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"The Juzgado"
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After our Repair and enhancement of the Juzgado.
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1994 -- the Fallon House and Peralta Adobe of the San
Jose Historical Assn.
Size:
48" x 48"
Scale: 1/4" = 1 ft. (1/48th scale)
Figures: 24 at 1 1/2 in. tall
Features: Diorama with
accurate scale model of original Juzgado building but lacking in the human
action necessary to tell the story.
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The Problem: The Historical Association
of San Jose had a diorama, built in the 1960's and depicting the Juzgado,
San Jose's first civic building built about 1850. The building was in
the center of the settlement and served as the local courthouse, jail
and storehouse for goods delivered to or shipped from San Jose by mule
train. While the diorama was professionally built and of good workmanship,
it had suffered some damage. In addition, the story the diorama told was
considered by the Association's historians to be inaccurate and incomplete,
with only five figures and no dynamic action going on at what was the
center of the settlement's commerce.
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Before our enhancement, not much activity at the center of San Jose.
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The Challenge:
To refurbish and enhance the diorama to create a dynamic and historically
accurate exhibit which would tell the story of how the Juzgado served the
needs of the settlement by organizing the shipping of locally grown grain
to the Presidio in Monterey and by distributing imported goods received
in return, as well as serving as the local center of government. (Webtser's
cites "Juzgado" as the origin of the term "Hoosegow"
meaning "jail".) |
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After our enhancement, the level of activity at the Juzgado is more like
what our research suggested it should be.
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The Solution: Working with the South County
Design Center which was responsible for the overall design of this museum's
redo, we fixed the damage to the diorama. Then, based on our research,
we developed a story for this diorama. A mule train with a seemingly unending
line of loaded pack mules extends to the back of the diorama on one side
of the Juzgado. On the other side of the building stand the last animals
of a recently arrived mule train. From one mule's back a scale model of
an historic chair is being unloaded from the mule's carrying frame (see
lower left). Both the chair and frame are modeled after real artifacts
on display in the museum. In front of the building four native prisoners
are being transferred from the jail portion of the building (see lower
right). Two men are arguing outside the courtroom section of the building
while waiting for the arrival of the Comisionado who served as mayor,
judge and chief of police.
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The addition of details such as these provide the needed story line for
the diorama. |
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