When the pueblo moved to its present site in 1797, Spanish authorities laid out this square as its plaza mayor. It has been in public use ever since. California’s first capitol stood here from 1849 to 1851, and San Jose’s city hall occupied the middle of the park from 1889 to 1958. The plaza was rededicated in honor of César Chávez in 1993; in March 2026, after sexual abuse allegations against him became public, his name was removed from a commemorative plaque in the park.
It is one of the city’s main civic spaces and hosts Christmas in the Park every winter, the main stage of the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, the Music in the Park concert series (held since 1988) and the Fountain Blues & Brews Festival. The Tech Interactive and the San Jose Museum of Art face it, and a statue of Quetzalcóatl by Robert Graham stands at its south end.