# Descanso/roadside memorial in front of your house: what do you do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 26, 2010, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358 "2010-04-26T01:24:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358/1 "2010-04-26T01:24:19Z")
[This article in the Las Cruces Sun-News](http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_14955695) describes the kind of thing one would only see in New Mexico. > [@](#): > > It happens that the cross is the only descanso - or roadside memorial - that will potentially be in the way of a construction project that will widen 18 miles of the interstate, from the Texas state line to just south of Las Cruces. Contractors have bladed land in the median for the new lanes and have started paving. > > But they haven’t yet reached the descanso. > > State department of transportation spokeswoman Bridget Spedalieri said the agency doesn’t yet know whether the cross will have to be moved. 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? ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358/2 "2010-04-26T02:02:49Z")
These road side memorial things with the crosses, flowers, teddy bears, pictures of the dead, etc. are the most god-awful morbid things. To commemorate the spot where someone died, like making a bad turn in the road somehow sacred ground, is just wrong, wrong wrong. It’s as tacky as stuffing grandma after she dies. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358/3 "2010-04-26T02:42:30Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358/4 "2010-04-26T02:50:52Z")
Is anybody coming back to log inventory on the porno magazines? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358/5 "2010-04-26T03:10:10Z")
Tree lawn? ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358/6 "2010-04-26T03:17:21Z")
aruvqan: Like [this?](http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i84/NinetyWt/GB%20Avatars/100_1218.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![StarsApart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@StarsApart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarsApart)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358/7 "2010-04-26T03:24:35Z")
They’re not just in New Mexico. I live in Arizona and see them all over the place. I’d probably try to get in touch with the family if possible and explain my side. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358/8 "2010-04-26T03:37:28Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358/9 "2010-04-26T03:47:03Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > In New Mexico, it’s illegal to destroy a descanso. 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. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358/10 "2010-04-26T03:56:15Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > 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. > **[Roadside memorial](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadside_memorial)** > > A roadside memorial, also referred to as a descanso, is a marker that usually commemorates a site where a person died suddenly and unexpectedly, away from home. Unlike a grave site headstone, which marks where a body is laid, the memorial marks the last place on earth where a person was alive – although in the past travelers were, out of necessity, often buried where they fell. > Usually the memorial is created and maintained by family members or friends of the person who died. A common type of ... “In New Mexico, roadside shrines are protected under state law, it is a crime to desecrate or deface them.” ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358/11 "2010-04-26T04:06:56Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358/12 "2010-04-26T04:21:33Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358/13 "2010-04-26T23:43:49Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > [This article in the Las Cruces Sun-News](http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_14955695) describes the kind of thing one would only see in New Mexico. > > 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? That’s not what the law says. 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. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358/14 "2010-04-27T02:15:56Z")
> [@NinetyWt](#): > > aruvqan: Like [this?](http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i84/NinetyWt/GB%20Avatars/100_1218.jpg) Similar, I would make it slightly more elaborate - more like[this](http://img-srv.dtcbuilder.com/engine/Builder/images/2/4/0/8/2/5/file/7.jpg), 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. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358/15 "2010-04-27T02:46:20Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358/16 "2010-04-27T02:47:51Z")
Just for shits and giggles, I’d also plant a few shrines on random boulevards in the middle of the night before leaving town. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358/17 "2010-04-27T13:11:07Z")
And in front of all the politician’s homes. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358/18 "2010-04-27T13:37:08Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358/19 "2010-04-27T13:41:33Z")
These are fairly common in Ontario, but I am not aware of any special status. They tend to disappear after a year or so. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358/20 "2010-04-27T17:09:08Z")
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. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/descanso-roadside-memorial-in-front-of-your-house-what-do-you-do/537358.md?page=2)