Hidden San Diego - Balboa Park - The Human Zoo ...
The Zoro Human Zoo Was a Performance Piece
to Challenge Early Cultural Norms
Original Photo by me
Butterflies and Flowers
Today the Zoro Garden still features stone ramps and a beautiful butterfly garden. This hidden gem is just steps off the beaten path from the Bea Evenson Fountain, which was originally a gift to the children of San Diego so they could splash and play in the cool water there. The fountain is now off limits to wade or bathe in, but the garden still remains a shady and peaceful retreat.
As Always, I blog for my Kids
Nudes and Sun Worship
In 1935 for the California Pacific International Exposition, the Zoro Garden featured loincloth clad men and g-string clad women in a human performance piece that challenged cultural norms. This human-zoo charged a small fee for viewers who wished to enter the garden, and allowed complimentary peeks through strategically placed knotholes in a wooden fence.Performers celebrated the freedom of nudity (or as close as laws would allow) and practiced mock rites to the sun several times a day.
Source Wikipedia