In New Mexico, it’s illegal to destroy a descanso.
Now, let’s say you live somewhere in New Mexico, and an accident takes place in front of your house. One of the accident victims dies. The next day, you wake up to an elaborate descanso on the tree lawn in front of your house. It’s public right-of-way, and technically not on your property; just in front of it. What do you do? What if it’s a really obnoxious descanso, with large stuffed animals that will fade and rot as time goes on, empty malt liquor bottles, toy guns, copies of porn magazines, and the like?
If the blasted thing needs to “remain” I would get out my dremel and some decent wood, make a fairly fancy cross, engrave the persons name on it, some carven decorative motifs like roses or what not, and remove the trashy looking garbage, and place the neatly made one in its place. I would keep removing the trash, leaving only flowers and candles. If I ran into people I would ask them to ONLY bring flowers and candles.
They are common on the Big Island of Hawaii (where my house is, although I’m rarely in it) and don’t bother me in the least. Just because it’s not MY cultural tradition doesn’t mean it isn’t important to someone else. One person’s “god-awful morbid” is another person’s respectful way of coping with death. (I’ve watched human fat drip from a corpse being cremated in Bali, so I know whereof I speak.)
From a road safety perspective, I figure the memorials remind us all to be careful - both in general, and especially at the particular spot where someone died. I appreciate the warning and knowing that a fatal accident occurred at the spot where I am driving.
I didn’t see it mentioned in the article that it’s illegal to destroy one of those things in New Mexico. I think the legislature’s crazy if they did pass such a law. In other states, I think these things are strongly discouraged, because they’re a distraction to drivers, and much of the stuff on display (flowers, greeting cards, stuffed animals, etc.) falls apart in the rain.
As I said, it’s a dumb law. And the Wikipedia article on roadside memorials mentions another reason they’re a bad idea; it’s dangerous to stop on the highway to build or maintain these things.
In Spain it would simply be moved. Moving a memorial cross doesn’t destroy it. Once they’ve been put in place, they’re maintained by road crews.
They’re put in place both as a memorial for the dead and as a reminder for the living that What Matters Is To Arrive, Not To Arrive (Feet) First. And they come from a time where a walking horse was the fastest thing on the road; someone at a trot would have been considered reckless and dangerous.
Chapter 242
SB 478 ROADSIDE MEMORIAL DESECRATION PENALTIES (Rodriguez). Enacts one new section of the Criminal Code. Establishes a new crime of desecration of roadside memorials, known as descansos, that consists of knowingly or willfully defacing or destroying a descanso *placed alongside a public road *right of way to memorialize the death of one or more persons; 1st offense is a petty misdemeanor, 2nd and subsequent offenses are a misdemeanor; exempts law enforcement officials or other employees of the state or a political subdivision who remove a descanso that obstructs or damages a public road; also exempts owners of private property upon which a descanso is located. Effective 6/15/07.
Similar, I would make it slightly more elaborate - more likethis, just not jewelry =)
I like handcrafts, and like making stuff like signs and what not for people. I am not into tacky stuff like essentially trash left on my property, and would prefer to have simply candles and flowers, and most roadside shrines I see around here are essentially 2 pieces of wood lathe nailed together and painted white, with the persons name painted on it. Since I can chip carve, making a cross is easy and would make them happy that there is a nice memorial placed there.
I’d buy up the neighbouring property, set up various tourist shops on each property (cold drinks, hamburgers, trinkets, etc.), and generally try to imitate Wall Drug. Then I would declare to the press that concrete at the base of the shrine bore the impression of the faces of Jay-sus and Mother Mary, after which the hordes of faithful would swarm in.
With the proceeds, I’d move the hell out of New Mexico.
Around here, a bunch or wreath of artificial (plastic) flowers are nailed to the nearest tree, telephone pole, or fence. Or a hastily nailed together cross, pounded into the ground, and the flowers attached to it.
These are pretty common in New Mexico; I’ve taken pictures of them as I walked down the street. In some cases they’re just pictures and memorial notes pasted onto phone polls near the site of a deadly accident. One memorial at San Mateo and Menaul, commemorating 3 teenagers killed by a drunk driver, has been going for 20 years.
I don’t know what I would do without seeming like a Scrooge if they were on my property. Maybe throw away the “toys” that are wrecked and donate the decent ones to Big Brothers Big Sisters or something.
