NEW
Kuruvungna & the Tongva Sacred Springs
Sunday April 24 | 10am - 5PM
Landmark & Sacred Site
Design & Care: The Gabrielino~Tongva Springs Foundation; President, Bob Ramirez
Garden Size: 2 acres
Started: Recent archeological evidence suggests that the area surrounding the natural springs have been occupied for over 8,000 years. The most recent planting took place in 2021.
The Tongva Sacred Springs, located on the current grounds of University High School in West LA, is a State Historical Landmark and a Registered Sacred Site of the Native American Heritage Commission. The school grounds and much of the surrounding condos and buildings are built on the site of Kuruvungna, a significant village of the Tongva, the original people of Los Angeles. Once used for agricultural classes, the site was abandoned thirty years ago. The Gabrielino~Tongva Springs Foundation was created in order to protect, preserve, restore, and revitalize Kuruvungna and inform the public about the Tongva, the original people of Los Angeles.
Notable Plants
Sacred Datura (Datura wrightii)
Fremont Cottonwood (Populus fremontii)
Valley Oak (Quercus lobata)
Willow (Salix spp.)
White Sage (Salvia apiana)
The California toad has come back. We have native tree frogs that we’ve reintroduced. We have been able to reintroduce the native Arroyo chub–we have a population that is growing exponentially, living in these ponds. We’re inviting other creatures. You can hear the birds, crows, we have hawks. Somebody spotted an owl up in the shrubbery. We can restore this site to its more natural state with oaks, sycamores, and walnuts, and allow this to be open and spacious to the sky, which is probably the most beautiful thing we can do.”
– Bob Ramirez
