Cesar Chavez Memorial Garden

The garden features several types of roses and other ornamental plants, fountains, and statues.

NPS photo

Quick Facts

Amenities

5 listed

Audio Description, Benches/Seating, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Restroom, Wheelchair Accessible

The memorial garden surrounds the final resting place of Cesar and his wife Helen. Their gravesite is at the back of the garden, near a wall fountain that honors the five martyrs who lost their lives during the strikes. As a space of reflection and contemplation, the memorial garden represents Cesar's spiritual, cultural, and agricultural heritage. Four varieties of roses in the garden symbolize Cesar's values as a civil rights leader: family, loyalty, hard work, and perseverance. The arbor's overhead structure was built from recycled materials, many of which were obtained on site. Through the use of recycled resources, the arbor demonstrates Cesar's dedication to conservation.

Grapevines represent the five-year-long grape strike and boycott. These struggles led to union contracts that improved living and working conditions for the thousands of the farm workers that were exposed to harsh conditions while working in the fields.