San Jose Facts

Comandante Moraga, under orders of the Spanish Governor of California, Felipe de Neve, gathered settlers to establish the first California pueblo. It would become the first non-native civil settlement in all of California. Prior to it, all non-native settlements had been either military posts such as the nearby presidios in San Francisco and Monterey to maintain control, or Mission settlements such as the nearby missions in San Francisco and Santa Clara to provide food and to subjugate the natives . Moraga selected 14 families and one single man totaling 66 women, men, and children, from the San Francisco and Monterey settlements. These 66 settlers founded Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe on November 29, 1777 along the Guadalupe River. Today, their pueblo is known as San Jose.

Source: Clyde Arbuckle’s history of San José, book by Clyde Arbuckle, 1986, page 10.

El Monstro – Mural

South San Jose Mural

I really enjoy this mural, El Monsrto, the monster! It is photo realistic and playful and I can remember my kids pretending and playing when I see it. I enjoy this for what I think and for how I feel when I appreciate it.

Technically impressive is that this was done with spray paint. The artist painted this as part of the Pow! Wow! San Jose 2019 event when numerous artists put up public art works in one week in collaboration with property owners and sponsors. The three years we have had this event have brought a lot of art to our city.

South San Jose Mural

Above is a close up of the painting. Like analog-pixels of the art, up close you can see individual paints that went into the photo realistic effect that you get from stepping back. Wonderful!

South San Jose Mural
The trees above El Monstro capturing the light as the sun drops on the horizon.
South San Jose Mural