Brown is Beautiful

Completed “Brown is Beautiful” mural 1-26-2026
Sofia Mendoza & Cesar Chavez
Luis Valdez
Rosanna Desoto
Alfonso Salazar
Analyn Bones

John Garcia

“Brown is Beautiful” is a mural at Backesto Park in San Jose.  Analyn Bones, John Garcia, Francisco Ramirez, Mauricio Magdaleno, and Alfonso Salazar are the artists that worked on the mural and was funded by Ramon Castillo. According to Alfonso, “The mural honors the past, present, and future of our Mexican and Chicano culture”. 

Among the Chicano individuals painted in the mural are: Luis Valdez of Zoot Suit and Teatro Campesino fame, Sofia Mendoza, a San Jose Chicana activist in the 70’s & 80’s and Rosanna Desoto, a San Jose High graduate and movie actress who appeared in La Bamba and Stand & Deliver. Also featured are Tiburcio Vasquez a legendary folk hero, and Cesar Chavez founder of the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) that was later changed to United Farm Workers (UFW). The mural also recognizes the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, the people indigenous to this area. 

The mural is near the corner of North 13th Street & Empire Street in San Jose and next to the handball courts.

Click below to access mural timeline

brown is beautiful mural bakesto park sj top half 9-5-2025

Muwekma Ohlone Mural San Jose

Mural painting of Charlene Nijmeh Tribal Chairwoman President of Muwekma Ohlone Tribe

Creation Hymn

In the beginning of the world

all men had knowledge cheerfully

all had leisure

all thoughts were pleasant

at that time all creature were friends

wide river rushing

wide to the hills

everywhere spreading

waters devouring

men and all creatures on the flood of the waters

when the daughters of the spirit came to

help

all then joined together

all saying

Come help

in other years all traveled

over the waters of the hard stony sea

all were peaceful long ago

large and long was the east land

rich and good

shall we be free and happy then

at the new land?

We want rest in peace and wisdom

Adapted by E.G. Squier, ‘… translation of the Walum–Olum, or Bark Record of the Lenni

Lenape’, first printed in The American Whig Review, 1849

wide view alfonso salazar mura 4-27-2021
Photographs of the Muwekma Ohlone Mural from start to end

The Ohlone mural is a tribute to the proud culture and history of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area. It was painted by Alfonso Salazar, a Native Indian, born in San Jose. The mural is sponsored by Pow Wow San Jose and the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy in San Jose as part of the Artist in Residence program.

The Naticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation mostly live in Delaware Bay but also in New Jersey, northern Delaware, eastern Pennsylvania, and southeastern New York

http://muwekma.org/

https://www.powwowsanjose.com/about-pwsj