Discover East Bay History via Transit
Join us for a tour of the Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, one of the most significant historical sites in the East Bay and known as the “Birthplace of Oakland”. This six-acre park is the focal point and last vestige of the 45,000-acre Rancho San Antonio, estimated to be the most valuable Spanish land grant ever made in California.
Today, the site is a space that brings people together to understand each other’s cultures and heal historical wounds, take care of the land we depend on, celebrate our rich and varied identities through culture and the arts, and engage in civic life, creating a model for communities nationwide.
Our visit will be guided by Vanessa Armenta, Director of Field Trips and Tours at the Friends of Peralta Hacienda Historical Park. Armenta was born and raised in the Bay Area and is a professional archaeologist that has spent most of her career consulting with various Native communities, exploring how to improve procedures and methods when handling sites and ancestral belongings. She is passionate about increasing diversity within archaeology and history, and her scholarship explores underrepresented communities in American history. Vanessa has also published work that examines gender, culture, and society during the Californio period.
A group will meet at the Fruitvale BART at 5:30pm and hop on AC Transit 54 at 5:37pm.
Transit Access: The Park is located near AC Transit Lines 14, 20, 21, 39, 40, and 54 and is also a 1.0-mile walk from the Fruitvale BART Station.
Accessibility: There is a wheel chair ramp on the East Side of the Peralta house and a wheel chair ramp to access the lower park.
Cost: $5 donation per person. Free for kids 10 and under.