Pantoja Park is a public park located in the Marina District of Downtown San Diego, California. Originally built in 1850, it is the oldest park in the city of San Diego.[1] The park is named for Don Juan Pantoja y Arriola, a Spanish navigator who drew the first map of San Diego Bay in 1782.[2] In the park stands a statue of Benito Juarez, a gift from the Mexican government in 1981.[3] Located on G Street near Columbia Street, Pantoja Park is a small oasis of open greenery in quickly redeveloping Downtown San Diego.[1]
Pantoja Park features a large grassy area and multiple large mature trees.[4] The park has several towering old fig trees, shrubs and flowers, benches, walking paths, and a historic Natal Plum planted in the middle of the park.[5] Two years after the formation of San Diego's Historical Resources Board, Pantoja Park was registered as the seventh San Diego Historic Landmark in 1969.[6]