The moment visitors step into the Los Altos History Museum, they’re greeted by a wooden awning, painted white and covered in vines. The message is clear: They’re entering the home of Juana Briones.
The structure representing Briones’ porch is only the beginning of an exhibit detailing her life through Spanish colonialism, Mexican independence and eventually, California’s statehood.
Briones, a 19th-century Latina pioneer, had five properties in the Bay Area, including a ranch that encompassed much of what is today Los Altos Hills. She was an advocate who fought for her property rights, took a stand against her husband’s abuse and raised a large family. A healer and humanitarian, Briones would bring sick migrants back to her home, where she used traditional methods to treat them. She also owned several of her own businesses, ranging from her ranch to a small sewing enterprise.
The exhibit is split into four alcoves, each representing a part of her identity significant to her story. The sections are labeled “healer,” “matriarch,” “entrepreneur” and “advocate,” each with its Spanish translation beside it. Elisabeth Ward, the executive director of the Los Altos History Museum, said she believes that this layout allows those attending to appreciate the many significant roles Briones played as a pillar of the community.
“Juana was definitely this sort of person that was a nexus, and that’s what we’re trying to get out with the way we’ve done the floor plan,” Ward said. “It all comes together with Juana.”
A key element of the exhibit is the work done by high school students during a two-week workshop over the summer. Twenty students were given college-level material to learn about the life of Briones and then allowed to take what resonated with them and complete projects to be featured in the exhibit. Tulu Tofavaha’s project includes two original poems inspired by the story of Briones, combined with visual art surrounding them. Tofavaha, a junior at Eastside College Preparatory School, said she was inspired by the generosity of Briones, and allowed that to shine through her work.
“She didn’t see herself as a phenomenal person,” said Tofavaha. “She was simply doing all these things because she wanted to help her peers. She saw herself as a normal person doing normal things.”
Briones’ story inspired Tofavaha in her own life as well.
“I don’t necessarily need to be somebody in society in order to make a significant impact on the things around me,” she said. “Even though I might not exactly matter to the whole entire world, there will always be someone or something that appreciates me.”
When Juana Briones’ original Palo Alto home was torn down in 2011, many people heard about the controversy but possessed no further knowledge of who Briones was. Lisa Weyland, a recent visitor to the exhibit, didn’t already have a wealth of knowledge related to Briones but was ready to learn more.
“I know Juana Briones’ house and that she was a historical figure,” Weyland said, “but I didn’t know the details of her life and I’m here to learn more details and be inspired by her.”
Co-curator Halimah Van Tuyl is interested in why Briones’ story has been so lost, when she bears so much relevance to the area. With properties spanning from San Jose to San Francisco, Briones is not only important to Los Altos and Palo Alto, but also known as “the mother of San Francisco.”
“She’s been here all along,” Van Tuyl said, “but why is it that some stories are repeated and known and others not?
“People are still trying to rediscover the Juana Briones story. It had been forgotten for a time period. She wasn’t always included in histories of Santa Clara County, she wasn’t always part of the overarching narrative … but now people are really interested in her life,” she said.
Van Tuyl has taught at Juana Briones Elementary School since 1988 and has always told her students about Briones’ story. One student pointed out to Van Tuyl that if Juana was an entrepreneur, selling her sewing and owning a cattle ranch, one could only imagine the other women doing business whose names we do not know.
“I think we’re at a time where people understand that some stories that have been hidden in the shadows of history deserve to be spoken and shared … those stories give the rest of us the courage to speak,” Van Tuyl said.
Co-curator Perlita Dicochea also believes in the importance of these untold stories. Holding a doctorate in ethnic studies, she considers the cultural impact of such history to be immense.
“It’s so important to know local history, and it’s so important to know these names and these people that are part of our culture and our community, and it is really important for community self-esteem,” Dicochea said.
One way the museum is making an effort to bridge cultural gaps and maintain full access to the community is through bilingualism. Much of what is written in the exhibit is offered to attendees in both Spanish and English. This is the first exhibit in the Los Altos History Museum to be offered in both languages.
“Language is part of your identity,” Ward said. “For some Latino youths who live in a bilingual household, to come into a bilingual exhibit, it makes them feel more at home.”
The museum is also attempting to bridge the generational gap in this exhibit. From interactive elements for children to more informative pieces for the adults, the museum aims to draw in visitors from any age. The colors of the exhibit are bright, maps cover the walls and each alcove features a centerpiece of artifacts, such as letters written by Briones and a trunk from a Chinese immigrant that may have been given to her. Van Tuyl hopes that the exhibit will bring a new consideration of history to some attendees.
“(I want visitors) to not just think of history as facts that are all told and written down and finished but that … we may find something new that surprises us and that can inform our lives today,” Van Tuyl said.
For this exhibit, the museum involved the community through a special advisory board, separate from the museum’s structures already in place. The board met with various leaders of both Latinx and historical organizations and, according to Dicochea, the community wasn’t hesitant to pitch in.
“That’s been the beauty of this too, how excited people are to give their ideas and resources and time and whatever they can do to help,” said Dicochea.
The goal of the exhibit is to reflect the spirit of Juana, in her generosity and welcoming attitude.
“I want (attendees) to feel inspired,” said Dicochea. “I want them to leave the exhibit with that energy that’s in there now. There’s a warmth there, there’s so many positive messages.”
What: “Inspired by Juana: La Doña de la Frontera.”
Where: Los Altos History Museum, 51 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos.
When: Through March 31, 2019, Thursdays-Sundays, noon-4 p.m. Special events include: a storytelling and corn-husk-doll-making workshop for kids on Nov. 10 from 10 a.m. to noon; a genealogy panel on Nov. 19, 7-8:30 p.m.; a tamale cooking demo and tasting on Dec. 8, 4-6 p.m.; 2019 events to be announced.
Cost: Free.
Info: Go to LAHM.
Editor’s note: This article incorrectly misspelled the last name of museum co-curator Perlita Dicochea. Palo Alto Online regrets the error.
Editor’s note: This article incorrectly misspelled the last name of museum co-curator Perlita Dicochea. Palo Alto Online regrets the error.
Editor’s note: This article incorrectly misspelled the last name of museum co-curator Perlita Dicochea. Palo Alto Online regrets the error.
So…what the hell is Palo Alto doing to remember Juana Briones except to allow some property owners to modify their house in the foothills, in spite of its historical designation?
<QUOTE> Van Tuyl has taught at Juana Briones Elementary School since 1988 and has always told her students about Briones’ story. One student pointed out to Van Tuyl that if Juana was an entrepreneur, selling her sewing and owning a cattle ranch, one could only imagine the other women doing business whose names we do not know.
“I think we’re at a time where people understand that some stories that have been hidden in the shadows of history deserve to be spoken and shared … those stories give the rest of us the courage to speak,” Van Tuyl said.</QUOTE>
Right on! But you have to have en enlightened city government, or a school board, or a historic resources board, or city museum, that knows these stories as well. Los Altos obviously does.
I could find no convenient “category” offered by the Weekly to flag this issue, a sign of the Weekly’s indifference to real history. The Weekly, along with the rest of Palo Alto, believes in what I call “the Chamber of Commerce version of history.” For a devastating crtiique of this attitude in Hannibal, Missouri, see the Introduction to WRITING AMERICA (pages 5-9) by Stanford Professor and Mark Twain scholar Shelly Fisher Fishkin: <QUOTE>Hannibel may have been keen about historic preservation, but the history it preferred to preserve, as the Visitors and Conventions bureau told me me in 1992 involved little boys who “played marbles.”</QUOTE> It’s like naming a public square after Jack London, author of THE CALL OF THE WILD, and expunging any reference to dogs, let alone his “progressive” or even “socialist” opinions. As Professor Fishkin observes about Hannibal, MO.<QUOTE> It strikes many as simpler–and safer–just to forget the whole thing.</QUOTE>
Los Altos has chosen to remember; Palo Alto has chosen to forget.
I am so thrilled to go see this exhibit! As a former Juana Briones parent whose child was lucky enough to have van Tuyl for 4th and 5th grade, I am looking forward to learning even more about Briones. Van Tuyl was a gifted teacher who tried to make history come alive for the students and even their parents. The LAHM is a real local gem.
Palo Altans: You can take a nice walk on the bike path to Los Altos, stop at the Sweet Shop (which supports our schools), go up Los Altos Avenue and walk through several street connectors to Arastradero to get to the Los Altos Library. The Los Altos History Museum is behind the library across from the Bus Barn Theater. It’s about a 5 mile walk, and lovely this time of year (when the smoke clears, that is).
Congratulations to all who developed the exhibit, I can’t wait to see it!
>> So…what the hell is Palo Alto doing to remember Juana Briones except to allow some property owners to modify their house in the foothills, in spite of its historical designation?
Palo Alto only observes and preserves Birge Clark designed buildings…ironically Spanish-inspired architecture.
Quite right, @Preservation is Subjective.
And is Birge Clark Hispanic? Need I say more?
> Palo Alto only observes and preserves Birge Clark designed buildings…ironically Spanish-inspired architecture.
>>And is Birge Clark Hispanic? Need I say more?
OK. Then we can safely assume…(1) the Spanish pioneered this unique style of architecture; (2) the Mexicans perfected the concept/design; and (3) Birge Clark took it the bank and subsequently received most of the credit…in Palo Alto.
> Palo Alto only observes and preserves Birge Clark designed buildings…ironically Spanish-inspired architecture.
>> And is Birge Clark Hispanic? Need I say more?
Birge Clark was proclaimed ‘Palo Alto’s Best Loved Architect’ by the Palo Alto Weekly for his Spanish Revival style of design.
The same cannot be said of Juana Briones even though she had a head start in the design process. Even had her name been Juana Clark, her dwelling still would have paled in comparison to the Spanish Revival designs due to shoddy workmanship and materials. That is why Mr. Clark is more famous than Juana Briones. His buildings have withstood the test of time while hers are falling apart.
I remember helping the deconstruction of the house. I remember all the hoopla about how it was a historical site, and should be preserved, led by Emily Renzel and Enid Pearson. We removed some “original” lath and plaster and behind that was some machine cut wood…We had some experts time date it. Evidently the machine cut wood did not jive with the time period the preservationists were claiming.
Those ladies should have gotten their hienies sued for putting out fake news.
I am glad to see that rat infested house go.
> …due to shoddy workmanship and materials.
>> I remember all the hoopla about how it was a historical site, and should be preserved…
The same goes for some of those ancient Indian sites. Once the artifacts have been removed and carbon-dated, what’s the point of preserving the grounds? It’s just bare land.
Now if the former Indian settlements were Birge Clark designed or akin to those old cliff dwellings in the American SW, that would be another story.
> The same goes for some of those ancient Indian sites. Once the artifacts have been removed and carbon-dated, what’s the point of preserving the grounds? It’s just bare land.
Since most Native Americans were transient and migratory…while following or tracking a food source, preserving ‘pit stops’ is utterly pointless. A pile of abalone shells or buffalo bones serves no spiritual purpose. Their housing was also temporary in nature (teepees, straw huts et al).
About the only ones who make a big deal about this kind of stuff are modern-day distantly-related people who can only trace a slight lineage if at all. At one time, it was thought that most of the California Native Americans were extinct but then he fractionally-related came out and opened a number of gaming casinos throughout California. Go figure…instead of ‘the trail of tears’, some call it ‘the trail of money’.