on 9.3 acres along Boggy Creek near East Seventh Street.It is named after Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín, a Mexican general whose army defeated invading French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The day is now celebrated as Cinco de Mayo.Residents used the park for Cinco de Mayo festivities, barbecues, dances, and baseball games.One of the most popular attractions was Tejano music.Bands came from all over central Texas to perform at the park.This helped Austin become the music city it is known for today, according to Gloria Mata Pennington, a former manager of the city's parks program who appears in the documentary."Tejano music really belonged to us," she says in the documentary."I want people to remember that those seeds that were planted and made Austin the live music capital of the world happened right here in this park."Just as the founding of Parque Zaragoza was driven by the defense of the community, so were its improvements over the years.For more than 50 years, a small brick bathhouse with no air conditioning was the park's only indoor space.In the 1980s, the park's advisory council, a group of volunteers who defended Zaragoza and organized community events, petitioned the city for a new recreation center, but the economic downturn slowed progress.Community members finally got the center included in a bond package in the 1990s, which was approved by voters.During the planning process, the advisory board and residents were given input into the look of the recreation center, said Capuchino, who worked on the design team.The $2.3 million facility would feature a gym, weight room, multipurpose room and arts and crafts space.When the new center opened in 1996, neighborhood residents came out to sign their names in the newly poured concrete on the sidewalk next door."This made the community feel ownership of that recreation center and that it was theirs, not just owned by the city of Austin," Capuchino said."They felt like owners."According to the documentary, the design of the new center and its "cutting-edge concepts" received praise from architecture magazines.Murals were placed in it that represented the founding members of the park and scenes from the history of Mexico.The Mexican Consulate donated a large bust of General Zaragoza that is still on display near the entrance.At the new center, Capuchino helped grow established festivities like Easter egg hunts and pumpkin carving into larger events and expand after-school programs for children and teens."Everything grew because of the rec center," he said.However, in the early 2000s, the advisory board began to disband as members aged and stopped attending meetings, he said.Capuchino also ended up retiring.The demographics of the surrounding neighborhoods began to change as property values ​​rose.Some families were displaced by rising property taxes and the cost of living.Richer people moved out and bought old houses to build more expensive ones.As these changes continue to occur, Álvarez said he hopes that Amigos de Parque Zaragoza can help ensure that the histories and traditions of this park are not lost."There's a lot of change around the park in terms of gentrification and displacement," he said."So what we want to do is preserve the stories and preserve those memories and create reasons for people to come to the park. [We want to make sure that families today can connect with the park just like other family members in the past have. connected to the park.Álvarez said the new organization is picking up the mantle from past generations of community members who have watched over Parque Zaragoza.Álvarez and other community members began organizing the Amigos group in late 2019. Last year marked the park's 90th anniversary, but the group had to postpone celebrations until 2022 due to the pandemic.In addition to hosting events like the one on Saturday, the organization holds regular park cleanups on the second Saturday of every month.Going forward, the group wants to work with the community to identify the physical improvements they want to see in the park, Alvarez said.One of the first things on the list is the creation of an outdoor classroom under the oak trees, a place where people can host poetry readings or storytelling events for children."I think the Amigos group symbolizes the need to take better care of the park and to remind people why it is a special place," he said, "and that it is a place where history can be made, not only in the past, but also in the future".If you found the above report valuable, please consider making a donation.Your contribution pays for everything you find on KUT.org.Thank you for donating today.Translations of select KUT content are made possible through financial support from Texas Mutual Insurance Company, a workers' compensation provider.