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Old
Town San Diego
Look up the hill from Old Town, you'll see a familiar San Diego
landmark, the Junipero Serra Museum, built in 1929. The
trademark white adobe walls with red-tile roofs define Old
Town's Spanish heritage; the arches along the walkway and the
proud tower hint at holy uses. Father Serra, who founded many
of the missions, was known for his compassion with the Indians,
his firm stance with the military, and for being San Diego's
founding father.
The Serra Museum and its mission-style architecture commemorate
San Diego's Hispanic period (1542-1846) and the beginning of
Spain's push to settle its claimed territory. Serra chose a
site for the fort on a hill (now Presidio Hill) overlooking the
river and the bay. The mission was built within the protective
stockade walls of the fort or "presidio," built in a
square, and provided accommodations for the military party.
With the mission at its center, the presidio was a fortified
settlement and a point of origin for the town of San Diego.
The mission did not prosper at its original site, however, and
the presidio was eventually abandoned. Father Serra moved the
mission five miles up the river, but during construction,
distrust between the soldiers and the natives grew into a
rebellion, killing a Padre. It would be another three years,
1777, before the mission was rededicated as Mission Basilica
San Diego de Alcalα, situated nearby, off I-8.
But the fort on the hill grew, and by 1820 residents moved down
the hill. The commander of the Presidio built the first home in
what is now Old Town, retired soldiers and their families soon
followed, and by 1829, 30 houses were built around a central
public square, called a plaza by the Mexicans who planned the
town. It was the social hub of San Diego, with fiestas,
bullfights, executions...and an accepted custom where
chaperoned single women could seek and be seen by potential
suitors.
By 1835 Old Town growth merited "pueblo" status under
Mexican rule, including political power and land grants.
Meanwhile, the presidio and its dwindling garrison fell into
disrepair. Soon the exposed adobe walls were reduced to hills
of mud, vandalism was rampant, and Old Town's 140 residents
lost their status. The next 40 years saw industry prosper and
the population of Old Town grow, until 1871, when, amid
controversy, the hub of local government and commerce was moved
downtown. A fire in 1872 finished the job, wiping out the heart
of commercial Old Town.
In 1968, six blocks of Old Town, including the plaza, were set
as Old Town State Historic Park. Today, visitors to Old Town
will find well-preserved haciendas, Spanish homes, and historic
landmarks. With its 20 reconstructed or restored buildings set
on 13 dusty acres centered around a town square, Old Town
combines Mexican, Spanish, and Old Western style. Contributing
to its year-round festivities: three dozen restaurants, a
playhouse, museums, plus colorful artwork, crafts, and
costumes. On weekends and warm-weather holidays, everyone
tourists and locals alike -- turn out to celebrate, sipping
margaritas in courtyards amidst the strolling mariachi bands
and Mexican folk dancers.
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