Fountain resembles Luiseño basket

Design of downtown Temecula fountain inspired by Luiseño history

By Jeff HorsemanThe Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians shaped Temecula's past and present--and now its future town square.

A fountain in the middle of the square is inspired by a Luiseño basket, an artifact from a culture with roots in the Temecula Valley going back more than 10,000 years.And:In seeking to tie Temecula's past to its future, Pardell said he visited the tribe's cultural center and looked at artifacts. One basket in particular caught his eye.

The result is a 20-foot diameter bowl--the fountain itself is 60 feet end-to-end--covered in mosaic tile to resemble a Luiseño grass-woven basket. Two granite walls flank the fountain. The basket design depicts the net used to cast the sun into the sky, according to Luiseño belief.

Water flowing from the flanking walls into the bowl symbolizes the Temecula and Murrieta rivers combining, Pardell said. Acorns in the fountain center not only hide lighting and pump equipment but represent the resources that the tribe relied on for survival, he said.Below:  "Danny Frey, of Riverside, works on the electrical wiring for the new mosaic water fountain in Old Town Temecula. Each tile of the fountain is cut by hand and resembles a Native American design." (Rodrigo Peña/The Press-Enterprise)