A massive coiled bronze representing the Mesoamerican feathered serpent Quetzalcóatl sits in the southern half of Plaza de César Chávez, downtown. Sculptor Robert Graham, working in an abstracted style, produced a smooth dark mound that has been variously interpreted as a serpent at rest, a Henry Moore-style abstraction, or — as locals delight in pointing out — something less dignified.
Whatever you think of it, the sculpture is impossible to ignore on a walk through the plaza. It anchors one of the city's pleasanter public spaces and gives San Joseans a reliable subject for civic argument. Read the inscription before you snicker; the piece is intended to honour the city's Mexican and Mexican-American heritage.