HISTORICAL LEGACY

The Mexican Heritage Plaza (MHP or La Plaza) is a uniquely designed cultural facility located in the Mayfair neighborhood of east San Jose, a predominantly Mexican American neighborhood since the mid-20th century. The MHP was built by the City of San Jose in 1999 on the site of one of the first grocery store boycotts for farm workers’ rights organized by César Chavez in the 1960s.

In 2007, the City of San Jose began seeking new uses for La Plaza. A community assessment determined that La Plaza should become a school of arts and culture, and in 2009 a Steering Committee created a business plan to achieve that goal. In 2010, the City unanimously approved the Committee's recommendation to create the School of Arts and Culture at MHP (SOAC). SOAC was incorporated as a non-profit on July 11, 2011, and was made the operator of the MHP in September 2013.